Winners Announced!

The winners of the 2011 Final Draft, Inc. Big Break™ Contest have been announced. These scripts were read and ranked by our panel of celebrity judges. The four finalists attended the Final Draft, Inc. Annual Award Event on October 27th at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills where their places were announced. In addition to the red-carpet awards ceremony, they enjoyed cash prizes and meetings with industry leaders.

First Place: Adam Perlman and Graham Sack of West Hollywood, CA for
  The Morgan Principle
Second Place: Glenda Gannis of Los Angeles, CA for Holy Mackerel
Third Place: Miguel Becerra of Fullerton, CA for The Gossip

To contact our winners and finalists regarding their scripts, please e-mail your request to bigbreak@finaldraft.com

Top-3 Finalists Announced

Final Draft, Inc. is proud to announce the top-3 winners of the 2011 Big Break International Screenwriting Contest. These three winners will be introduced to the industry during our annual Awards Event on October 27 at The Paley Center for Media.

Congratulations to these top screenwriters!

Miguel Becerra for The Gossip
Glenda Ganis for Holy Mackerel
Adam Perlman and Graham Sack for The Morgan Principle

Top-5 Finalists Announced

The top-5 finalists for the 2011 Final Draft, Inc. Big Break™ Contest have been announced. These scripts have been forwarded to our celebrity judges for final placement. The top-3 finalists will be announced in early October. They will be flown into Los Angeles for the Awards Event where the winner will be announced.

Miguel Becerra for The Gossip
Glenda Ganis for Holy Mackerel
Sasha Isaac-Young for The Prettiest Girl
Andrea Kail for The Sun God at Dawn, Rising from a Lotus Blossom
Adam Perlman and Graham Sack for The Morgan Principle

Top-10 Finalists Announced

The top-10 finalists for the 2011 Final Draft, Inc. Big Break™ Contest have been announced. These scripts were extraordinary in their execution and grasp of the craft. Look for the top–5 finalists to be announced in early October. The top-5 will be forwarded to our celebrity judges for final placement.

Miguel Becerra for The Gossip
Mary Anderson Casavant for This Side of Heaven
Glenda Ganis for Holy Mackerel
Sasha Isaac-Young for The Prettiest Girl
Allen Ivers for Construct
Andrea Kail for The Sun God at Dawn, Rising from a Lotus Blossom
Duane Knudson for Never Look Back
Adam Perlman and Graham Sack for The Morgan Principle
Blaine Ross for Sugar Momma
Wendy Wilkins for Backseat Debutantes

Top-40 Finalists Announced

The top-40 finalists for the 2011 Final Draft, Inc. Big Break™ Contest have been announced. These scripts were consistently at the top of our readers’ lists and deserve additional recognition. We typically only announce 35 finalists, but these scripts all deserved mention. Look for the top–10 finalists to be announced in early September.

John Baker for Robots Are Assholes
Miguel Becerra for The Gossip
Mary Anderson Casavant for This Side of Heaven
Daryl Coon for Unraveled
Christopher DeBiasse for We Need Some Space
JD Evermore for Confederacy of Saints
Ryan Farr for Home Videos
David Fertik for NO on H8
Glenda Ganis for Holy Mackerel
Gustavo Garzon for The Exile
Matthew Gayne for The Refugees
Tamsyn Harker and Esther Venning for This Dark Light
David Hauslein for Buck Run
Robert Hoffman for Digit
Matthew Hurst for Big Man
Sasha Isaac-Young for The Prettiest Girl
Allen Ivers for Construct
Andrea Kail for The Sun God at Dawn, Rising from a Lotus Blossom
Zack Kaplan and Graham Funke for The Great Train Adventure
Judd King for Prey Road
Duane Knudson for Never Look Back
Dale Lucas and Chad Rouch for Sons of Camelot
Mark Macauley and Peter Hort for Khama; Land of My People
Cynthia Marks for The Recipe
Michael McCoy for Under the Rising Sun
Valentina Mezzacappa for Night and Fog
Carolyn Miller for Violet
Rick Mitchell and Matthew Quinn for On the Track of the Maltese and Other Curiosities
Brian Pargac for Father Patrick
Chad Pennington for Rock Daddy
Adam Perlman and Graham Sack for The Morgan Principle
Nicholas Reiff for Toy Soldier
Blaine Ross for Sugar Momma
Christian Ryden for The Tenth Commandment
Andrea Stern Himoff and Adam Himoff for The Guardian of Gilgahar
James Szklar and Chris Ewing for Armitage Shanks
Brad Taylor and Kelly Maddox for Nightingale
Jordan Thomas for The Coronation
Wendy Wilkins for Backseat Debutantes
Gregory Zymet and Heidi Roller for Apartment 206

Semifinalists Announced

The semifinalists for the 2011 Final Draft, Inc. Big Break™ Contest have been announced. While there were many commendable scripts entered in this record–breaking year, we would like to recognize the following scriptwriters for submitting scripts with a firm grasp of the craft, solid storytelling, and compelling characters.

Look for the top-35 to be announced in late August, the top-10 in early September, and the top-5 in mid-September. Watch this page for updates. All entrants to the Big Break™ Contest will receive an e-mail with updated listings.

