Read 'Do you think it’s worth mentioning in my query letter that my script was a quarter finalist in a well known script competition?' at http://www.SellingYourScreenplay.com.

I got this question recently:

“Do you think it’s worth mentioning in my query letter that my script was a quarter finalist in a well known script competition?”

Absolutely. Even a quarter final finish is noteworthy, especially in a big contest that most people have heard of. In my opinion getting these sort of accolades are what you’re really looking for when entering a screenplay competition. Sure, winning first place and banking some cash is nice, but really you want some recognition which will be ammunition for your query letter, and quarter final finish is exactly what you’re looking for. Most people in the industry know that there may not be a lot of difference in the quality of the winners and the quarter finalists other than one or two people’s opinions. The winners are usually picked over pretty well, so an agent, manager, or producer might be quite interested in reading your script because they know it hasn’t had a spotlight shined on it yet and might be a real diamond in the rough.

Check out my other posts on screenplay competitions.

Read 'Script Doctor Eric’s screenplay contest' at http://www.SellingYourScreenplay.com.

I don’t usually recommend script competitions since most don’t offer much value. However, today I’m recommending one. Script Doctor Eric is having a competition and he’s agreed to read all the entries himself. He’s charging $35 for entry, however I highly recommend you pay an extra $15 ($50 total) and get entered into this contest and also get an abridged version of his screenplay notes service. This is real value. At a minimum you will get 1 page of notes from a professional script reader and at a maximum you might actually place in the contest. It’s really a no-lose situation. This is a great chance to get professional notes for only $50. Eric is going to be very busy the next couple of weeks! The contest ends on March 31st or when he receives 100 entries, which ever comes first.

If you’d like to enter this competition go here: http://www.scriptdoctoreric.com/2010/03/script-doctor-erics-screenwriting.html

Check out my post, Entering screenplay competitions, to learn more about what I think of screenplay competitions in general.

Good luck!

Read 'Winners of the 2010 SellingYourScreenplay.com screenplay competition' at http://www.SellingYourScreenplay.com.

A big congratulation goes out to the winners of the 2010 SellingYourScreenplay.com screenplay competition.  Competition was fierce as we had hundreds of entries.  Unfortunately everyone can’t be a winner.  Please remember that writing is very subjective and just because one of our judges didn’t move your script to the next level doesn’t mean that it’s not “good,” it simply means it didn’t resonate with that particular judge.

Listed below are the winners of this year’s competition.

Grand Prize Winners (listed in alphabetical order)

Casimir Effect by Gabriel Strange & Lydia Wood

Logline: Alice has a choice to make, stay with her true love and risk the collapse of the space time continuum, or take drastic measures to ensure all of creation isn’t erased.

Needle Park, Texas by James W. Price

Loglin: Junkies are taking over a small, Texas town.  Only a dentist, a bartender, and a Vietnam veteran have the guts to stop them.

Finalists (listed in alphabetical order)

Becoming My Mother by Kevin E. Curry and Kathleen A. Curry

Logline: BECOMING MY MOTHER is the story of April Hobson, a successful, young businesswoman who has her life turned upside down when her mother’s death forces her to face the unknown and take on her mother’s family duties. BECOMING MY MOTHER is about discovering who you are and not letting others, especially your family, define you.

Mid-Life Comedy by Roy Hasslup

Logline: When a manager at a local seafood restaurant hits mid-life comedy ensues as he cheats on his wife, embezzles from the restaurant, and becomes involved in illegal seafood smuggling ring.  Damn those oysters smell bad!

Read 'Entering screenplay competitions' at http://www.SellingYourScreenplay.com.

I got this question recently:

“What do you think of script competitions?  I have heard that a high budget script will not do very well.”

I entered two (that I remember), the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting and a screenwriting contest that Disney used to sponsor (I’m not sure if they still do).

The script I entered into the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting was a “quarterfinalist” which amounted to nothing more than a nice “thanks, but no thanks” letter.  It’s possible that all scripts are “quarterfinalists” but since I only entered once I don’t know.  I did mention the “quarterfinalist” finish in my query letter for that script since at the time I had no other credits.

I had a friend who was a member of the academy and an early round “judge” for the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.  His professional background is in special effects so it seems to me that the academy will use any willing members as early round judges.  In addition, he got rushed for time while reading his three scripts so he let his wife read and evaluate the last one.

The Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting is considered to be the best screenplay competition.  So if that’s how their process works think about how the other competitions’ processes work!  It doesn’t give me a lot of hope that the “best” script will rise to the top or that the screenwriter is really getting a fair read, which they certainly deserve since they paid to be in the competition.

When I was starting out here’s how I looked at it: I could spend $50 on entering a contest or I could spend $50 on sending query letters to production companies.  I spent my time and money on submitting to production companies that could option and buy my scripts.

If you have plenty of time and money you might as well enter any and all competitions you can.  Who knows, you might get some awards and those awards can only help you when you’re marketing your scripts.  Don’t expect any of the screenplay competitions to directly result in you selling your script because it won’t.  What it will do, if you win or place highly, is give you additional fodder for your query letter and maybe lead to some industry contacts.

But if you have a finite amount of time and money I think you would be better off buying the Hollywood Creative Directory and submitting your script to production companies listed in it.  Follow my advice in my post How to Sell Your Screenplay (in a nutshell) if you have any questions about how to make a professional submission to a production company.

To answer the specific question above; I’ve never heard that a high-budget script would have any less of a chance in a screenplay competition.  Screenplay competitions aren’t worried about a film’s budget so I can’t see why that would hurt its chances.