Emerging Screenwriters Screenplay Competition
Contest · 2026Prestige 58/100
Thirty thousand dollars, all of it cash, split across ten finalists and a grand prize winner.
Deadlines & fees
- RegularNext deadline17 Sept 2026America/Los_Angeles$59
- Final29 Oct 2026America/Los_Angeles$79
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature, TV Pilot
- Page limit
- 120 pages
- Eligibility
- Open worldwide
- Required materials
- Screenplay as a PDF, 12-point Courier, standard spec format · Logline (required) · No synopsis, casting suggestions, letters, resumes or photos · Title page optional; pen names permitted · TV pilots may email character and episode lists separately
Open to writers from all countries, though scripts must be in English and fees paid in US dollars. Features run 70 to 120 pages and TV pilots up to 70, in 12-point Courier as a PDF; going over is discouraged but not disqualifying. Shorts, novels, plays, treatments, reality concepts and specs for existing series are all excluded. Scripts must be your original work, not encumbered by a third party, and not sold, produced for profit or currently under option, though selling after you enter is fine. Adaptations are allowed with secured rights or public domain material. Writers under 18 need a parent or guardian's permission. Two prior-winner rules bite: grand prize winners and their screenplays are barred from every future season, and placing as a finalist three times with three different scripts ends your eligibility.
Prizes
A 30,000 US dollar pool, and unusually it is all genuinely cash. Each of the ten finalists receives 1,500 dollars, and one of them takes an additional 15,000, so the grand prize winner banks 16,500 in cash. Non-cash benefits sit on top of that rather than being counted inside it: the winner gets two general meetings with industry executives, a script consultation with an ISA executive, ISA pitch practice and a twelve-month ISAConnect membership; the top ten get ISA Development Slate consideration, a development evaluation on a new script, a three-month ISAConnect membership and a logline review; semi-finalists receive a digital screenwriting book. ISAConnect membership prizes expire after 90 days and cannot be combined with an existing free membership, and prizes are issued one package per project based on highest placement.
Judging
Judged by an unnamed panel described only as industry judges. One prize executive is named, JR Rappaport, but he is an executive the winner meets rather than a judge, and a second is listed as still to be announced. Announcements run quarter-finalists 7 January 2027, semi-finalists 4 February, finalists 18 February and the grand prize winner on 18 March 2027. Note that prize cash is distributed three months after the final announcement, so around June 2027.
The PreList verdict
Thirty thousand dollars, and what makes this one worth a look is that it is genuinely all cash. Ten finalists take 1,500 dollars each and one of them takes another 15,000 on top, so the winner banks 16,500 in real money. That matters because plenty of contests quote a headline built from software licences and membership credit. Here the ISA extras, the executive meetings, the consultation, the ISAConnect membership, sit on top of the cash rather than making it up.
The honest part: this is an ISA property, and the ISA runs both this contest and the Development Slate the top ten are considered for, so you are being funnelled into their pipeline. That is not sinister, but it is worth seeing clearly. Feedback is not included and costs 69 to 100 dollars as a checkout add-on. Judges are not named anywhere, only an unnamed panel of industry judges. And the cash arrives slowly: prizes are paid three months after the final announcement, so a March 2027 win pays out around June.
One practical warning before you enter. The site currently disagrees with itself about what tier you are in. The published ladder says the regular deadline at 59 dollars, the homepage still banners the early deadline, and the entry form still charges 49. No year, time or timezone is printed against any deadline either. Check what you are actually charged at checkout. Enter if you have a feature of 70 to 120 pages or a pilot up to 70 and want a cash-weighted shot; note that a grand prize win bars you from every future season, and three finalist placings ends your eligibility for good.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is the 16,500 dollar prize really all cash?
Yes. The pool is 30,000 dollars: ten finalists receive 1,500 each, and one of them receives a further 15,000, so the winner banks 16,500 in cash. The ISA meetings, consultation and memberships are additional benefits on top, not part of that figure.
Which deadline am I actually in?
Check at the checkout. The site contradicts itself: the published ladder puts the regular deadline on 17 September at 59 dollars, but the homepage still banners the early deadline and the entry form still charges 49. No year, time or timezone is printed against any tier.
Is feedback included?
No. Notes are a paid add-on bought during entry, running roughly 69 dollars for full script notes to 100 for an ISA development evaluation. Turnaround is up to 90 days, which the rules concede may fall after the contest ends.
When do I get paid if I win?
Three months after the final announcement. The grand prize winner is named on 18 March 2027, so cash lands around June 2027. Winners are treated as independent contractors and are responsible for their own tax.
Is your script right for Emerging Screenwriters 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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