Alex Ankrom for Castles Made of Sand
John Baker for Robots Are Assholes
Samuel Bartlett for The Grand Design
Miguel Becerra for The Gossip
Rebecca Bellotto for The Hotel Berlinale
Chris Bessounian and Tianna Langham for Butcher of Bosnia
Jenni Prange Boran for The Falls
Liz Breen for Yours Truly
Melissa Brewer for Flying Shoes
Jim Brooks for Piper
Kevin Brown for Kindred Spirits
Rohan Caesar and Jason Volper for Infinium Man
Mary Anderson Casavant for This Side of Heaven
Patrick Connelly for Going Postal
Mandy Constance for The McCarthy Bird
Daryl Coon for Unraveled
Michelle Davidson for Off-White
Christopher DeBiasse for We Need Some Space
Frank DeJohn and David Hedges for Legion
Ilaria D'Elia for Lily and Her Sisters
Limor Diamant for Metamorphosis
John Dion for Heroically Challenged
Tim Earnheart for Assailant
Roberta Eggart for Degas
JD Evermore for Confederacy of Saints
James Fant for Militant Midgets
Ryan Farr for Home Videos
Robert Faulkner and Lydia Faulkner for The Wayfarers
David Fertik for NO on H8
Matthew Edward Fox for The River
Glenda Ganis for Holy Mackerel
Gustavo Garzon for The Exile
Paul Gavin for The Rebound
Matthew Gayne for The Refugees
Dominic Graham for Olde English
Jason Groce for Matadorks
Michael Gunn for Wake
Tamsyn Harker and Esther Venning for This Dark Light
Ron Harner for The Fighter Pilot
David Hauslein for Buck Run
Stacey Hendricks for The American Diary
Kat Hess and Megan Yoon for Two Girls, One Cop
Brett Higginson for Mill Town
Christopher Hlas for First Step Forward
Robert Hoffman for Digit
David Horton for 59 Days
Matthew Hurst for Big Man
Sasha Isaac-Young for The Prettiest Girl
Allen Ivers for Construct
Maine Johnson for Buddy for Life
Henry Jones for By a Thread
Kevin Jones for Obscura
Andrea Kail for The Sun God at Dawn, Rising from a Lotus Blossom
Zack Kaplan and Graham Funke for The Great Train Adventure
Rosalind Kazi for A Barren Land
Chad Keller and Richard Lewis for In the Red
Alka Khushalani for There are no Strangers Here
David Kiez for Close to Paradise
Judd King for Prey Road
Duane Knudson for Never Look Back
Salvo Lavis for Opus
Amanda Winn Lee for Deathzilla
Debbie Lollie for Exhibit A
Dale Lucas and Chad Rouch for Sons of Camelot
Mark Macauley and Peter Hort for Khama; Land of My People
Francesca Amalia Mansfield for The Gospels of Eibhlin
Cynthia Marks for The Recipe
Breanne Mattson for Singles Camp
Tom McCown for Dogz
Michael McCoy for Under the Rising Sun
Thomas Meade for The Slip
Valentina Mezzacappa for Night and Fog
Spencer Michlin for Cipango
Carolyn Miller for Violet
Kevin Lee Miller for Dead Last
Rick Mitchell and Matthew Quinn for On the Track of the Maltese and Other Curiosities
Chris Moffitt for Mom Dot Com
Kevin Moore and Shawn Harris for Dead Doll Derby
Brice Myracle for Scary Man
Noelle Nelson for Bad Bad Good Good Christmas
Thomas Newby for Small Pond
Jeff Nimoy for Lint
Brian Pargac for Father Patrick
Danielle Passanisi Barros for The Executioner
Chad Pennington for Rock Daddy
Adam Perlman and Graham Sack for The Morgan Principle
Casey Pinkston for Spy Camp
Louis Pradt and Kevin Gutteron for Major Tom
Dane Purk for Wonderwall
Reeshi Ray for Stormcloud
Michael Raymond for Glow Stick
Nicholas Reiff for Toy Soldier
Christopher Robbins for The Gifted Amateur
Lemise Rory for Getting Even with Steven
Blaine Ross for Sugar Momma
Christian Ryden for The Tenth Commandment
Stacy Sebasty for Stranglehold
Terry Shumaker for The Stuff of Dreams
Neal Sibley for The Pilgrimage
Barbara Stepansky for Hit Me
Andrea Stern Himoff and Adam Himoff for The Guardian of Gilgahar
Khalil Sullins for Listening
Sydnie Suskind for Melody: Spytastic
James Szklar and Chris Ewing for Armitage Shanks
Nadia Tabbara for A Goode Life
Brad Taylor and Kelly Maddox for Nightingale
Jordan Thomas for The Coronation
Michael Toay and Travis Mann for Godspeed
Michael Toay and Travis Mann for Nuclear One
Sam Umland for El Paso
Robert Keith Watson for Bank Robbing for Dummies
Randy White and John White for The Lure
David Widdicombe for Dinosaur Dreams
Wendy Wilkins for Backseat Debutantes
Jeff York for The Love Seat
Clifford Zimowski for Ten Chunks of a Dead Bitch
Gregory Zymet and Heidi Roller for Apartment 206