Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition

Contest · 2027Prestige 52/100

Long-running festival screenwriting contest across genre features, shorts and 30/60-minute pilots, open worldwide.

Deadlines & fees

Closed for this cycle

The 2026 competition closed on 10 May and winners are announced at the festival in late September. No 2027 dates have been announced.

Dates and fees checked against the official site 14 Jul 2026.

Entry categories

30-minute Pilot
TV Pilot · Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western · up to 40 pages
25 to 40 pages.
60-minute Pilot
TV Pilot · Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western · up to 70 pages
59 to 70 pages.
Genre Feature
Feature · Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western · up to 110 pages
75 to 110 pages. Length is a guideline, not an automatic disqualifier.
Short
Short · Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western · up to 45 pages
Under 45 pages.
Tennessee Writer
Feature, TV Pilot, Short · Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western · up to 110 pages
Writer born in or residing in Tennessee; special category award.

Key facts

Formats: Feature, TV Pilot, Short
Genres: Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sport, Thriller, War, Western
Page limit: 110 pages
Required materials: Original script PDF, 12-point Courier, title only on the title page · Adaptation permission as the first PDF page if applicable · Category selection (a fee applies per category)

Open worldwide. Scripts must be original and must not have been sold or be under option as of the deadline (adaptations need rights; Stephen King Dollar Baby projects are exempt with a cover-page note). AI-generated writing is prohibited (grammar and spelling tools allowed). Anonymous: title only on the title page, 12-point Courier. Online entry via FilmFreeway only; no refunds. The Tennessee award requires the writer to have been born in or currently reside in Tennessee.

Prizes

Category winners receive US$750 or US$1,000 in cash depending on category; the festival awards up to US$100,000 in cash and in-kind sponsor prizes overall. Attending finalists get a professional table read and a complimentary festival badge.

Judging

Scored on originality, structure, premise, entertainment value and commercial viability. Rounds run to Quarterfinalist, Semifinalist and Finalist; winners are announced live at the festival (attendance not required). Quarterfinalist-and-up scripts are hosted in a database for invited industry access.