BUDGET

The cost of entering screenwriting competitions.

Compare published entry fees in their original currencies, with evidence from tracked deadlines.

The figures, with their scope

Average paid USD deadline

USD 64.31

Across 80 paid deadlines in 24 entries. Free deadlines excluded.

Average rise among increases

+48%

Across 19 entries with an increase, from 20 comparable entries. First to last tracked deadline.

Largest first-to-last increase

+114%

Among the same 19 entries with an increase. A single entry’s rise, not an average.

Zero fees at every tracked phase

18 entries

Of 115 published entries. Every tracked phase must have a recorded zero fee. Costs after selection and category fees are outside this count.

48 of 115 published directory entries have at least one valid recorded fee. Figures recalculated 11 November 2026. Most recent source verification among those entries: 19 October 2026. Other entries may have been checked earlier.

Paid entry fees by currency

Each paid deadline counts once, so an entry with several paid deadlines contributes several fees. The entry count covers unique directory entries within that currency. Currencies are kept separate.

Paid deadline fees in each published currency
CurrencyPaid deadlines (n)EntriesAverage fee
USD8024USD 64.31
CAD11CAD 100.00
EUR21EUR 12.50
GBP53GBP 61.00
HKD21HKD 725.00

  • USD

    Paid deadlines (n)
    80
    Entries
    24
    Average fee
    USD 64.31

  • CAD

    Paid deadlines (n)
    1
    Entries
    1
    Average fee
    CAD 100.00

  • EUR

    Paid deadlines (n)
    2
    Entries
    1
    Average fee
    EUR 12.50

  • GBP

    Paid deadlines (n)
    5
    Entries
    3
    Average fee
    GBP 61.00

  • HKD

    Paid deadlines (n)
    2
    Entries
    1
    Average fee
    HKD 725.00

If the table extends beyond your screen, scroll sideways to read every column.

Each paid deadline counts once. Free deadlines are excluded from these averages. No currency conversion is applied.

The late-entry premium

Of 20 entries with complete fee data, distinct dated endpoints and one currency, 19 charge more at their last tracked deadline than their first. Among those increases, the average rise is 48%.

Entries with free starting fees, missing or invalid prices, invalid or ambiguous endpoint dates, or mixed or unconfirmed currencies are excluded. Entries without an increase remain in the comparable count but are not rows in this table.

On narrow screens, scroll sideways to compare first and last fees and the rise.

First and last tracked fees for entries with a positive increase
CompetitionFirst tracked feeLast tracked feeRise
Creative Screenwriting Animation CompetitionUSD 35.00USD 75.00+114%
CineStory Foundation Retreat and FellowshipUSD 50.00USD 95.00+90%
Cinequest Screenwriting CompetitionUSD 60.00USD 100.00+67%
Script Pipeline Screenwriting ContestUSD 45.00USD 75.00+67%
Script Pipeline TV Writing ContestUSD 45.00USD 75.00+67%
Script Pipeline Pitch ContestUSD 35.00USD 55.00+57%
Shore Scripts Short Film FundUSD 39.00USD 59.00+51%
Raindance Script CompetitionGBP 60.00GBP 90.00+50%
Berlinale TalentsEUR 10.00EUR 15.00+50%
BlueCat Screenplay CompetitionUSD 65.00USD 95.00+46%
Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay CompetitionUSD 100.00USD 140.00+40%
Stowe Story LabsUSD 49.00USD 68.00+39%
Emerging Screenwriters Screenplay CompetitionUSD 59.00USD 79.00+34%
Shore Scripts Feature Screenplay ContestUSD 59.00USD 79.00+34%
Filmmatic TV Pilot AwardsUSD 45.00USD 59.00+31%
Film Pipeline Short Script ContestUSD 50.00USD 65.00+30%
Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum: Project MarketHKD 650.00HKD 800.00+23%
Slamdance Screenplay CompetitionUSD 85.00USD 95.00+12%
Filmmatic Comedy Screenplay AwardsUSD 55.00USD 59.00+7%

Fees are each competition’s own published prices for its first and last dated deadlines we currently track. Tiered pricing is a normal, disclosed practice; among the entries shown here, the last tracked fee is higher.

Every fee in the directory

All 115 published directory entries, in the directory’s existing order. Fees cover the tracked deadline phases and remain in their original currencies. A range shows the lowest and highest recorded fees within one currency; it is different from the dated first-to-last comparison above. Follow a name for its deadline ladder, eligibility, source verification date and verdict.

