Raindance Script Competition
Contest · 2027Prestige 66/100
A London institution with a 10,000 pound production fund for shorts, and no ownership or option claimed.
Deadlines & fees
- EarlybirdNext deadline7 Dec 2026Europe/London£60
- Regular18 Jan 2027Europe/London£75
- Late8 Mar 2027Europe/London£90
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature, Short, TV Pilot
- Eligibility
- Open worldwide
- Required materials
- Screenplay as a PDF in industry-standard formatting, 12-point Courier · English, or the original language with a full English translation · Content or trigger warnings for graphic material · Series bibles are not read and must not be included · Production fund entrants must additionally create an IMGN account and supply a script breakdown and preliminary shooting schedule
Writers from all countries may submit, with scripts in English or carrying a full English translation, in industry-standard formatting and 12-point Courier. Scripts must be unproduced at submission, though a script entering production after the ceremony remains eligible, and must be your original work with full legal ownership; adaptations are allowed with rights secured. Series bibles will not be read and must not be included. Scripts that placed in the top three of previous Raindance Script Competitions cannot be re-entered. Raindance employees and their immediate families are barred. There is no limit on entries but each needs its own fee, and co-writing is allowed with all writers credited. No age or residency requirement is published, and there is no anonymity rule, though content or trigger warnings are required for graphic material. The short category for the production fund is limited to screenplays of 40 pages or fewer; a maximum page count for the feature category is not published.
Prizes
Two quite different things sit here. The four category winners, in feature, short, TV comedy and TV drama, receive a one-to-one Script Angel consultation and festival accreditation: in kind, no cash. Separately there is a genuine 10,000 pound production fund for one short script, awarded by Raindance with IMGN as production fund partner, ring-fenced for producing the winning screenplay, and Raindance may require a separate funding agreement and a schedule or budget before releasing it. Entry to the fund is optional, does not affect judging, and carries an administrative burden: you must create an IMGN account, upload the script, complete a script breakdown and a preliminary shooting schedule, and email the materials before a published production fund deadline that Raindance never actually states. RIGHTS ARE UNUSUALLY CLEAN: Raindance asserts no ownership or option rights over any submitted material and all rights remain with the original rights holders. Submitting does grant permission to share your script internally with trusted industry partners for consideration, whether or not it makes the Discovery List, and you may opt out of that at submission.
Judging
A tiered read narrowing roughly 64 quarterfinalists to 32 semifinalists and then 16 to 20 finalists, assessed by the Raindance reading team and jury, none of whom are named. Note that the well-known names on the Raindance site, such as Olivia Colman and Sean Bean, belong to the festival's international film jury rather than to the script competition. Notification is 16 May 2027 and the festival runs 16 to 25 June 2027. Reassuringly, Raindance states that screenplays uploaded to IMGN as part of the production fund programme are not used to train AI models.
The PreList verdict
A thirty-five-year-old London institution, and better value than its reputation for paying in exposure suggests. Yes, the four category awards are a Script Angel consultation and festival accreditation rather than cash. But there is also a real 10,000 pound production fund attached to the short category, run with IMGN, which most write-ups miss entirely. And the Discovery List, a curated 16 to 20 scripts sent to production companies and industry partners, is the kind of circulation that actually does something.
The rights position is the best in this directory, and worth saying plainly: Raindance asserts no ownership or option rights over any submitted material, and all rights remain with the original rights holders. There is no first refusal and no obligation to let them produce anything. Submitting does let them share your script internally with trusted industry partners, and you can opt out of that at the point of entry.
The honest part is admin and staleness. The production fund is opt-in and requires you to create an IMGN account, complete a script breakdown and a preliminary shooting schedule, and email it all before a deadline Raindance refers to repeatedly but never actually publishes. Feedback is not included and costs 20 to 30 pounds more per entry. And their own pages are a mess of stale years: the script page says winners are announced in June 2026 while listing deadlines that run to March 2027, which is impossible. The correct ceremony is June 2027. Earlybird closes 7 December 2026 at 11:59pm GMT.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is there actually any cash?
Yes, though it is easy to miss. The four category awards are a Script Angel consultation and festival accreditation, with no cash. But short script entrants can opt into a 10,000 pound production fund run with IMGN, ring-fenced for producing the winning screenplay.
Does Raindance take any rights?
No. Raindance states that it asserts no ownership or option rights over any submitted material and that all rights remain with the original rights holders. Submitting does grant permission to share your script internally with trusted industry partners for consideration, and you can opt out of that when you enter.
When is the ceremony, given the site says June 2026?
June 2027. Raindance's own script page carries a stale year, saying winners are announced in June 2026 while listing deadlines running to March 2027, which cannot both be true. FilmFreeway gives the 35th festival as 16 to 25 June 2027 with notification on 16 May 2027.
What does it cost?
It depends on category and tier. Features run 60, 75 then 90 pounds across earlybird, regular and late; shorts entering the production fund 35, 45 then 60; TV pilots 50, 60 then 70. Feedback-inclusive entries cost 20 to 30 pounds more. Raindance members get a discount on their first submission each year via a waiver code.
Is your script right for Raindance Script 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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