I posted this earlier today in another thread, in response to a question about which I considered to be the top screenplay contests. I'd meant to make just a basic list, but after it grew more elaborate, I thought maybe it would be a good idea to put it in its own thread. Apologies if you saw it before. As I wrote in my original post, my opinion might not be worth more than anybody else's, so take this with a grain of salt. I'm kind of beyond the contest phase now (I hope!) but I took them very seriously for the last couple of years and I did a ton of research before selecting the ones I wanted to enter, ranking them for my own purposes. If I did a ranking today, it probably would look like this:
1. Nicholl - class by itself.
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2. PAGE - solid No. 2, but not in Nicholl's league; relentless marketing and sketchy collateral enterprises like "eMeetings" are a bit annoying, but good people in charge honestly trying to help new writers; genre setup creates many opportunities for high placement, although also has a diluting effect.
3. Austin - great reputation in writer community; most value if you go to the Festival; won't generate many inquiries but definitely helps in queries.
4. TrackingB - rising star; lack of QF/SF tiers is a negative if you're looking for credentials, but if you're selected as an Honorable Mention or Finalist you have a very good chance to gain represenation; my managers know "The Insider" and told me that he's totally legit, so no worries there.
5. Scriptapalooza - big plus for the way they very actively promote their Semifinalists and above (Top 100), which no other contest does; if you reach that level, you definitely will get reads.
6. Script Pipeline - only acknowledging Top 20 is a neagtive, but they do have some impressive success stories and it's probably worth a shot.
7. American Zoetrope - could be ranked higher because they have a very good reputation, but I think you need the right kind of script to have a good chance of doing well here.
8. Slamdance - falling stock, in my opinion; had major administrative problems a couple of years ago and ripped some people off on coverage; now under new management, I believe, and trying to regain their footing, but still not particularly well run in terms of announcements and deadlines, etc.; WAB submission is a minus, if they're still doing that.
9. BlueCat - has its diehard supporters who would rank it much higher, but I'm not a big fan of Gordy and his operation; undue preference for oddball, non-commercial scripts; as discussed elsewhere, feedback is hit-and-miss, but mostly miss.
10. Creative World Awards - very well-run and good people running it; always makes scheduled announcement dates and one of the best contest websites around; would rank higher if it were more established.
11. Final Draft - just checked the website out again and it looks improved since the last time I visted a couple years ago; dispensing with WAB and going back to website submission is a plus; still get the feeling that its main purpose is to serve as a marketing vehicle for the software, but overall looks a little better than I'd remembered.
12. StoryPros - smaller contest without much reputation, but well-run and can help you get attention if you win or place; really nice guys running it.
13. Fresh Voices - new and still getting its legs, but early signs are promising and many DD'ers have had positive experiences; good website.
I've advanced in most of these contests, so I have some experience beyond simply entering. But, again, there are many opinions about contests and I don't claim any special authority.
I hope this is helpful.
1. Nicholl - class by itself.
------------------------------
2. PAGE - solid No. 2, but not in Nicholl's league; relentless marketing and sketchy collateral enterprises like "eMeetings" are a bit annoying, but good people in charge honestly trying to help new writers; genre setup creates many opportunities for high placement, although also has a diluting effect.
3. Austin - great reputation in writer community; most value if you go to the Festival; won't generate many inquiries but definitely helps in queries.
4. TrackingB - rising star; lack of QF/SF tiers is a negative if you're looking for credentials, but if you're selected as an Honorable Mention or Finalist you have a very good chance to gain represenation; my managers know "The Insider" and told me that he's totally legit, so no worries there.
5. Scriptapalooza - big plus for the way they very actively promote their Semifinalists and above (Top 100), which no other contest does; if you reach that level, you definitely will get reads.
6. Script Pipeline - only acknowledging Top 20 is a neagtive, but they do have some impressive success stories and it's probably worth a shot.
7. American Zoetrope - could be ranked higher because they have a very good reputation, but I think you need the right kind of script to have a good chance of doing well here.
8. Slamdance - falling stock, in my opinion; had major administrative problems a couple of years ago and ripped some people off on coverage; now under new management, I believe, and trying to regain their footing, but still not particularly well run in terms of announcements and deadlines, etc.; WAB submission is a minus, if they're still doing that.
9. BlueCat - has its diehard supporters who would rank it much higher, but I'm not a big fan of Gordy and his operation; undue preference for oddball, non-commercial scripts; as discussed elsewhere, feedback is hit-and-miss, but mostly miss.
10. Creative World Awards - very well-run and good people running it; always makes scheduled announcement dates and one of the best contest websites around; would rank higher if it were more established.
11. Final Draft - just checked the website out again and it looks improved since the last time I visted a couple years ago; dispensing with WAB and going back to website submission is a plus; still get the feeling that its main purpose is to serve as a marketing vehicle for the software, but overall looks a little better than I'd remembered.
12. StoryPros - smaller contest without much reputation, but well-run and can help you get attention if you win or place; really nice guys running it.
13. Fresh Voices - new and still getting its legs, but early signs are promising and many DD'ers have had positive experiences; good website.
I've advanced in most of these contests, so I have some experience beyond simply entering. But, again, there are many opinions about contests and I don't claim any special authority.
I hope this is helpful.
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