The Contest That Has Launched Careers For Over 20 Years
Final Draft’s Big Break Screenwriting Contest is an annual, international feature film and television screenwriting contest designed to help launch the careers of aspiring writers. Writers who have entered Big Break have had their screenplays optioned, sold, and have secured high-profile representation.
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Early Bird
Ends 04/15
Regular
Ends 05/20
Final
Ends 06/10
Extended
Ends 06/28
Big Break 2024 Judges
Gary King
PARAMOUNT
Gary is currently serving as Vice President of Development for Paramount Television Studios overseeing shows at Paramount+, Amazon, Apple, and BET.
Projects he’s overseen include the upcoming Amazon series CROSS, the recently announced Apple series MURDERBOT, Netflix original series TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON TRILOGY and TEKKEN: BLOODLINE, season 3 of DISNEY XD ESPN SPORT SCIENCE, the pilots for Disney XD's PARKER PLAYS and POLARIS PRIMETIME, the short film incubator FREE PERIOD for Disney Channel, as well as the independent features IN THE BLOOD and HOUSE BY THE LAKE.
King began his career at New Line Cinema and has spent time as an executive at Warner Bros. and Disney Channel, in addition to working with producers such as Fast & Furious filmmaker Justin Lin, and former NBA All-Star Baron Davis.
Lauren Deitch
NETFLIX
Lauren Deitch is a Manager for Drama Series Development at Netflix. In this role she is responsible for tracking team projects and grids as well as hearing pitches, taking general meetings and acting as an executive on a vast and rich slate of drama original series in different stages of development.
Deitch joined Netflix in 2019 focusing on Dramedy and Soap content, when the Original Series team was organized by genre. In this role she helped to oversee deals including Marti Noxon and Higher Ground. She played a role on such shows as Partner Track, Pieces of Her, Behind Her Eyes and Away.
Jeff Portnoy
BELLEVUE PRODUCTIONS
Prior to joining Bellevue, Jeff Portnoy worked at Creative Artists Agency, The Gotham Group, Resolution Talent Agency and Heretic Literary Management. At CAA, Jeff worked as a story analyst for six years, writing coverage and story notes for scripts written by clients and projects set up at major production companies and studios.
Jeff’s clients include Josh Golden, whose script Road to Oz landed on the prestigious Black List, was an Academy Nicholl Fellowship Finalist and sold to New Line Cinema; Mark Mavrothalasitis, who has projects set up at Alcon Entertainment and Awesomeness Film & TV; and writing team Samuel Franco & Evan Kilgore, whose script Mayday 109 is set up at Thunder Road Pictures.
Scott Stoops
GOOD FEAR ENTERTAINMENT
Scott Stoops is a manager at Good Fear, a production/management company based in Los Angeles. The company represents writers, directors, actors, comic book publishers, authors and more. Hailing from Seattle, Washington (go Hawks), Scott started in the industry working at Paradigm, where he was an agent trainee in the feature literary department. He transitioned to Benderspink in 2014, and followed Chris Bender and Jake Weiner to their new outfit Good Fear. Today he represents a variety of emerging writers and filmmakers, and has sold both TV and film projects including Man Alive which was written by Joe Greenberg and sold to Fox with Noah Hawley (creator of FX’s Fargo) directing. Passionate about all things elevated and genre, his favorite films/shows of the last few years include Wild Tales, Coherence, BBC’s Black Mirror and the UK TV series Utopia. He is an avid consumer of horror, science fiction, comic books and comedy.
Amanda Alley
SKYDANCE MEDIA
Amanda is a Creative Excutive of Motion Pictures Production at Skydance Media. Prior to her time at Skydance Media, Amanda worked as a casting director and associate for various television, film, and national commercial projects including Comedy Central's "Adam Devine's House Party," pilot casting for "Code Black", amongst an extensive list of other independent films.
Jon Hersh
HOUSEFIRE MANAGEMENT
Jon Hersh is an independent literary manager working with writer and writer/director clients in film and TV. Jon created Housefire Management in 2017 with the intent of finding bold voices with incendiary material. Since then, his clients have gone on to develop film and TV projects with Universal, Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount Players, AMC, Nickelodeon, Spyglass, and many others. His clients are regularly on the annual Black List, and in 2022 his client was #1 on the list. Before breaking into management, Jon was a Development Executive at Broad Green Pictures, a fledgling film financier and distributor. During his tenure, he had a hand in developing a slate of quality projects for the 90+ employee company, delivering detailed project notes to writers. Before working in development, Jon began his career at Creative Artists Agency where he worked as a full-time story analyst for four years. While there, he evaluated thousands of screenplays, pilots, and books, and gave detailed story notes to high-level clients of the agency. He is an alumnus of USC's School of Cinematic Arts program and currently resides in West Hollywood with his wife and two sons.
