I’ll admit, I’m in new territory submitting my script in lieu of my finished films to competitions. And as my feature action/adventure tale of swashbuckler hero-types ACTUALLY progresses in the competitions, I’m amazed at the perceived insignificance of it. I truly think writers get the short end of the stick.
Yes – there are 100s of competitions out there that really don’t mean squat to an aspiring filmmaker. The same is true of writing comps or film festivals. However, there are a few that honestly open doors for new talent. Here are the top 5 competitions my research has determined to mean anything.
#1 Nicholl’s Fellowship – Ran by the academy and open only to non-professional writers (you can’t earn your living writing to win this fellowship). Even quarterfinalists get industry attention. HOWEVER – they got 6404 script entries this year. Wow.
#2 Austin Film Festival – 17 years and still running. This competition runs simultaneously with their large Screenwriting Conference.
The Sundance Writing Lab is pretty awesome, but so very very rare to get an invite. Don’t waste your money on the $65-75 entry fees at the other “pro” competitions. If you want Hollywood to come to you, my money is on Nicholl.