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About Big Break
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.
As your partner on your screenwriting journey, Final Draft provides support, generous prize packages, and introduces you to a community of screenwriters in which you can begin to forge meaningful relationships and build your personal network.
Grand Prizes
Grand Prize Winners receive $10,000 in cash, an iPad, career coaching, meetings with renowned Hollywood screenwriters and literary managers, and much more.
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A Trip to Hollywood
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$10,000 Cash
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Dell XPS 13 Laptop
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General Meeting Preparation with Lee Jessup Career Coaching
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General Meetings with Top Literary Managers
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UCLA Extension continued education
NYFA Scholarship
Co-sponsored by The New York Film Academy, this unique screenwriting fellowship is a merit-based scholarship designed to raise each writer to a higher level of storytelling craft and provide intensive real-world training in the business of Hollywood. Attended only by Big Break finalists, the fellowship is a unique opportunity for winners to build their recent success and further develop their careers.
Submission Rules
Fees & Deadlines
*Dates reflect deadlines for electronic submissions of scripts. All entries must be electronically submitted by midnight (PT) on their respective deadlines.
Big Break Testimonies
Every year we celebrate 11 Category Winners and 2 Grand Prize Winners. Over 60 past winners have sold scripts, received representation or gone on to professional writing careers.
Award Categories
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
Success Stories
Chris Pittas
2021 Top-10 in Thriller/Horror for ScorpionsBig Break
Signed with Matt Prater at Citizen Skull
Lindsay Grossman
2021 Semifinalist in TV Hour-Long for Lady DeathBig Break
Signed with Sarah Nezamzadeh at Stride Management
Manfred Lopez Grem
2020 Top-5 in TV Half-hour for TeleportBig Break
Signed by Zero Gravity
Chris Hill
2020 Top-3 in Period/Historical/War for One Day LongerBig Break
Signed with Lit Entertainment Group
Break Out
Chris is adapting Tether for the big screen.
Bill Poore
2020 Feature Horror category winner for SlaycayBig Break
Signed with REALM
Asabi Lee & Paul Hart-Wilden
2020 Feature Diversity Quarter-Finalists for Haunting at 1600Big Break
Signed with StoryDriven
Ben Johnson
2019 Feature Diversity category winner for CanaanBig Break
Signed by Plain Text Management who is developing Ben’s feature and pilot which they hope to take out this year in the US.
Break Out
Ben is head writer on his second South African show since Big Break, a 13-part drama, and is writing a feature for one of the directors of BBC’s Doctor Who.
Jonathan Barger
2018 Quarter-Finalist for Station ZeroBig Break
Optioned by Zorg Studios with with Erwan Marinopoulos set to direct.
Natasha LePetit
2018 Quarter-Finalist for The Undertaker’s ChildrenBig Break
Optioned by Chayah Masters/Rumination Road with Alex Gayner set to direct and Ann Dowd attached to star.
Nadia Abass-Madden
2018 Feature Diversity category winner for Tongs of China TownBig Break
Sold her spec episode in the room to Fox’s 9-1-1 and is now a staff writer for the show.
Kevin Bachar
2017 Top-3 finalist for My Boyfriend the AppBig Break
Signed by Zero Gravity Management
Break Out
His script The Inhabitant was made into a movie by Steelyard Pictures starring Dermot Mulroney. Featured in the ISA’s Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2021 list.
Nancy Duff
2017 Top-3 finalist for Dead DropBig Break
Signed by Jennifer Au of Untitled
Julia Mogerman
2017 Feature Drama category winner for StrayBig Break
Signed by Bellevue
Greg Wayne
2017 TV Half-hour category winner for StarseedBig Break
Signed by REALM
Nicolas Pinzón
2017 Feature Diversity category winner for El CaminoBig Break
Signed by Heroes and Villains Entertainment
JJ Bailey
2017 Hour-long TV category winner for ShelterBig Break
Signed by Heroes and Villains Entertainment
Break Out
JJ has since sold two pilots in the room to NBC.
Alexis Perkins
2016 Feature grand prize winner for Derby CityBig Break
Signed by Stagecoach Lit Management and Gersh
Matt Katzenberger
2016 Feature Family/Adventure category winner for The Snow FightBig Break
Signed by Entertainment Lab
Julia Cooperman
2016 Hour-long TV category winner for PhantasmagoriaBig Break
Julia was staffed on Colony
Break Out
Julia continued on as a staff writer throughout the Colony series run and is now a story-editor for Jupiter’s Legacy.