Andrew Bergamo
THE DONNERS' COMPANY
At The Donners' Company Andrew Bergamo has helped develop stories for some of the biggest franchises of the past decade. After first cutting his teeth as a development intern at Marvel Studios, he moved over to The Donners’ Company where he quickly worked his way up to become a Creative Executive, aiding in the development of films and shows in the X-Men cinematic universe as well as the upcoming Lethal Weapon 5 among several other projects.
Jason Lubin
FIRST STORY ENTERTAINMENT
Jason Lubin is a manager-producer and the principal at First Story Entertainment, which he founded in 2018. The lit management company represents a diverse roster of talented writers and directors with fresh voices in all genres for Film and TV. The company’s clients have been staffed on shows on multiple networks including Showtime, CW, Apple+ and Netflix and have sold series to Disney and HBO Max. Jason also develops both feature film and television projects under the company’s banner. Prior to starting First Story, Jason was a seasoned development executive. He worked at Lynda Obst Productions as the Head of Development & Production and at Lionsgate, where he rose to Story Editor in the Motion Picture Group.
Jen Ray
HEROES & VILLAINS ENTERTAINMENT
Jen Ray is a Partner and Literary Manager at Heroes & Villains Entertainment where she is proud to represent an all-female, all-badass roster of writers, directors, authors, playwrights and other storytellers. She has previously worked at Principal Entertainment LA, Benderspink, CAA and William Morris, and is an alumnae of Cornell University and the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC. Jen also co-founded the production company LYLAS Pictures whose producing credits include Netflix's LIKE FATHER and Focus Features’ FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL… LYLAS is currently producing the adult animated comedy TANGLES for Monarch Media and has set up film and television projects with companies including Buzzfeed, Elevate Entertainment, Hello Sunshine, Lionsgate, The CW, Desert Whale, The Tannenbaum Company and Temple Hill.
Diego Rey
UNDERGROUND FILMS
Diego Rey is an entertainment manager and producer from Texas. After living on a couch and working as a barista, he landed a job in the Management 360 mailroom where he stayed until making his way to Underground. Rey represents a wide range of creatives including actors, writers, directors, and comedians, and produces alongside the company. He prides himself on haveing a diverse roster and is passionate about amplifying unrepresented voices.
Trent Anderson
ANONYMOUS CONTENT
Trent Anderson is a manager-producer based in Los Angeles, CA. Born and raised in Southern California, he’s been in love with movies, television, and comedy from as far back as he can remember. Probably because his dad showed him Eddie Murphy’s RAW at an (arguably) inappropriately young age. After graduating from Cornell with a degree in Economics, Trent worked as an assistant at Joanne Horowitz Management before moving over to Anonymous Content where he worked in the talent department. After transitioning to literary management, Trent began signing clients and produced his first feature, WES SCHLAGENHAUF IS DYING. The film was made during the height of the pandemic for a production budget of only $50k. It premiered in the US Narrative Competition at Tribeca in 2022 and is being distributed by Gravitas. Since then, Trent has continued to build a roster of diverse writers, directors, and actors. In addition to representation, he has continued to produce in the feature and television spaces.
Jesse Hood
ACE ENTERTAINMENT
Jesse is a versatile executive with experience in many different areas of filmmaking. After starting on set as a production assistant in rainy Vancouver, he moved indoors, working in visual effects for many years on large-scale projects like BATMAN V SUPERMAN and DOCTOR STRANGE. After realizing that he missed the action on set, he dropped everything and started again, working his way up from assistant to production executive with ACE Entertainment. There he has started fulfilling his dream of travelling the world, helping oversee projects like Nickelodeon’s ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK and the upcoming movies LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI and TIME CUT. When he is not on set, Jesse is busy developing new projects for ACE while splitting his time between Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Allie Loh
ZERO GRAVITY MANAGEMENT
Alevé Loh, based in Los Angeles, CA, US, is currently a President Content and Acquisitions at Zero Gravity Management, bringing experience from previous roles at Modernmom, Herbalife, Bellrock Media, Inc. and Australian Conservation Foundation. Alevé Loh holds a 2005 - 2006 UCLA Anderson School of Management. With a robust skill set that includes Engenharia Civil', Engenharia De Telecom, Entertainment, Mei and more, Alevé Loh contributes valuable insights to the industry.