Skip the fee list and read the methodology
Published entries, recorded entry fees and next deadline or application status
CompetitionTypeEntry feeNext deadline / application status
BlueCat Screenplay Competition 2027ContestUSD 65.00 – USD 95.0010 Nov 2026
BFI NETWORK England Early Development Fund 2026GrantFree11 Nov 2026
Cinequest Screenwriting Competition 2027ContestUSD 60.00 – USD 100.0013 Nov 2026
Stowe Story Labs 2026LabUSD 49.00 – USD 68.0016 Nov 2026
CineStory Foundation Retreat and Fellowship 2026FellowshipUSD 50.00 – USD 95.0024 Nov 2026
TorinoFilmLab ComedyLab 2027LabFree30 Nov 2026
BBC Writers Open Call 2026ProgrammeFree1 Dec 2026
Scriptapalooza 2026ContestUSD 25.00 – USD 65.001 Dec 2026
NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship 2027FellowshipFree4 Dec 2026
Raindance Script Competition 2027ContestGBP 60.00 – GBP 90.007 Dec 2026
Finish Line Script Competition 2026ContestUSD 58.00; Some fees unconfirmed14 Dec 2026
Script Pipeline Pitch Contest 2026ContestUSD 35.00 – USD 55.0015 Dec 2026
Black List x WIF Episodic Lab 2027LabUSD 40.0015 Dec 2026
TorinoFilmLab SeriesLab 2027LabFree16 Dec 2026
Script Pipeline Screenwriting Contest 2027ContestUSD 45.00 – USD 75.0030 Dec 2026
Script Pipeline TV Writing Contest 2027ContestUSD 45.00 – USD 75.0030 Dec 2026
Ffilm Cymru Wales Development Fund 2026GrantFree2 Feb 2027
Serial Eyes 2027ProgrammeFree9 Mar 2027
Euroscript Screen Story Competition 2027ContestGBP 45.0031 Mar 2027
4Screenwriting 2027ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting 2026ContestUSD 100.00Closed for this cycle
AFF Script Competition: Austin Film Festival 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Athena Film Festival Writers Lab 2026LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition 2027ContestUSD 100.00 – USD 140.00Open for applications
BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Competition 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
BBC Comedy Collective 2026ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
BBC Writers: Pilot 2027/28ProgrammeFreeClosed for this cycle
Berlinale Talents 2027ProgrammeEUR 10.00 – EUR 15.00Closed for this cycle
Black List Parenthood Writers Fellowship 2026FellowshipUSD 130.00Closed for this cycle
CAPE New Writers Fellowship 2027FellowshipAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
CFC Comedy Series Lab 2026LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
CFC Norman Jewison Film Program: Writers' Lab 2026LabCAD 100.00Closed for this cycle
Channel 4 New Writers Scheme 2026ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Channel 4 Writing for Television Awards 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Cine Qua Non Lab: Script Revision Lab 2027LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Cine Qua Non Lab: Storylines Lab 2027LabAwaiting next cycleOpens soon
Creative Screenwriting Animation Competition 2026ContestUSD 35.00 – USD 75.00Closed for this cycle
Disney Entertainment Television Writing Program 2026ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Dublin International Film Festival ESB Short Film Award 2027GrantAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Emerging Screenwriters Screenplay Competition 2026ContestUSD 59.00 – USD 79.00Open for applications
European Short Pitch 2026LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Festival de Cannes La Résidence 2027FellowshipAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Film Independent Screenwriting and Episodic Labs 2026LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Film Pipeline Short Script Contest 2026ContestUSD 50.00 – USD 65.00Open for applications
FilmBath IMDb Script to Screen Award 2026ContestGBP 35.00Closed for this cycle
Filmmatic Comedy Screenplay Awards 2026ContestUSD 55.00 – USD 59.00Closed for this cycle
Filmmatic TV Pilot Awards 2026ContestUSD 45.00 – USD 59.00Closed for this cycle
Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
FOX Entertainment Writers Incubator 2027ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Galway Film Fleadh Pitching Competition 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Greenlight Screenwriting Lab 2026LabFreeClosed for this cycle
HamptonsFilm Screenwriters Lab 2026LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
HollyShorts Screenplay Contest 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum: Project Market 2027ProgrammeHKD 650.00 – HKD 800.00Open for applications
Hubert Bals Fund: Script and Project Development Support 2026GrantAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Humanitas New Voices Fellowship 2027FellowshipAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Inevitable Foundation Accelerate Fellowship 2026FellowshipAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
ISA Diversity Initiative 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
ISA Fast Track Fellowship 2026FellowshipAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
It's My Shout 2026ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
ITV Academy Original Voices 2026ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
ITV Studios Disabled Writers in Development 2026ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Kairos Prize for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays 2026ContestUSD 60.00 – USD 100.00; Some fees unconfirmedOpen for applications
MacDowell Fellowship 2027FellowshipAwaiting next cycleOpens soon
MIDPOINT Series Launch: Essentials 2026LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition 2027ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Native American TV Writers Lab 2026LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
NBCUniversal Launch TV Writers Program 2026ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Netflix NextGen India Writers' Program 2026ProgrammeFreeClosed for this cycle
NHMC Series Scriptwriters Program 2026LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Nipkow Programm 2026FellowshipAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Northern Ireland Screen New Writer Focus 2027LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
NYC Midnight Screenwriting Challenge 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship: Playwriting and Screenwriting 2028FellowshipAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
NZ Writers Guild Seed and Seed Advanced Grants 2026GrantAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Oxbelly Screenwriters Program 2026LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
PAGE International Screenwriting Awards 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Paramount Writers Mentoring Program 2026ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Reelworld Emerging 20 (E20) 2026ProgrammeNot publishedClosed for this cycle
RTÉ Storyland 2026ProgrammeFreeClosed for this cycle
Screamfest Screenplay Competition 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Screen Australia Narrative Content Development 2026GrantAwaiting next cycleRolling applications
Screen Ireland Screenplay Development (Established Talent) 2026GrantFreeOpen for applications
Screen Scotland Single Project Development Funding 2026GrantAwaiting next cycleRolling applications
Screen Scotland Talent Builder: First Draft 2027ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Séries Mania Institute Writers Campus 2027ProgrammeFreeOpen for applications
Sesame Workshop Writers' Room 2027FellowshipAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
SFFILM Rainin Grant 2026GrantAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship 2026FellowshipAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
SGIFF Pro Pitching Forum 2026ProgrammeFreeClosed for this cycle
Shore Scripts Feature Screenplay Contest 2026ContestUSD 59.00 – USD 79.00Closed for this cycle
Shore Scripts Short Film Fund 2026ContestUSD 39.00 – USD 59.00Open for applications
Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Slamdance Screenplay Competition 2026ContestUSD 85.00 – USD 95.00Closed for this cycle
Slick Films Fund 2026GrantAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Sundance Institute Episodic Storytelling Lab 2026LabUSD 50.00Closed for this cycle
Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab 2027LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
The Black List Annual Labs 2026LabUSD 130.00Closed for this cycle
The Great Pitch Competition 2026ContestFreeOpen for applications
The Next Brilliant Career 2026ProgrammeFreeClosed for this cycle
The Owl Screenwriting Workshop 2027LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
The Sitcom Mission 2027ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
The Veterans Writing Project 2027ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
The Writers Lab 2027LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Through Her Lens: The Tribeca CHANEL Women's Filmmaker Program 2026GrantAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
TIFF Sloan Science and Technology Writer Fellowship 2026FellowshipAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
TIFF Writers' Lab 2026LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Tony Cox Screenplay Competition 2027ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab 2027LabFreeOpen for applications
TrackingB Script Contests 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Virginia Screenwriting Competition 2026ContestAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Warner Bros. Discovery Access Writers Program 2027ProgrammeAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Whistler Film Festival Screenwriters Lab 2026LabAwaiting next cycleClosed for this cycle
Writers' Access Support Staff Training Program 2027ProgrammeFreeClosed for this cycle