Paul Jarnagin
2016 Big Break Top-5 FinalistPaul Jarnagin signed with Universal Writers Management
‘The Other Star Wars’ earned 4th place in the 7th Annual StoryPors International Screenplay Competition
His writing projects have placed him as a Quarter-Finalist in the Nicholl Fellowship and as a Top 50 Semi-Finalist in Cinequest
Nick Watson
2015 Big Break Half-Hour TV Pilot Quarter-FinalistNick Watson has signed with Abrams Artists Agency
He is now a full-time staff writer on the animated sitcom ‘Final Space’ for TBS
G.W. Freund & Daniel Bonjour
2015 Big Break Feature Grand Prize WinnersG.W. Freund & Daniel Bonjour signed with Natalie Covault of Brillstein Entertainment Partners
Eric Buchman
2015 Big Break Television Grand Prize WinnerBig Break
Signed by Magnet Lit Management
Break Out
Eric is a staff writer and co-producer for NBC’sBlindspot.
Paula Sabbaga
2015 Big Break Hour-Long TV Pilot FinalistPaula Sabbaga signed with Brian Spink of REALM
Paula worked on ABC’s Nashville, The CW’s The Messengers, Freeform’s Guilt, and was the writer’s assistant on CW’s The 100
Joseph Greenberg
2014 Big Break Sci-Fi/Fantasy Category WinnerJoseph Greenberg sold his script Man Alive to 20th Century Fox for Noah Hawley of Fargo to direct
Man Alive also made the 2016 Black List
James Barclay
2014 Big Break Top-5 Sci-Fi/Fantasy FinalistJames Barclay signed with Magnet Management
Derek Asaff
2014 Big Break Hour-Long TV Pilot WinnerDerek Asaff signed with Derrick Eppich of Lee Stobby Entertainment
Peter Wulff
2014 Big Break Drama Category WinnerPeter Wulff signed with Jeff Portnoy of Bellevue Productions
Joe McClean
2014 Quarterfinalist in Thriller/Horror for ViralBig Break
Joe is currently producing his script Viral for York Films with Blair Underwood attached to direct and Sarah Silverman attached to star.
Nicholas Anthony
2013 Big Break Half-Hour TV Pilot WinnerNicholas Anthony was hired as a writer for CBS’ ‘The Inspectors’
Judges
Matt Dy
LIT ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
Sonia Gambaro
3PAS STUDIOS
Jeff Portnoy
BELLEVUE PRODUCTIONS
Leyla Kader Dahm
CITIZEN SKULL PRODUCTIONS MANAGEMENT
John Zaozirny
BELLEVUE PRODUCTIONS
Zack Zucker
BELLEVUE PRODUCTIONS
Jonathan Hersh
HOUSEFIRE MANAGEMENT
Jason Lubin
FIRST STORY ENTERTAINMENT
Scott Stoops
GOOD FEAR ENTERTAINMENT
Brian Spink
REALM
Juan He
HOUSEFIRE MANAGEMENT
Will Deasey
ZERO GRAVITY MANAGEMENT
Peter Katz
STORY DRIVEN
Ery De Jong
PRODUCER
Karina Wilson
INDEPENDENT STORY AND DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT
Matt Dy
LIT ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
Sonia Gambaro
3PAS STUDIOS
Jeff Portnoy
BELLEVUE PRODUCTIONS
Leyla Kader Dahm
CITIZEN SKULL PRODUCTIONS MANAGEMENT
John Zaozirny
BELLEVUE PRODUCTIONS
Zack Zucker
BELLEVUE PRODUCTIONS
Jonathan Hersh
HOUSEFIRE MANAGEMENT
Jason Lubin
FIRST STORY ENTERTAINMENT
Scott Stoops
GOOD FEAR ENTERTAINMENT
Brian Spink
REALM
Juan He
HOUSEFIRE MANAGEMENT
Will Deasey
ZERO GRAVITY MANAGEMENT
Peter Katz
STORY DRIVEN
Ery De Jong
PRODUCER
Karina Wilson
INDEPENDENT STORY AND DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTFAQs
What is the Diversity category? Is it for scripts about Diversity issues?
If you are a writer who qualifies for this category you are welcome to submit in both Diversity and non-Diversity categories of the competition. The Diversity category exists to encourage writers who have underrepresented voices in Hollywood to enter the contest. These writers are also welcome to submit their scripts to any of the other categories they are eligible for.