Brian Spink
REALM
A literary manager/producer at management company REALM which he started over five years ago. Prior to that, he spent over a decade at Benderspink. He represents screenwriters, TV writers, and directors as well as comic book and video game writers. Brian is one of the producers behind Sony’s Ratter movie which he discovered as a short film and developed into a screenplay. Film projects that Brian is producing include Abducted at Paramount, Last Voyage Of The Demeter at Millennium, and The Champion at Endurance. His clients have worked at every studio and with A-list filmmakers including Sam Raimi, Roland Emmerich, Michael Mann, Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Michael Bay, Ridley Scott, David Goyer, Neal Moritz, Drew Goddard, Gale Anne Hurd, Chuck Roven, Eva Longoria, and Will Smith.
Zack Zucker
BELLEVUE PRODUCTIONS
Zack Zucker is a Literary Manager at Bellevue Productions. Prior to joining Bellevue, Zack worked at Google, United Talent Agency, and Twentieth Century Fox. He attained an MFA from the University of Southern California's Peter Stark Producing Program and a BA from the University of Michigan.
On the feature side, his clients have placed #1 on the 2020 and 2021 Black Lists and had films premiere at Sundance, SXSW, TIFF, and Tribeca. On the TV side, his clients have written on such series as FBI: International, Frasier, and Flatbush Misdemeanors.
Zach Bianco
FEIGCO ENTERTAINMENT
Zach Bianco is the manager of television development for Feigco Entertainment. In his five years at the company, he has helped shape each of their television projects, most recently serving as co-producer on the Starz show Minx. He has an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA and in another life worked on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Gabrielle Utsey
POV Entertainment
Gabrielle Utsey attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia where she received her BFA in Writing for Film and Television. After graduating she left for Los Angeles, initially working in children’s television at The Jim Henson Company and later working with Prentice Penny (Insecure, Uncorked, Happy Endings, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) as his assistant on his first television show, The Hustle. Gabrielle went on to explore opportunities in unscripted and branded content as well as post-production before returning to scripted television at HBO Max. Working her way up from assistant, as a junior executive she worked on original drama series The Flight Attendant, Raised By Wolves, Pennyworth, DMZ, a Dune spinoff series and The Girls On the Bus.
Currently Gabrielle is the VP of Development for Layne Eskridge’s POV Entertainment. Gabrielle eventually would like to write and produce full time, focusing on placing marginalized people in genre bending stories that explore topical and culturally relevant themes. She enjoys comic books, graphic novels, action movies, crime thrillers and horror.
Mireia Vilanova
CARTUNA
Mireia Vilanova is a live action and animation producer from Barcelona working in Los Angeles. Her work has screened all around the world, in major festivals such as Tribeca, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Outfest, etc. She currently serves as Producer - International Development at the animation studio Cartuna, where she focuses on international projects and co-productions for both film and TV, including the feature film "Silence Sometimes", selected for the Berlinale Talent Project Market 2024. At Cartuna, she has overseen projects for companies like Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, CMT, among others. In the live action space, she has produced the horror feature "I Live Here Now", directed by Julie Pacino, and the mockumentary film "Cece's Interlude", directed by Tee Park and supported by the Sundance Institute. Mireia has produced numerous projects supported by notable fellowships including Film Independent Project Involve, Indeed Rising Voices Seasons 2 and 3, and Women in Film x Google Shorts Lab. She is a 2024 Berlinale Talent, 2021 Film Independent Project Involve Producing Fellow and a member of the BAFTA Newcomers Program. Mireia holds an MFA from the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California.
Lisa Alford
JOHNSON PRODUCTION GROUP
Lisa Alford is a development executive at Johnson Production Group. Prior to joining Johnson Production Group, Lisa worked at TriStar television where she specialized in identifying IP that supported TriStar’s mission to feature diverse, authentic characters and champion underrepresented voices. Lisa came up at Sony Pictures Television where she worked as a production coordinator in the Television Movies and Miniseries department and in the writers room on the WGN hit series OUTSIDERS. In her current role, Lisa shepherds projects from the concept phase through story development, production, and post.
