Slamdance Screenplay Competition

Contest · 2026Prestige 72/100Feedback included

Indie-leaning screenplay competition since 1997. $18,000 total prize pool, strong track record placing unrepresented writers.

Official site ↗

Deadlines & fees

LateNext deadline
20 Jul 2026America/Los_Angeles$85
Final
3 Aug 2026America/Los_Angeles$95

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

Entry categories

Feature
Feature · up to 110 pages
41 to 110 pages at the standard fee. Longer features (111 to 140 pages) incur a higher entry fee: $85 Early, $95 Regular, $105 Late, $120 Final.
Horror/Thriller
Feature · Horror, Thriller · up to 110 pages
41 to 110 pages at the standard fee. Longer scripts (111 to 140 pages) incur a higher entry fee: $85 Early, $95 Regular, $105 Late, $120 Final. Same fee scale as the main Feature category.
Short
Short · up to 10 pages
Shorts up to 10 pages at the standard fee. Longer shorts (11 to 40 pages) incur a higher entry fee: $50 Early, $60 Regular, $65 Late, $70 Final.
TV Pilot
TV Pilot · up to 45 pages
Pilots up to 45 pages at the standard fee. Longer pilots (46 to 80 pages) incur a higher entry fee: $55 Early, $65 Regular, $75 Late, $85 Final.

Category	Late	Final
Feature	$85	$95
Horror/Thriller	$85	$95
Short	$50	$55
TV Pilot	$65	$70

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: 140 pages
Required materials: PDF of the screenplay in 12-point Courier with industry-standard formatting · Cover page with script title only

Open to writers earning under $50,000 per year from screenwriting. Screenplays must be unproduced. AI-generated screenplays are not accepted. Adaptations are only eligible if the writer owns the underlying rights. Required formatting: 12-point Courier, industry-standard layout, cover page with script title only. Per-category page limits apply, with longer scripts incurring a higher entry fee within the same category.

Prizes

Grand Prize: $10,000 cash. Each of the four category winners (Feature, Horror, TV Pilot, Short) receives $2,000 cash, for a total prize pool of $18,000. Top three in every category receive Festival Passes good for all screenings and parties at the next Slamdance Film Festival. Separate Screenplay Mentorship Award provides one-to-one coaching, an in-depth coverage report, a draft development action plan, further review of subsequent drafts, support preparing pitch materials, and best-efforts assistance with production through the alumni network.

Judging

Multi-round judging. Quarter-Finalists announced 21 September 2026, Semi-Finalists 28 September, Top 12 on 5 October, and Winners on 31 October. Judging panel includes Slamdance staff, festival alumni, and outside industry readers. Specific judge identities vary by year.

The PreList verdict

Slamdance is the indie counterweight to the studio-adjacent majors. Born as the festival for filmmakers Sundance passed over, its screenplay competition carries the same DNA: it genuinely favours distinctive, unrepresented voices over polished market bait, and it has a long record of surfacing writers before the industry finds them. The US$18,000 total prize pool is spread across categories rather than concentrated on one winner.

The honest part: fees are mid-tier and climb by both deadline and page count (a long feature costs more than a short pilot), and while a Slamdance laurel earns real respect in indie circles, it moves the needle less in mainstream studio rooms than a Nicholl or Austin placement. There is no feedback with entry.

Enter if your script is the one you were told was too odd, too dark or too small for the majors; that is the sensibility this competition rewards. Skip it if your work is squarely commercial, where the bigger brands buy more. Two deadlines remain for 2026: late on 20 July (US$85 for a standard feature) and final on 3 August (US$95), both at 11:59pm Pacific.

Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 14 Jul 2026

Frequently asked questions

What are the remaining Slamdance deadlines for 2026?

The late deadline is 20 July (US$85 for features of 41 to 110 pages) and the final deadline is 3 August 2026 (US$95), both at 11:59pm Pacific.

How do the fees work?

Fees vary by category, page count and deadline tier. Standard features run US$65 to US$95 across the tiers, pilots US$50 to US$85 depending on length, and shorts US$35 to US$70.

What kind of scripts do well at Slamdance?

Distinctive, independent-minded work. The festival was founded by filmmakers passed over by Sundance, and its screenplay competition consistently rewards bold voices over conventional commercial material.