Making the most of screenwriting competitions
Screenwriting competitions can help you find your feet as a writer – and even open industry doors. But to get the best bang for your buck, you should…
Do the free stuff and cheap stuff
The Script Lab runs an annual free competition. Early competition entries are usually discounted – so if your script is ready, it’s a money saver.
Set up a Coverfly profile (and a basic ISA profile)
Coverfly (www.coverfly.com) lets writers host scripts and a profile. They aggregate competition results and promote high placing scripts on their Red Lists: landing a spot can get you read by managers and production companies.
Get on social media – use competitions to meet other screenwriters
Bluesky is a great place to be, but everywhere has screenwriting communities . You can learn a lot from script swaps with peers – but you need to find some first. Screenwriters often post competition placements and saying ‘congrats’ is a way to meet people. If you ask to read, you’ll sometimes be offered a script swap – and if you place you’ll start to pick up read requests.
Write a strong compelling script
Many competitions take roughly the top 10% of scripts through to quarterfinals. That means about 90% of entries don’t place – so:
- Rewrite, read aloud, proofread – get your script as good as you can
- Get professional notes, think about them and use them (especially the challenging ones).
- Rinse and repeat – get reads from peers too.
Not placing in any one competition doesn’t mean you wrote a dud. But if you’re never placing, it’s time to rethink and rewrite. If you’re stalling at quarterfinals – celebrate that you’re on your way – and keep rewriting.
Once you hit a final or win…
You’ll have work to do. Competition runners generally want additional materials (e.g. writers bio, updated script if you’ve rewritten, synopsis, headshots, possibly a writer’s statement) – and they’ll need those materials fast.
Then it’s time for targeted queries, promoting your win, and riding that momentum as far as you can.
About me
I mostly write thriller features, often with migration and borders in the mix. My second feature NO GHOSTS TONIGHT is a 2024 Academy Nicholl finalist and won the 2024 Golden Script Competition. My first, DUST ON DIRT, is a 2023 PAGE International finalist and a 2022/2023 Academy Nicholl quarterfinalist. I’m on Coverfly at: https://writers.coverfly.com/profile/writer-adelewritesthrillers
Thanks for visiting Matthew Cooper’s website:
Matthew Cooper has been a script writer for hire and UK script consultant for over 20 years. He’s written for most of the UK soaps, including writing award-winning episodes of Emmerdale, EastEnders, Hollyoaks and Family Affairs and has been BAFTA shortlisted and Royal Television Society nominated as a script writer.
His directorial debut, the rubber reality horror thriller ‘Markham’ was released in 2020, his second feature film as director ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’ hit the screen in 2021 and his third horror feature film (and final part of The Sekurig Trilogy) When The Earth Gives Up The Dead (2022) was released on Halloween 2022. His micro budget feature length version of ‘H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth’ is free to view on his YouTube channel – Matthew Cooper – YouTube
His latest feature film SOBER is near completion – a comedy starring Dean Smith (Last Tango in Halifax / Still Open All Hours) and Tom Gibbons (Funny Cow / The Archers) will be released in 2025.
You can find some of his broadcast credits on the IMDb.