If the table extends beyond your screen, scroll sideways to read every column.

Awaiting next cycle: no tracked phases were returned for this entry. Not published: tracked phases exist, but none has a valid recorded fee. Currency unconfirmed: a positive recorded fee lacks a usable currency code. Some fees unconfirmed: at least one tracked phase has an invalid or missing fee. Free describes recorded zero fees; read the full summary if some fees are unconfirmed. None of these unknown values is estimated.

Back to report sections

Methodology and coverage

Figures are computed from The PreList competitions directory: 115 published entries, of which 48 have at least one valid recorded entry fee across their tracked deadline phases. Each listing is checked against the official competition site and shows its source verification date. The newest verification date above belongs to at least one contributing entry; it does not date every listing.

The average fee covers every paid deadline we track, not one fee per competition. For example, a USD 50 early deadline and a USD 85 final deadline both contribute to the USD average. Each currency has its own average, paid-deadline count and unique-entry count. Zero fees, invalid amounts and missing or unusable currency codes are excluded from paid averages. No currency conversion is applied.

The zero-fee count requires at least one tracked phase, a valid fee at every tracked phase and all those fees to be zero. It is an entry-fee measure. It does not use category fee overrides or costs payable after selection, and it need not match the separate free-directory shortlist.

Late-entry rises compare chronologically first and last fees only when every tracked phase has a valid price and date, all share a usable currency, both endpoint dates are unique, and both endpoint fees are positive. The average rise covers only entries with a positive increase. Equal and decreasing first-to-last fees can contribute to the comparable count, but not to the increasing rows or average rise. Intermediate prices do not replace either endpoint. Percentages use the existing whole-number rounding; a small positive rise may round to 0%.

The directory can include tracked phases from different cycles and categories. This report uses the phase-level fees returned under the current directory contract, without a future-only, cycle, format or category filter. Entry fees are not all possible participation or tuition costs after selection. The published directory is the coverage of this report, not a census of the market.

Figures use the existing hourly revalidation interval. The displayed recalculation date is when this page’s figures were generated; it is not a source verification date or a release date. Cached figures may remain visible until the next refresh.

What this page does not claim: anything about your odds. Most competitions do not publish entrant numbers, so we make no estimate of them, here or anywhere else. Where a figure cannot be verified, it is left out rather than guessed.

Citing these figures

Quote freely with attribution. Suggested citation: “The Cost of Entering Screenwriting Competitions, The PreList (2026), theprelist.io/competitions/cost-of-entry”. The figures recompute as the directory is re-verified, so link to this page rather than copying numbers forward. Questions or a correction: enquiries@teamprelist.com.

Planning an entry?

Use the Contest Fit-Finder to explore options, then check the deadline calendar for published dates. Browse the full competition directory for rules and source details.

This study is part of The PreList Industry Intelligence, alongside The Anatomy of a Produced Screenplay, our measured study of how produced features are actually built.

All free tools