FilmBath IMDb Script to Screen Award

Eligibility and project requirements

Entry is open to filmmakers and writers of any nationality from any country. Original short film scripts of between one and ten pages, any genre. Scripts must have been written after 1 January 2025 and must not have been previously produced, optioned or sold, and the entrant is responsible for rights clearances. Multiple entries are allowed but each needs its own fee. Submission is blind: no writer name may appear on the title page or anywhere in the body of the screenplay. Nothing may be attached alongside the script, and no revised drafts or additional materials are accepted after submission. No age limit or residency requirement is published, though the kit hire prize is restricted to UK filmmakers.

Formats

Short

Page limit

10 pages

Eligibility

Open worldwide

Deadlines & fees

Dates and fees checked against the official site 6 Sept 2026. That is longer ago than we aim for; confirm on the official site before entering.

Prepare your entry

Prizes

7,000 pounds in cash to one winner, plus a 1,000 pound kit hire package from Visual Impact restricted to UK filmmakers, so an international winner receives the cash but not the kit. The cash is ring-fenced rather than free money: FilmBath states in three separate places that the award goes towards the making of the winning screenplay, that recipients are expected to use it towards future filmmaking work, and that all entrants acknowledge the winner will be expected to use the prize money to make their next film. No escrow or clawback mechanism is published. No cash alternatives to any prize are offered. Rights are light: no option or first refusal, and no obligation to let FilmBath produce the film. Entrants grant permission to screen, present or read the work at the festival and to use names, titles and synopses for publicity.

Judging

Judged blind, with finalists' scripts performed live by professional actors at the Awards Evening before an industry panel selects the winner on the night. The 2026 panel is not published: FilmBath lists only previous judges, and its two published lists disagree with each other, one naming Col Needham, Sarah Gavron, Gaby Chiappe, Kate Leys, Ashley Pharoah, Olivia Hetreed and John Hodge, the other naming Col Needham, Philippa Lowthorpe, Otto Bathurst, Elizabeth Karlsen and Jonathan Hyde. Treat all of those as past judges rather than confirmed for this cycle. Note also that FilmBath contradicts itself on the number of finalists, saying four in two places and five in two others, including twice on the same page. Notification is 4 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions