2020 FICTION PODCAST CONTEST
Shore Scripts
INFO: Podcasts are kind of a big deal! Over 100 million people in USA listen to at least one Podcast a month and that rate is increasing by 20 million year on year. Fiction podcasts are taking a century’s worth of entertainment in radio plays and pushing the boundaries to tell stories in fresh and innovative ways, quickly becoming the fastest-growing sub-section of this booming industry. Many writers, including our Judges, have forged successful careers for themselves through Podcasts. Hollywood’s taking notice too! More and more of these shows are being adapted for Televsion: Homecoming, Limetown, Carrier, Left Right Game & LORE to name but a few.
The beauty of the fiction Podcast format is that it allows you as a w
riter to be completely free to tell the story you wish to tell, without having to factor in the budgetary constraints of filmmaking. Our Podcast Contest offers more in funding and prize money than any other.
In collaboration with our winning writers, Shore Scripts will produce both episodes, making use of our industry connections to find talented cast and crew. We will look to attach a named actor/actress to each episode to further elevate the show and draw in a larger audience. Once both episodes are live, we will contact commissioners in an attempt to greenlight the series. The writers have final say on all potential commissioning offers.
This is a great opportunity to get your work commissioned and voice heard in this ever-growing industry. You don’t even need to write an episode from scratch. Perhaps you have a screenplay, novel or stageplay that could be adapted to fit this medium. Read our How to Adapt my Screenplay into a Podcast for some pointers.
We accept screenplay, radio and stageplay format. Check out our Rules and FAQ’s for all the info.
AWARD:
Two winners will be chosen to have their pilot scripts produce, each with a budget of $5,000
Plus, each winner will also receive $1000 Cash!
DEADLINES:
Early - November 15, 2020
Regular - December 18, 2020
Final - January 21, 2021
https://filmfreeway.com/ShoreScriptsFictionPodcastContest
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2021 CASSIAN ELWES INDEPENDENT SCREENWRITING FELLOWSHIP AT THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
Sundance Institute
INFO: The Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship is an annual program designed to encourage and identify new talent in the field of independent cinema by awarding two screenwriters each year with an all-expenses paid trip to the Sundance Film Festival and an opportunity to meet with producer Cassian Elwes (MUDBOUND, LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB).
Due to COVID-19 and the resulting changes to both general travel and the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, this year's Fellowship recipients will not travel to Park City, UT. Fellows will receive a pass to the modified 2021 Sundance Film Festival (including satellite events in New York and Los Angeles) and a stipend of $2,500. Fellows that do not live in the Los Angeles or New York metropolitan areas will be traveled to either Los Angeles or New York for Sundance events, subject to current COVID-19 travel restrictions and the 2021 Sundance Film Festival schedule. Additional events and meetings will be hosted with Mr. Elwes via Zoom.
Unrepresented feature writers with an independent sensibility who have made less than $5,000 in aggregate in their film or television writing careers will be able to opt into consideration via the Black List website until November 15, 2020. At that time, the Black List will choose ten screenplays imbued with an independent spirit by unrepresented screenwriters, which will be sent on to Mr. Elwes for his consideration. Two fellowship recipients will be selected by Mr. Elwes by calendar year's end.
Evaluations purchased before midnight on October 15, 2020 will be guaranteed consideration. The Black List recommends—but does not require—that writers obtain at least one script evaluation for their hosted scripts, as the data from script evaluations inform the process by which the short list of writers is determined for this opportunity.
Check out our FAQ for more information on how to obtain hosting and evaluations at no cost, and for more details on the 2021 Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship.
DEADLINES: November 15, 2020
https://blcklst.com/partnerships/opportunities/88
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BIPOC Writers Fellowship: Adapting Books for the Screen
The Writers Room 5050
INFO: The Writers Room 5050 and Level 4 Press Present: The BIPOC Writers Fellowship, "Adapting Books for the Screen," beginning March 2021. In this 12-week fellowship, fellows will adapt a book into a feature film screenplay, receive mentorship from industry leaders, a stipend for participating, and more.
