When entering a contest...

[BrightMatter]

How many of you leave your contact info on the title page? Do you think this helps you, hinders you, or has no effect?




Cheers

[IndieMe]

If you read the rules, I think you will see that most of them specifically say "DO NOT" put your name and contact info on the title page. Your contact info will be on a separate entry form.

At least I think that's the norm, I've only entered one.

[Jcorona]

I'd follow each contest's rules exactly as written.

Corona

[BrightMatter]

Rules clearly state that you're not supposed to include this information, but that doesn't seem to stop a lot of people from doing it, thus my question.

Has anyone had a submission disqualified because they didn't remove their contact info?

The anonymous thing seems a little irrelevant anyway since lists of quarter/semi/finalists are published. If a reader really wanted to know who you were they could find out quite easily after the first round.

[gregbeal]

Originally Posted by BrightMatter

Rules clearly state that you're not supposed to include this information, but that doesn't seem to stop a lot of people from doing it, thus my question.

A lot? In Nicholl, we don't count them, but an estimate would be between 50 and 100 in a given year. Out of 5000-6000 entries, that's not many.

Originally Posted by BrightMatter

Has anyone had a submission disqualified because they didn't remove their contact info?

Not in the Nicholl competition. As it states on the application form, we simply remove the title pages that include contact information. Occasionally, a script will include a header with the author's name on every page. In those cases, we ask the entrant to submit a new copy of the script without the header.

Originally Posted by BrightMatter

The anonymous thing seems a little irrelevant anyway since lists of quarter/semi/finalists are published. If a reader really wanted to know who you were they could find out quite easily after the first round.

This is only true of contests that release lists prior to the completion of middle and late round judging. It is not true of Nicholl, Disney and, I believe, Austin, among others.


In any case, if you plan on entering a competition, wouldn't it make sense to read and follow the rules? Why spend any time wondering whether you were disqualified for some minor indiscretion.

[CutteRug]

Originally Posted by BrightMatter

Rules clearly state that you're not supposed to include this information, but that doesn't seem to stop a lot of people from doing it, thus my question.

When I read this, I can't help but ask myself two questions:

1. Where would you even find this statistic?
   
   
2. Why would you let it even remotely affect your decision not to follow the rules?

Sorry, I guess I'm feeling ornery today. Please excuse.

Cheers,

Adam

[BrightMatter]

Indeed, why wouldn't you follow the rules? I agree with all of you that following the rules seems painfully obvious.

But, I'm reading/have read for a few different contests (some reputable, some trying to be) and I'd estimate around 50 percent of the scripts have contact info on the title page and/or elsewhere. It seems easy enough to edit the title page yourself before you submit it, so I can only assume most of these people want me to see their names. In defense of the administrators, many of these scripts are electronic copies in pdf which they cannot edit, but the volume of people submitting with their name attached is what's shocking to me.

At first, I ignored the names as a good judge should and just read on, but after a while I couldn't help but notice that it's often the worst scripts that include this info.

Is my experience unique among you other readers out there?

I'm just trying to get some insight if entrants feel this helped or hindered them.

[CutteRug]

Ahh, you're reading, not entering. I get it now.

Originally Posted by BrightMatter

. . . after a while I couldn't help but notice that it's often the worst scripts that include this info. . .

I think you just nailed your answer right there.

It requires (among other gifts) tremendous attention to detail to execute a great movie screenplay. If an entrant can't get something as simple as "don't put your info on the script" correct, it speaks volumes toward the possibility they screwed up other aspects as well.

And if one were to *purposely* include their contact info, hoping to gain favor with judges. . . Well, that's not only cheating, but it's lame cheating. I can't imagine how the benefit could outweigh the cost.

So I think what you're seeing in these contests is just the fact that a large percentage of the writing population (and for that matter the population in general) simply lack attention to detail.

My oh-two.

Cheers,

Adam

[La Femme Joyeuse]

Of the sixty scripts I read for a competition, I saw maybe three or four writers who had neglected to follow the no-name rule. Is it usually indicative of the overall level of quality in the script...? I'm leaning toward saying yes.

In my experience, a writer who either overlooks this basic rule of a competition or chooses to overlook it is already acting like an amateur and that never bodes well for the script itself.

That said, it could be that a very small percentage of writers worry that if they don't have their name on the title page or on subsequent pages that the competition will not log their entry in properly and their huge cash prize will go unrewarded