Tony Cox Screenplay Competition
Contest · 2027Prestige 70/100
Five thousand dollars and a funded month on Nantucket writing. The best prize package in American short-form contests.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
The 2026 cycle is complete and no dates have been published for the next round; the festival says to check back in autumn 2026. That cycle opened on 18 September 2025 and ran four tiers, early on 6 November at 45 dollars for a feature, regular on 15 January at 60, final on 19 February at 80 and extended on 5 March 2026 at 95, with notification on 22 May. Episodic and short categories run cheaper. The pattern across the two evidenced cycles is consistent: opening in mid-September, four tiers from November through early March, notification in May and the festival in the third week of June, with fees held flat between cycles. No deadline times or timezones are published anywhere.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature, Short, TV Pilot
- Page limit
- 125 pages
- Eligibility
- Open worldwide
- Required materials
- Screenplay as a PDF or Word file in standard US format, in English · Title page carrying the title only, with no names anywhere in the document · Episodic entries must include a series or season synopsis, one paragraph preferred and one page maximum · Documentation of adaptation rights available on request for semi-finalists
Open internationally as long as the script is submitted in English. Scripts must be unproduced and not in active production, in standard US format, as a PDF or Word file; hard copies are not accepted. Features run 80 to 125 pages, shorts 1 to 40, 30-minute episodic 25 to 42 and 60-minute episodic 45 to 62, with a one dollar per page surcharge above those limits. Episodic entries must be an original pilot, first episode only, and must include a series or season synopsis. Documentary and reality television scripts are not accepted; all other genres are. The title page must carry the title only, and screenplays with names on the cover or any other page are disqualified. Adaptations are accepted but official documentation of rights must be available on request, which is required of all top-ten semi-finalists. There is no limit on the number of submissions provided each has its own entry and fee, and no replacement drafts are accepted. IMPORTANT CONTRADICTION ON TEAMS: the festival's own FAQ says collaborations are accepted, with a single cheque issued to one writer to divide and the team choosing which member attends the Colony, while its FilmFreeway feature rules state that co-written scripts are not eligible for consideration. Those cannot both be true, so a writing team should confirm before entering the feature category.
Prizes
Ten thousand dollars in cash across four awards: 5,000 to the feature winner, 2,000 to each of the 60-minute and 30-minute episodic winners, and 1,000 to the short winner. Note a contradiction on the festival's own page, which states in one line that the four awards total 5,000 dollars and in the next that they total 10,000; the itemised amounts sum to 10,000, so the lower figure appears to be stale. Aggregator listings still circulating a 2,500 dollar feature prize are not supported by any current source. In kind, the feature winner also receives a place at the Almanack October Colony, an invite-only retreat for four writers a year with complimentary housing and meals for a month on Nantucket, plus a funded trip to the festival, a spot in the following year's Screenwriter Sessions Cohort, a bound copy of the script and an awards reception. Travel to the island for the October retreat is not addressed. RIGHTS ARE CLEAN: no option, first refusal, exclusivity, premiere obligation or rights transfer is published. The only ongoing obligation is a credit line in the finished film if a winning screenplay is produced.
Judging
All initial submissions undergo a blind review by a committee of experienced readers, then an open review by festival and Almanack staff, with finalists judged by a jury of industry professionals composed of writers, producers, actors and executives. No judges are named. Finalists are determined by the programmers and executive staff of the festival in conjunction with Almanack Screenwriters. Written feedback is available only through a paid script analysis option at 120 dollars on top of the entry fee, offered for feature submissions only, delivered in roughly four to six weeks by readers with at least five years professional experience, with the author kept anonymous. It covers a logline, genre suggestion, scores and a two-page evaluation on structure, plot, character, dialogue, marketability and originality.
The PreList verdict
The best prize package of any American screenplay contest we carry, and it is not particularly close. Five thousand dollars to the feature winner is respectable, but the real prize is the Almanack October Colony: a month on Nantucket with housing and meals covered, as one of four writers a year. Add a funded trip to the festival, a place in the following year's Screenwriter Sessions Cohort and an awards reception in your honour, and the winner gets something closer to a residency than a cheque. The episodic categories pay 2,000 each with the same package attached, which makes them unusually good value against a 25 to 50 dollar entry.
The honest part is small by comparison. Feedback is not included and costs 120 dollars on top of the entry as a feature-only add-on. Judging is blind, which is good, but no judges are named. And travel to Nantucket for the October retreat is not addressed anywhere, though housing and meals are covered once you are there.
Two things to check before entering. The festival's own pages contradict each other on whether co-written scripts are eligible for the feature category: the FAQ says collaborations are accepted and explains how the money is split, while the FilmFreeway rules say co-written scripts are not eligible. Confirm before you pay if you wrote with someone. And the same page says both that the four awards total 5,000 dollars and that they total 10,000, though the itemised amounts add to 10,000, so the lower line looks stale.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
What does the winner actually get?
Five thousand dollars for the feature category, plus a month on Nantucket at the Almanack October Colony with housing and meals covered, a funded trip to the festival, a place in the following year's Screenwriter Sessions Cohort, a bound copy of the script and an awards reception. Short and episodic winners get 1,000 and 2,000 dollars respectively with the same package.
Can I enter with a co-writer?
Check first, because the festival contradicts itself. The FAQ says collaborations are accepted, with one cheque issued for the team to divide and the team choosing who attends the Colony. The FilmFreeway feature rules say co-written scripts are not eligible for consideration. Those cannot both be true.
Is feedback included?
No. A script analysis is available as a paid add-on at 120 dollars on top of your entry fee, for feature submissions only. It returns a logline, genre suggestion, scores and a two-page evaluation in roughly four to six weeks, with your identity kept from the reader.
Can I enter from outside the United States?
Yes, provided the script is submitted in English. There is no residency or nationality requirement.
Is your script right for Tony Cox 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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