Tony Cox Screenplay Competition

Eligibility and project requirements

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.

Formats

Feature, Short, TV Pilot

Page limit

125 pages

Eligibility

Open worldwide

Deadlines & fees

Dates and fees checked against the official site 10 Aug 2026. That is longer ago than we aim for; confirm on the official site before entering.

Prepare your entry

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.

Frequently asked questions