Cinequest Screenwriting Competition
Contest · 2027Prestige 50/100Feedback included
Screenplay and teleplay contest of Silicon Valley's Cinequest, sharing about $8,000 across four categories.
Deadlines & fees
- RegularNext deadline
- Late
- Final
Dates and fees checked against the official site 10 Aug 2026.
Entry categories
Feature-Length Scripts
Feature · up to 125 pages
70 to 125 pages, excluding the title page. Rom/Com and Sci-Fi/Thriller entries compete alongside all features.
Short Film Scripts
Short · up to 40 pages
Under 40 pages. Scripts over the page limit receive automatic point deductions per page.
Teleplays (30 minutes)
TV Pilot · up to 45 pages
45 pages or fewer, excluding the title page.
Teleplays (60 minutes)
TV Pilot · up to 70 pages
45 to 70 pages, excluding the title page.
| Category | Regular | Late | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature-Length Scripts | $60 | $70 | $100 |
| Short Film Scripts | $45 | $55 | $85 |
| Teleplays (30 minutes) | $45 | $55 | $85 |
| Teleplays (60 minutes) | $55 | $65 | $90 |
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature, Short, TV Pilot
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western
- Eligibility
- Open worldwide
- Required materials
- Screenplay or teleplay as a PDF, in English, submitted through FilmFreeway in the relevant category · Title-only cover page · No rewritten or corrected pages accepted after entry · Feedback must be requested by email after the season; it is not sent automatically
Open worldwide. Features 70 to 125 pages; shorts 40 pages or fewer; 60-minute teleplays 45 to 70 pages; 30-minute teleplays 45 pages or fewer. Scripts purchased, optioned or produced before the final jury decision are disqualified, and no rewritten pages are accepted after entry.
Prizes
8,000 US dollars in total cash: 5,000 for the winning feature and 1,000 each for the winning short, 60-minute teleplay and 30-minute teleplay. Winners also receive a 12-month ISAConnect membership, a RoadMap Writers package including guaranteed industry reads and pitch sessions, and a Final Draft certificate, with the top three adding four months of InkTip Pro. Top 10 finalists in every category receive all-access passes to both the in-person and virtual festivals, an invitation to the Storytelling Celebration, and shorter ISAConnect and InkTip memberships. Every entrant gets one complimentary month of ISAConnect.
Judging
Entries run through FilmFreeway. Finalist juries are announced in January and February and have included acquisitions and development executives from Netflix, Sony, Paramount, HBO, Fox Searchlight and Shorts International. Top 50 and Top 10 writers are notified in late February and early March 2027, with winners announced at the Storytelling Celebration during the March 2027 festival. Three lines of consolidated reader feedback are available on any entry, but only if the writer emails screenplay@cinequest.org to request them after the season closes.
The PreList verdict
Cinequest has been running for 21 years and knows what it is for. The prize money is modest, but the Storytelling Celebration around it is the real offer: Writer Meet Producer events, pitch training, business-of-writing forums and a finalist jury that genuinely does include acquisitions and development executives from Netflix, Sony, Paramount and HBO. Top ten finalists in every category get passes to both the in-person and virtual festivals, so a placement buys you days in a room rather than a certificate. Jeremy Rush went from a Cinequest feature win to selling Wheelman to Netflix.
The honest part: Cinequest publishes almost nothing on its own website. Every date, fee and prize figure lives on its FilmFreeway listing, and the official submissions page carries a single sentence. That is a poor look for a competition asking 60 to 100 US dollars a script, and it means you are trusting a third-party listing for the terms you are agreeing to. The feedback is three lines, and only if you email and ask for it after the season. The rules text still carries a 2025 date in a place where the rest of the page says 2027, which suggests it has not been read closely in a while.
Enter if you write features and want proximity to producers more than you want a cheque, or if you have a teleplay and fancy a category with a far smaller field than the feature race. The four categories split 8,000 dollars, so nobody is getting rich here. Three deadlines remain for the 2026-27 season: regular on 13 September at 60 dollars for a feature, late on 9 October at 70, and final on 13 November 2026 at 100, all closing 11:59pm Pacific. Shorts and half-hour teleplays run cheaper, from 35 dollars.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 2 Sept 2026
Frequently asked questions
When are the remaining Cinequest deadlines?
Three tiers are left for the 2026-27 season: regular on 13 September 2026, late on 9 October, and final on 13 November, all closing 11:59pm Pacific. The earlybird tier closed on 10 July 2026.
How much does it cost to enter?
Feature scripts run 50 dollars at earlybird rising to 100 at the final deadline. Short scripts and 30-minute teleplays run 35 to 85 dollars, and 60-minute teleplays 45 to 90. FilmFreeway also shows a 10 per cent Gold Member price, but that is a FilmFreeway membership discount rather than a Cinequest tier.
Do I get feedback on my script?
Three lines of consolidated reader feedback are available on every entry, but they are not sent automatically. You have to email screenplay@cinequest.org with your script title and ask for them after the season closes.
Why are all the details on FilmFreeway rather than the Cinequest site?
Cinequest runs its submissions entirely through FilmFreeway and its own submissions page carries only a note that the season opens in May. We verify this entry against the FilmFreeway listing, which is the only place the current dates, fees and prizes are published.
Is your script right for Cinequest Screenwriting 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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