Kairos Prize for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays

Deadlines & fees

• Early birdPassed
  31 Aug 2026America/Los_Angeles$60
• RegularNext deadline
  30 Sept 2026America/Los_Angeles$75Google·.ics
• Late entry
  20 Oct 2026America/Los_Angeles$100Google·.ics
• Submissions close
  31 Oct 2026America/Los_AngelesGoogle·.ics

Dates and fees checked against the official site 10 Aug 2026.

Key facts

Formats

Feature, TV Pilot

Eligibility

18+

Required materials

Completed feature-length screenplay as a PDF in standard format · Title page and a one-line logline · A signed release agreement · Entry fee per screenplay · The form also collects page count, category, genre, an originality declaration, a logline of up to two sentences, an optional synopsis of up to 300 words which is not judged, and an opt-in on whether your script may be shared with producers afterwards

Open to writers aged 18 or over. No nationality or residency restriction is stated and the entry form accepts every country, but the prize is shaped for a US winner: airfares are within the continental United States and all winners are responsible for their own US income tax withholding. Entries must be original, unpublished, unproduced and unoptioned, and you must be the sole author; rights must not have been previously optioned or sold. Collaborations are allowed and writing partners divide the award equally. Scripts run approximately 87 to 130 pages in US industry standard format, in English, with episodic screenplays allowed down to 45 pages; the form accepts up to 150 pages with a surcharge above 130. Two categories: one for new and first-time writers who have not previously sold or optioned a feature screenplay, and a professional category described on the form as being for screenwriters who have sold a script for 5,000 dollars or more. Movieguide employees, contractors and judges' families are barred.

Prizes

Read the prize carefully. The site advertises a Grand Prize with a stated total value of 40,000 US dollars, itemised as two VIP seats at the Movieguide Awards Gala (20,000), two round-trip airfares within the continental United States (4,000), two seats on a VIP sunset cruise (3,600), three nights' accommodation (5,000), spending money (5,000) and admission to a How to Succeed in Hollywood class (2,500). The only cash component is the 5,000 dollars of spending money; everything else is stated value in kind. Figures of 15,000 dollars per category circulate widely, but on the current site those appear only as labels attached to two past winning scripts, and no 15,000 dollar award is described on the prizes page, in the rules or in the guidelines. How many winners there are, and whether the two categories carry separate packages or share one grand prize, is not published. Entrants retain all rights and interests in their scripts: there is no option, first refusal or exclusivity.

Judging

No judge is named anywhere on the site. The strongest published claim is that scripts are read by real, professional Hollywood script readers rather than volunteers or interns, with a reference to a round one judge in the paid feedback option. Entrants are prohibited from contacting judges during the competition and the judges' decision is final. The only named individual is Dr Ted Baehr, founder and chairman of Movieguide, who teaches the How to Succeed in Hollywood class every grand prize winner attends; he is not identified as a judge.

Frequently asked questions