Alex Barnes
Producer
Alex is a Development Executive and Producer working between Australia and the US across scripted, unscripted and podcast. Alex has worked on productions including HOUSE OF CARDS, MANHUNT: UNABOMBER, the FIFTY SHADES OF GREY trilogy and was a producer on Tim Winton's THE TURNING which starred Cate Blanchett and premiered at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival. In 2022 Coverfly and The Tracking Board named Alex on their inaugural Industry NEXT LIST of rising development executives. He's been a core part of development teams that have sold projects to major platforms including: Disney+, Universal Pictures, Amazon, Netflix, Max, FX, Columbia, ABC Signature, Lionsgate TV, Fox, UCP, MGM+ and Peacock. He started his career directing and producing broadcast documentaries for ABC Australia and SBS/NITV as well as music videos for artists including Ball Park Music, Emma Louise and eurovision star Kate Miller-Heidke. Alex serves on the board for Hollywood, Radio & Television Society's fastest growing Associates Division, as well as the Industry Committee for Australians in Film.
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Early Bird Deadline in 18 Days
Big Break Prizes
All prizes and awards are subject to change.
$10,000 Cash
Each of the Grand Prize Winners will receive $10,000 in cash.
Apple iPad
Each of the Grand Prize Winners will receive an Apple iPad.
A Trip To Hollywood
Roundtrip airfare to Los Angeles plus 3 night hotel accommodations for the Grand Prize Winners.
Meetings With Managers, Producers and Executives
Attend networking events and meet the industry.
Dell Laptop
Each Grand Prize Winner receives a Dell XPS laptop.
New York Film Academy
Attend multi-week online immersive program in both film & television writing
2 Grand Prize Award Winners
- $10,000 cash
- An Apple iPad
- Dell XPS Laptop
- A trip to Hollywood* –Roundtrip airfare to Los Angeles plus 3 night hotel accommodations
- UCLAex Masterclass
- 1 year subscription to ScriptHop
- Cocktails with Big Break Grand Prize Alumni
- Writer brand assessment and 60-Minute Career Prep Webinar with screenwriting career coach Lee Jessup
- Copy of Save The Cat! Story Structure Software and book
- Query Letter or One-Sheet analysis and a personalized, signed copy of The Screenwriter’s Bible by Dave Trottier
- Final Draft Go™ App for iPhone and iPad.
Additional Prizes For TV Grand Prize Winner
- Script Consultation from Jen Grisanti Inc.
- One-hour career coaching session with Carole Kirschner to create a personalized game plan for leveraging the contest win.
Each Feature And TV Award Winner Receives
- $1,000 Cash
- Final Draft 13
- New York Film Academy – Attend multi-week online immersive program in both film & television writing
- 5 Career coaching sessions with screenwriting coach Lee Jessup
- 60-minute webinar with screenwriting career coach Lee Jessup on how to capitalize on your Big Break win
- Participation in a 6-Week Teleseminar from Jen Grisanti Inc.
- A 4-month InkTip Pro Membership – As an InkTip Pro Member, thousands of filmmakers can find and read your scripts, and you’ll be able to pitch directly to production companies every week
- Free entry to any Script Pipeline Season – Feature or TV
- One year subscription of MasterWriter software
- Free Big Break Contest entry for 2025
- Script coverage from Big Break readers
- A Copy of Save The Cat! Strikes Back by screenwriter Blake Snyder.
- 6 month subscription to ScriptHop
Short Script Winner Receives
- $1,000 Cash
- Final Draft 13
- Feedback on a verbal pitch or pitch deck, plus a 1-hour feedback session with Seed & Spark
- Free Big Break Contest entry for 2025
- A 4-month InkTip Pro Membership – As an InkTip Pro Member, thousands of filmmakers can find and read your scripts, and you’ll be able to pitch directly to production companies every week
- 6 month subscription to ScriptHop
- One year subscription of MasterWriter software
Short Script Finalists
- One-on-one consultation with Seed & Spark on crowdfunding, producing, and distribution
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Early Bird Deadline in 18 Days
Some of Our Success Stories
Jason Kaleko
Signed with Dallaslyn Lamb and Matt Rosen at Rain Management Group
2023 Grand Prize Feature Winner
Natalie Wood
Signed with manager at Meridian Artists
2022 Grand Prize TV Winner
Joshua Flanagan
Signed with UTA. Script optioned by Legacy Pictures
Top 3 Hour-Long Pilot 2022 for The Six-Day Detective
