Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition
Contest · 2027Prestige 52/100
Oscar-qualifying festival's screenplay contest with mentorship, live readings and worldwide entry.
Deadlines & fees
- RegularNext deadline11 Sept 2026America/New_York$100
- Late16 Oct 2026America/New_York$120
- Extended6 Nov 2026America/New_York$140
Dates and fees checked against the official site 14 Jul 2026.
Entry categories
Feature Screenplay
Feature · Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western · up to 130 pages
70 to 130 pages.
Pilot Screenplay
TV Pilot · Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western · up to 70 pages
10 to 70 pages. Indicate format on entry.
Short Film Screenplay
Short · Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western · up to 40 pages
5 to 40 pages.
| Category | Regular | Late | Extended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature Screenplay | $100 | $120 | $140 |
| Pilot Screenplay | $90 | $100 | $110 |
| Short Film Screenplay | $85 | $100 | $110 |
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature, TV Pilot, Short
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western
- Page limit
- 130 pages
- Required materials
- Screenplay PDF (12-point Courier, numbered pages, industry-standard margins) · Title page recommended, showing title, author(s) and registration or copyright info · English translation if any dialogue is not in English · Pilot entrants indicate format (webisode, half-hour, hour, mini-series, comedy or drama)
Open to writers 18 or over who own the rights to their script. It is preferred, though not required, that applicants have not had screenplays produced by non-independent companies, and scripts should not be optioned, purchased or produced. AI tools are strictly prohibited. Scripts must be in English; dialogue in other languages needs an English translation. Multiple unique entries are allowed, but no duplicates. A Georgia-resident discount code is available and does not affect judging.
Prizes
Feature (three winners): US$500 each. Pilot (one winner): US$350. Short (one winner): US$250. All winners receive a trophy, two mentor meetings, an all-access festival badge and a live reading of their script at the Creative Conference. Out-of-state and international winners also receive a travel stipend, or airfare plus two nights' accommodation.
Judging
Judged in rounds (Quarterfinalist, Semifinalist, Finalist, then winners) by screenplay programmers and festival staff. For the current cycle, notifications are due 12 February 2027, with winners announced around the festival in April to May 2027. Student and Gold Member discounts apply below the standard rates shown. Note: the FilmFreeway deadline list ends at the Extended tier (6 November 2026), though the rules prose still references a 5 December 2026 final deadline, so verify the final tier before it approaches.
The PreList verdict
Atlanta's screenplay competition rides on the festival behind it: an Oscar-qualifying, genuinely well-liked regional festival with a strong track record of treating its screenwriting winners as part of the programme rather than an afterthought. Winners get live readings, mentorship and festival access, and the competition accepts entries worldwide across features, pilots and shorts.
The honest part: the entry economics are festival-standard rather than contest-standard, with fees rising steeply through five deadline tiers, and the submission mechanics live on FilmFreeway rather than the festival site, which makes the details harder to pin down than they should be. As a career credential it sits in the respectable middle: worth having, rarely decisive.
Enter if the festival experience is part of what you want, especially if the American South is reachable for you, or if your script has a regional resonance the programmers will feel. Skip it if you are optimising purely for industry signal per dollar. Three deadlines remain for the 2027 festival: regular on 11 September, late on 16 October and extended on 6 November 2026, all at 11:59pm Eastern.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 14 Jul 2026
Frequently asked questions
What are the remaining deadlines for ATLFF 2027?
Regular on 11 September, late on 16 October and extended on 6 November 2026, all at 11:59pm Eastern. The festival itself runs 22 April to 2 May 2027.
How do I enter?
Entries run through the festival's FilmFreeway listing, where current fees are shown. The festival site's FAQ carries the deadline ladder.
What do winners get?
Live readings at the festival, mentorship, festival access and an Oscar-qualifying festival's laurel across feature, pilot and short categories.
Is your script right for Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this contest: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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