The fellowship will focus on adapting a book into a screenplay, the release of fictional feature films for theatrical, streaming, and television movies-of-the-week (MOWs). In the process, BIPOC writers will learn the highest industry standards for developing, writing, financing and producing an adapted feature film project. Each fellow will adapt one Level 4 Press book into a feature film screenplay.
The Writers Room 5050 and Level 4 Press are currently working with top executives, writers, representatives and guest speakers to provide mentorship, feedback, and firsthand industry knowledge.
The BIPOC Writers Fellowship includes but is not limited to:
A 12-week lab taking you from book-to-screenplay
Mentorship on creating and crafting your script
A $750 Writer Stipend to all participants and accepted writers
Expert development notes and assessments by industry professionals
A 'table read' with professional actors
Script Sales and Career Strategy instruction
Pitch deck and high-end marketing collateral created for the project
Live Industry Event to pitch your new script and meet high-end industry decision-makers
For those scripts optioned, setup or sold, there will be financial participation
REQUIREMENTS:
BIPOC Writer: Applicants must be of BIPOC heritage/ethnicity (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color)
Script Submission: Writers must submit a completed screenplay (90 to 120 pages) for consideration
Application Fee: An Early, Regular or Late application processing fee will apply.
DEADLINES:
Early: November 20, 2020
Regular: December 18, 2020
Late: January 8, 2021
SUBMISSION FEES:
Early - $40.00
Regular - $50.00
Late - $60.00
Payment Methods: PayPal, Venmo, Zelle
PayPal: send fee to username: Evette Vargas | email: evette@digital-reign.net | send as “Trusted”
Venmo: send fee to username: @Evette-Vargas | email: evette@digital-reign.net
Zelle: send fee to email: evette@writersroom5050.com
Announcements:
Semi-Finalists: January 22, 2021
Finalists: February 5, 2021
Fellows Announced: February 19, 2021
Fellows Begins: Week of March 8, 2021
Fellowship Schedule:
Dates: Wednesdays, March 10th to May 26th, 2021
Time: 6pm to 9pm PST - (1 class per week, 3 hours per class)
Venue: Zoom
DEADLINE: November 20, 2020
https://www.writersroom5050.com/fellowship-details
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THE 2020 MUSLIM LIST
The Black List / Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) / Pillars Fund
INFO: The Black List has partnered with the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and Pillars Fund to create The Muslim List, highlighting the very best unproduced scripts written by at least one Muslim writer.
Filmmakers and content creators are invited to submit a script for consideration by uploading it to The Black List website during fall 2020. Submissions will be accepted until December 4, 2020. Feature film, one-hour, and half-hour original pilot submissions will be considered for this opportunity (no webseries, please.) Scripts from any genre are eligible for this partnership.
Writers selected for the Muslim List will be notified of their placement in January-February 2021, with a public announcement to follow.
DEADLINE: December 4, 2020
https://blcklst.com/partnerships/opportunities/87
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2020-2021 BLACK LIST & GOOGLE ASSISTANT STORYTELLING FELLOWSHIP
The Black List / Google Assistant
INFO: Up to five writers will receive $20,000 each for the purpose of supporting those writers for six months as they work to draft their new feature screenplays and/or teleplays. During the course of those six months, the Black List and Google Assistant will also pair each fellowship recipient with a screenwriting mentor.
Pitches should be contemporary in nature and avoid violence and/or illegal activity as the premise of the story. Completed scripts can include the natural helpfulness of technology in everyday life, but shouldn’t be focused around technology or from a dystopian view. At the end of the Fellowship, each recipient would provide Google with a copy of their new draft along with a report addressing how the grant has been used to advance their work.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Opt-ins will be open until midnight on Friday, January 15, 2021. On Monday, January 18, 2021, up to 15 writers will be invited, based on the strength of their scripts as determined by the Black List, to submit a one-page personal statement and professional resume. Those materials will be due on Friday, January 22, 2020. From those submissions, up to five (5) writers will be selected by the Black List and Google Assistant to receive the 2020-2021 Storytelling Fellowship. Fellowship recipients will be notified in February 2021.
DEADLINE: January 15, 2021