Rob Shapiro
Found producers and a director for his contest-winning script, and signed a shopping agreement for a half-hour revenge thriller and optioned a horror feature
2022 Comedy Category Winner
Jason Ginsburg
Signed with Gravity Squared Entertainment
Top-3 2022 in Comedy/Feature for Unexplainable
Dustin Milligan
Signed with Anonymous Content
2022 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Category Winner
Aaron Horwitz
Script has actors and director attached. Film being presented to buyers at EFM
Top-3 2022 Sci Fi/Fantasy Category for Green Bank
Chris Pittas
Signed with Matt Prater at Citizen Skull
2021 Top-10 in Thriller/Horror for Scorpions
Benjamin Kramer
Signed with Heroes & Villains
2021 Action/Adventure Category Winner
Lindsay Grossman
Signed with Sarah Nezamzadeh at Stride Management
2021 Semifinalist in TV Hour-Long for Lady Death
Frank Arthur Smith
Comedy series Open To It was acquired by channel/streaming service OUTv
Quarter-Finalist in 2020 in Diversity Category for Feature The Heat of Neutralization and Quarter-Finalist in 2021 in Diversity for Feature Second Generation
Mira Z. Barnum
Staff writer on The Irrational
2020 TV Grand Prize Winner for Beirut
Manfred Lopez Gram
Signed with Zero Gravity
2020 Top-5 in TV Half-Hour for Teleport
Chris Hill
Signed with LIT Management
2020 Top-3 in Period/Historical for One Day Longer
Bill Poore
Signed with REALM
2020 Feature Horror Category Winner for Slaycay
Asabi Lee & Paul-Hart Wilden
Signed with StoryDriven
2020 Feature Diversity Quarter-Finalists for Haunting of 1600
Ben Johnson
Signed by Plain Text Management. Showrunning own series for Netflix.
2019 Feature Diversity Category Winner for Canaan
Todd Goodlett
Signed by Larchmont LIieracy Agency
2019 TV Grand Prize Winner for The Arsonist's Handbook
Myles Reid
Signed by Silent R Literary Management. Sold his winning pilot which is currently in development for Sony
2018 TV Grand Prize Winner for Scattershot
Jonathan Barger
Optioned by Zorg Studios
2018 Quarter-Finalist for Station Zero
Natasha LePetit
Optioned by Chayah Masters/Rumination Road, with Alex Gayner set to direct
2018 Quarter-Finalist for The Undertaker's Childer
Nadia Abass-Madden
Sold her spec episode in the room to Fox's 9-1-1 and is now a staff writer on the show.
2018 Feature Diversity Category Winner for Tongs of China Town
Greta Heinemann
Signed by Bellevue. Sold pilot to HBO Max. Set up feature biopic at Amblin. Co-EP on upcoming Apple show The Secrets We Keep
2017 Feature Grand Prize Winner for Anatomy of a Breakdown
Kevin Bachar
Signed by Zero Gravity Management.
2017 Top-3 Finalist for My Boyfriend The App
Nancy Duff
Signed by Jennifer Au of Untitled
2017 Top-3 Finalist for Drop Dead
Michael Morra
Horror/Thriller script optioned by Caged Film Ltd.
2022 Grand Prize Feature Winner
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See our past Grand Prize and Category Winners.
Fees & Deadlines
Early Bird
Ends 04/15
Regular
Ends 05/20
Final
Ends 06/10
Extended
Ends 06/28
All entries must be electronically submitted by midnight on their respective deadlines.
Early Bird Deadline in 18 Days
Rules & Eligibility
Fees and Deadlines
- $35.00 – Early Bird Deadline Shorts Standard Entry April 15, 2024
- $75.00 – Early Bird Deadline Shorts Standard Entry + Feedback April 15, 2024
- $45.00 – Early Bird Deadline Standard Entry April 15, 2024
- $110.00 – Early Bird Deadline Standard Entry + Feedback April 15, 2024
- $45.00 – Regular Deadline Shorts Standard Entry May 20, 2024
- $85.00 – Regular Deadline Shorts Standard Entry + Feedback May 20, 2024
- $65.00 – Regular Deadline Standard Entry May 20, 2024
- $130.00 – Regular Deadline Standard Entry + Feedback May 20, 2024
- $55.00 – Extended Deadline Shorts Standard Entry June 10, 2024
- $95.00 – Extended Deadline Shorts Standard Entry + Feedback June 10, 2024
- $75.00 – Extended Deadline Standard Entry June 10, 2024
- $140.00 – Extended Deadline Standard Entry + Feedback June 10, 2024
- $65.00 – Last Chance Deadline Shorts Standard Entry June 28, 2024
- $105.00 – Last Chance Deadline Shorts Standard Entry + Feedback June 28, 2024
- $85.00 – Last Chance Deadline Standard Entry June 28, 2024
- $150.00 – Last Chance Deadline Standard Entry + Feedback June 28, 2024
Submissions
- The Big Break Screenwriting Contest only accepts online entry of feature film, television, and short screenplays (original pilot scripts only – miniseries cannot be accepted).
- No printed scripts will be accepted.
- To enter your script electronically, you must submit your screenplay in PDF format. You are not required to use Final Draft in order to enter the Contest.
- All submissions should consist of: – Full-length screenplays (approximately 80 to 120 pages); – Teleplays (hour-long approximately 40 to 70 pages, half hour approximately 20 to 35 pages); – Short script screenplays (maximum 20 pages).
- Any entries over 150 pages WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. For feature and teleplay, entries less than 20 pages that are clearly not a screenplay (comic books, etc.) will also be disqualified.
- All necessary information is captured upon entry of digital submissions, so title pages should be removed or contact information must be deleted from the title page. The title of the script will be provided to the reader as part of the file name and in the judging form.
- Do NOT include personally identifying information (name, etc.) ANYWHERE in your script as this will result in INSTANT DISQUALIFICATION. This includes: – Writers name, WGA or representation info on the title page; – Writers name on ANY page of the script; – Writers name within the script’s file name.
- Entry should consist of a screenplay, teleplay, or short script only. Do not include resumes, pitches, synopses, casting suggestions, letters, or other supporting documentation with your submission. Judges will not receive these materials.
- The exception is original hour-long and half-hour TV entries, which may include standard supplementary materials, such as lists of recurring characters and future episodes, as part of the screenplay. This information would need to be included within the same file, at the end of the script.
- Entrants who select to receive feedback on their screenplay will be given at least 550 words of assessment from a competition reader. Feedback will be automatically emailed to entrants upon its completion.
Contest Announcement Dates
- August 23, 2024 (Quarterfinalists)
- September 20, 2024 (Semifinalists)
- October 11, 2024 (Finalists)
- November 1, 2024 (Category Winners)
- December 4, 2024 (Grand Prize Winners)
Multiple Entries
- Entrants may submit multiple entries. Each submission must include its own entry form, a separate file and separate entry fee. Entries will be considered for the genre prize in each category and for the grand prize in either feature film or television.
Eligibility
- The Big Break Contest is open to any individual who is 18 years of age or older at the date of entry and has access to the Internet.
- Employees, officers, directors, contractors and agents, and their immediate families and household members regardless of where they live, or members of the same households (whether related or not) of Cast & Crew Production Software, dba Final Draft and its respective divisions, affiliates, subsidiaries, agents, Big Break Contest sponsors, and advertising agencies (collectively, the “contest providers”), are not eligible to participate in the Contest or to win any prize.
- Screenplays under option at the time of submission are not eligible.
- Adaptations are not eligible unless the source material was written by the screenwriter of the entry in question. Scripts are not eligible if the source material has been sold, produced, or is currently under option to any third party.
- Grand Prize winners in Features and TV, category winners, and Short Script Award winners are not eligible to re-enter their winning scripts in future Big Break Contests. They are, however, eligible to enter different scripts for consideration. Grand Prize Feature and TV winners, as well as category winners, receive a free entry in the 2024 Big Break Contest as part of their 2023 prize package.
Co-Writers and Prize Division
- Screenplays written by up to four people may be entered into the contest. Only one entry fee is required for such entries. All writers’ names should be listed on the online entry – if they are not, your co-writer’s name will not be reflected on our website if your screenplay advances in the contest. List the writer who will be the primary contact first, and include the address, telephone, and email for that person only. All writers must authorize submission of the entry. By clicking Submit, all writers authorize the submission.
- If a screenplay written by multiple writers is one of either of the Grand Prize winners, all cash awards will be split equally between all writers. If a screenplay written by multiple writers is any of the category finalists or Grand Prize winners, prizes will be divided at writers’ discretion but only one of each prize will be distributed.
Revisions, Refunds, and Resubmissions
- In order to run a fair contest for all entrants, revisions or missing pages will not be accepted under any circumstances once an entry has been assigned to a reader.
- Once an entry has been submitted and payment has been processed no refunds will be issued.
- If the script is rewritten and the original entry has already been assigned to a reader, the writer(s) may resubmit a script as a new entry for consideration in the contest. This is treated as its own entry and requires the full entry fee.
- Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time (provided the entry has not already been assigned to a reader) with a $6 reentry fee through Coverfly. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.
