Virginia Screenwriting Competition
Contest · 2026Prestige 58/100Feedback included
Free to enter, 1,000 dollars to each of three winners, and a written evaluation of every single entry.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
The 2026 round opened on 6 April and closed on 25 May 2026 at 11:59pm Eastern, with winners announced at the Virginia Film Festival in October. This has one of the most predictable calendars we have found: across four consecutive cycles the closing date has fallen on US Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, every single year, with entries opening in early April in three of those four. No extensions are ever granted. One small note for verification: only the 2026 cycle published a timezone; earlier years stated 11:59pm with no zone.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature, TV Pilot
- Page limit
- 120 pages
- Eligibility
- US residents
- Open to
- United States
- Required materials
- A screenplay in standard US industry format as a non-editable PDF of no more than 10 MB · Numbered pages and a title-only cover page · No name, address or personal information anywhere in the script · No supplemental materials
Applicants must be legal residents of Virginia with a valid Virginia address who have lived in the state for at least six months during the past year. Two exceptions apply: legal residents required by their work to reside overseas, such as members of the military, and students attending Virginia schools. No applicant may have earned more than 5,000 dollars as the writer of a theatrical film or television programme, or from the sale or option of any original story, treatment or teleplay. The majority of the script must take place in Virginia or at locations that could reasonably be found and filmed in Virginia. Features run approximately 90 to 120 pages and hour-long television pilots approximately 40 to 65. Scripts currently in production or optioned for production are ineligible, and adaptations require a documented option. Co-authored scripts are allowed if each author is a Virginia resident. Only one script may be submitted per author. Submitted as a non-editable PDF of no more than 10 MB with numbered pages and a title-only cover page, with no name, address or personal information anywhere in the script.
Prizes
1,000 US dollars to each of three winners, awarded without rank, presented in person at the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville in the autumn. Three thousand dollars a year in total, all cash with no credit component. Whether travel or accommodation to the ceremony is covered is not addressed either way. RIGHTS: none published. The rules contain no option, first refusal, exclusivity, development consideration or idea-misappropriation waiver of any kind, which combined with the absence of a fee makes this one of the cleanest entries in the directory.
Judging
Judged in two rounds. First-round judges from within Virginia each select one or two scripts as finalists, and those go to working industry professionals who read all the finalists and select three winners without rank. No judges are named. Resubmitted screenplays are deliberately not sent to the same judge in subsequent years. Every entry receives a written evaluation from the first-round judges, with one caveat: if you have not edited your work or attempted proper formatting, a judge may deem it unfit for submission and you may not receive an evaluation.
The PreList verdict
Free to enter, 1,000 dollars to each of three winners, and every single entrant receives a written evaluation from the judges. That last part is remarkable. Plenty of contests charge 75 dollars and offer nothing; this one charges nothing and offers notes. The Virginia Film Office has run it since 1988, winners are announced on stage at the Virginia Film Festival, and Vince Gilligan took it in 1989 before Breaking Bad. There is no option, no first refusal and no rights language of any kind in the rules.
The honest part is that the gates are narrow and geographic. You must be a legal Virginia resident who has lived in the state for at least six months of the past year, with exceptions only for residents posted overseas for work and for students at Virginia schools. You must have earned under 5,000 dollars as a screenwriter. And the majority of your script must take place in Virginia, or somewhere that could plausibly be found and filmed there, which is a genuine creative constraint rather than a formality.
If you clear those, there is no reason not to enter. One script per author, no fee, notes guaranteed, and a calendar you can set a watch by: the deadline has fallen on Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, in each of the last four years, with entries opening in early April. The only condition on the feedback is that you have to have made a real effort with editing and formatting; a judge can deem an unformatted script unfit and withhold the evaluation.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 21 Sept 2026
Frequently asked questions
Do I really get feedback for free?
Yes. The Virginia Film Office states that all entries receive a written evaluation from the first-round judges. The one caveat is that if you have not edited your work or attempted proper formatting, a judge may deem it unfit for submission and you may not receive one.
Who can enter?
Legal Virginia residents with a valid Virginia address who have lived in the state for at least six months in the past year. Exceptions cover legal residents required to live overseas for work, such as military personnel, and students attending Virginia schools. You must also have earned under 5,000 dollars as a screenwriter.
Does my script have to be set in Virginia?
Largely, yes. The majority of the script must take place in Virginia or at locations that could reasonably be found and filmed in Virginia. That is a real creative constraint, not a formality.
When is the deadline?
US Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, in each of the last four cycles, with entries opening in early April. The 2026 round closed on 25 May at 11:59pm Eastern. No extensions are ever granted.
Is your script right for Virginia Screenwriting Competition?
Find out free, before you spend anything. Upload your screenplay and The PreList checks whether its format can enter this contest, whether you meet the country rules and any regional limits, and scores the script. Pro adds a written read on how well it fits.
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