Prize Conditions
- All prizes and awards are subject to change, including changes which are a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Prize travel is subject to capacity controls, availability, weather, seasonal influences, and certain other restrictions, all of which are subject to change. No changes will be made to travel details once any element(s) of the travel arrangements have been booked, except at Final Draft’s sole discretion. All airline tickets issued in conjunction with the prize are not eligible for upgrades, frequent flyer miles, or any other promotional benefit. Final Draft is not obligated to replace any lost or stolen tickets (including any event tickets or admission passes), travel vouchers, certificates, or similar items once they are in the winner’s possession. Travel must be roundtrip. Final Draft will determine the flight itinerary in its sole discretion. No refund or compensation will be made in the event of the cancellation or delay of any flight. Air travel is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in these Rules and those set forth by Final Draft’s air travel prize supplier, as detailed in the passenger ticket contract issued by such supplier.
- In connection with travel related to any prize element or activity, please be advised that the policies of each prize provider, CDC guidelines, and the recommendations of health officials must be followed. In addition, guests should be aware of and comply with government guidelines regarding travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines before visiting any prize destination. Please note that any public location where people are present provides an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19, and Final Draft or any other prize provider cannot guarantee that any person will not be exposed during a visit.
Ownership and Industry Release
- Big Break Contest entrants retain all rights to their screenplays.
- By entering the Big Break Contest, you represent and affirm that your entry is an original creative work, and does not infringe, misappropriate or violate the copyright, trademark or other intellectual rights of any third party.
- By entering the Big Break Contest, you acknowledge and agree that contest Judges receive numerous submissions of ideas, stories and scripts, and that your entry, and the ideas and stories embodied in it, may be similar or identical to other material already received and/or developed by one or more of the Judges. You also agree that you are not entitled to any compensation or credit for use by contest Judges of any such other material.
General Provisions
- By agreeing to these Rules and Conditions you agree that you have read the rules of the contest and that you have the authorization to submit this screenplay to the Big Break Contest. You further agree that your screenplay is owned by you (and co-author(s)).
- VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.
- The entrant shall indemnify and hold harmless Cast & Crew Production Software, dba Final Draft its employees, contractors, agents and Big Break Judges from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, and/or publicity to the Screenplay entered.
Early Bird Deadline in 18 Days
Award Categories
This year we celebrate 11 Category Winners, 2 Grand Prize Winners, and a Short Script Winner. Over 60 past winners have sold scripts, received representation or gone on to professional writing careers.
Feature Awards
Action/Adventure
Comedy/Rom-Com
Diversity
Drama
Family/Animated
Period/Historical/War
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Thriller/Horror
Television Awards
Diversity
Half-Hour Pilot
Hour-Long Pilot
Short Film Award
Early Bird Deadline in 18 Days
Frequently Asked Questions
Most Popular Questions
Since I shouldn’t include my personal information in the body of my script or on the title page, how do I remove or clear the title page?
- Go to Document > Title Page
- Select all the text with Apple (Command) + A on Mac and Control + A on Windows
- Press the Delete key to clear the page
- Go to File > Close to return to your script
What is the diversity category? Is it for scripts about diversity issues?
Why do you have a diversity category?
Who can submit in the diversity feature film and television categories?
- American Indian
- Asian/Pacific Islander
- Black
- LatinX
- LGBTQIA
- Middle Eastern
- Women
- Non-Binary
- Differently-abled
- Any other voices that have been historically ignored by Hollywood.
How can I be sure my script will not be plagiarized?
How long should my screenplay be?
What type of short script can I submit?
Judging
What are the criteria for judging, and which genres are accepted?
- Action/Adventure – Films with strong action scenes, exotic locales, stories of adventure.
- Comedy/Rom-Com – Romantic comedies, straight, dark and raunchy comedy, satires, etc.
- Diversity – Open to writers from diverse backgrounds. Who can enter? Underrepresented writers, including but not limited to:
- American Indian
- Asian/Pacific Islander
- Black
- LatinX
- LGBTQIA
- Middle Eastern
- Women
- Non-Binary
- Differently-abled
- Any other voices that have been historically ignored by Hollywood
- Drama – More serious, realistic scripts exploring dramatic stories with deep themes.
- Family/Animated – Scripts directed to the children/family market, movies that can be enjoyed by the whole family, animated features.
- Period/Historical/War – Biopics, scripts based largely in the past, war epics, and scripts featuring historical characters.
- Sci-Fi/Fantasy – Space travel, disaster and post-apocalyptic stories, scripts set in alternate worlds and universes, stories with magical elements.
- Thriller/Horror – Scripts that use suspense, fear and/or tension as main story elements, spy and crime thrillers, psychological thrillers, mysteries, ghost, zombie and monster stories.
- Half-Hour Original Pilot – 30 minute original television scripts, typically comedy but not always.
- Hour-Long Original Pilot – 60 minute original television scripts, typically dramas but not always.
- Diversity Original Pilot – Open to writers from diverse backgrounds. Who can enter? Underrepresented writers, including but not limited to:
- American Indian
- Asian/Pacific Islander
- Black
- LatinX
- LGBTQIA
- Middle Eastern
- Women
- Non-Binary
- Differently-abled
- Any other voices that have been historically ignored by Hollywood
- All genres
Is coverage provided?
Who will be reading and judging my screenplay?
Entering Your Script
Who can enter?
What is the deadline to enter the 2024 Big Break Contest?
- Early Bird Deadline – April 15, 2024
- Regular Deadline – May 20, 2024
- Extended Deadline – June 10, 2024
- Last Chance Deadline – June 28, 2024
Is there an entry fee?
- $35.00 – Early Bird Deadline Shorts Standard Entry April 15, 2024
- $75.00 – Early Bird Deadline Shorts Standard Entry + Feedback April 15, 2024
- $45.00 – Early Bird Deadline Standard Entry April 15, 2024
- $110.00 – Early Bird Deadline Standard Entry + Feedback April 15, 2024
- $45.00 – Regular Deadline Shorts Standard Entry May 20, 2024
- $85.00 – Regular Deadline Shorts Standard Entry + Feedback May 20, 2024
- $65.00 – Regular Deadline Standard Entry May 20, 2024
- $130.00 – Regular Deadline Standard Entry + Feedback May 20, 2024
- $55.00 – Extended Deadline Shorts Standard Entry June 10, 2024
- $95.00 – Extended Deadline Shorts Standard Entry + Feedback June 10, 2024
- $75.00 – Extended Deadline Standard Entry June 10, 2024
- $140.00 – Extended Deadline Standard Entry + Feedback June 10, 2024
- $65.00 – Last Chance Deadline Shorts Standard Entry June 28, 2024
- $105.00 – Last Chance Deadline Shorts Standard Entry + Feedback June 28, 2024
- $85.00 – Last Chance Deadline Standard Entry June 28, 2024
- $150.00 – Last Chance Deadline Standard Entry + Feedback June 28, 2024
What happens if I request feedback on my script?
Can I enter the same script in more than one year of the Big Break contest?
Can I submit multiple screenplays and/or teleplays during one contest year?
Can I enter the same revised script more than once in a contest year?
Do you prefer digital or printed scripts?
Do you accept teleplays or stageplays?
Do I need to be a Final Draft user to enter the Big Break Contest?
Can I submit a screenplay with a writing partner?
Can I send my script in a language other than english?
Can I submit images, audio, or accompanying documents along with my screenplay or teleplay?
What do I do if I'm having problems submitting?
If I submit my script to Big Break, can I still submit it to other contests?
Can I submit revised drafts?
Eligibility
I don't live in the United States. Can I still enter?
Notifications and Verification
When are the semifinalists, finalists and winners announced?
- August 23, 2024 (Quarterfinalists)
- September 20, 2024 (Semifinalists)
- October 11, 2024 (Finalists)
- November 1, 2024 (Category Winners)
- December 4, 2024 (Grand Prize Winners)
How can I verify that my submission is in order and has been received?
Rights, Options, and Adaptations
Do I retain the rights to my screenplay after submitting to the Big Break Contest, whether or not I win?
I've written a screenplay based on a true story. May I use real people's names in my Big Break submission?
is it possible to submit an adaptation of a novel that no longer has copyright (author deceased over 100 years ago)?
Would you accept a screenplay that is an adaptation of a published book, where the writer has contractually optioned the movie rights to the book?
Can I submit a screenplay or teleplay that was previously under contract but the contract has elapsed?
What happens if I have an opportunity to sell or option my screenplay or teleplay after entering the contest, but before the contest is over? Will I still be able to sell or option it?
Show More
Early Bird Deadline in 18 Days
How to Win a Screenwriting Contest
Included in this publication are answers to your biggest questions, such as: Why should you enter? Which contests should you enter? How do you get past the contest reader? How can you make your spec stand out from the crowd? What should be included?
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