Short Film Thriller

$40 to Non-Members

PRIZES

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

$1000 USD

License fee cash award

+ Chance to be produced!

$500 USD

Cash Prize

2^nd PRIZE

$250 USD

Cash Prize

3^rd PRIZE

Contest Mini-Rules

This contest is free to participate in for active Open Screenplay Members, or by paying a 1-time Entry Fee of $40 USD per submission to participate. Contest begins on Jan 6th, 2022 at 12:00 AM (ET) and ends on Mar 31st, 2022 at 11:59 PM (ET). There are a total of three (3) prizes available to be won as follows: one (1) First Prize consisting of a license fee cash award of USD $1000, and in Open Screenplay’s sole discretion, the option of production, one (1) Second Prize USD $500, (1) Third Prize USD $250. Contest is open to registered Open Screenplay users, excluding residents of Quebec, Canada, who are 13 years of age or older at the time of entry (parental or guardian consent required if entrant is under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry). Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries received before contest closes. Limitations apply. See full rules and entry details

Stay Safe &
#WriteABetterWorld

As the world emerges from the grip of the global pandemic, we are pleased to be continue to provide opportunities for our writers to showcase their talent and hone their skills with exciting contests that get them paid & produced! Below is a list of the contests that have been confirmed so far for the year, but this is by no means a complete list. We are regularly announcing additional contests with even more exciting topics and partnerships. We hope you will share your talent with us by participating in the contests below and help us to #WriteABetterWorld.

CONTEST TOPIC:

Short Film Romantic Comedy

Admit it. You love a good romantic comedy. Rom-coms make us believe in love. They make us laugh AND cry. They always have a happy ending, and they make us feel like anything is possible!

In this contest, we want you to channel the spirits of Meg Ryan and a young Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts & Richard Gere, or pretty much anything that starred Hugh Grant. Write us your best romantic comedy script, complete with a saccharine meet-cute. Set the romantic bar high, and the comedic bar higher, for a chance to win one of several cash prizes and a chance to get produced!

Duration

10 minutes

Deadlines

Submission Deadline is
March 31st, 2022

Contest Entry Fee

Free to Members

$40 to Non-Members

PRIZES

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

$1000 USD

License fee cash award

+ Chance to be produced!

$500 USD

Cash Prize

2^nd PRIZE

$250 USD

Cash Prize

3^rd PRIZE

Contest Mini-Rules

This contest is free to participate in for active Open Screenplay Members, or by paying a 1-time Entry Fee of $40 USD per submission to participate. Contest begins on Jan 10, 2022 at 12:00 AM (ET) and ends on March 31, 2022 at 11:59 PM (ET). There are a total of three (3) prizes available to be won as follows: one (1) First Prize consisting of a license fee cash award of USD $1,000, and in Open Screenplay’s sole discretion, the option of production, one (1) Second Prize USD $500, (1) Third Prize USD $250. Contest is open to registered Open Screenplay users, excluding residents of Quebec, Canada, who are 13 years of age or older at the time of entry (parental or guardian consent required if entrant is under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry). Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries received before contest closes. Limitations apply. See full rules and entry details

Stay Safe &
#WriteABetterWorld

As the world emerges from the grip of the global pandemic, we are pleased to be continue to provide opportunities for our writers to showcase their talent and hone their skills with exciting contests that get them paid & produced! Below is a list of the contests that have been confirmed so far for the year, but this is by no means a complete list. We are regularly announcing additional contests with even more exciting topics and partnerships. We hope you will share your talent with us by participating in the contests below and help us to #WriteABetterWorld.

CONTEST TOPIC:

TikTok Shorts

With over a billion users worldwide, there is no denying that Tik Tok has taken the social media world by storm. What started off as a platform for young people to record short dance routines has quickly become a powerful storytelling tool for a generation of increasingly short attention spans. Now you can see 1-minute snippets of a story, and if it catches your attention, you find yourself clicking on part 2, which is the next 1-minute continuation, and part 3 and so on.

For traditional storytellers it poses a unique challenge: is 60 seconds enough to capture the attention of a viewer enough that they want to watch more and more 60 second segments to get the complete story? This is the challenge we are posing to you. The best 3 screenplays will receive money to produce the short, and the top performing short will receive a top prize of $1,000 USD.

Duration

Maximum 3 minutes

Deadlines

Submission Deadline is
March 1st, 2022

Contest Entry Fee

Free to Members

$40 to Non-Members

PRIZES

Top 3 screenplays

$500 USD

Each to produce a Tik Tok Short

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

$1000 USD

Top performing short on Tik Tok*

* Top performing short on Tik Tok as determined solely by Open Screenplay and with minimum 100K Views

Contest Mini-Rules

This contest is free to participate in for active Open Screenplay Members, Contest begins on Jan 10, 2022 at 12:00 AM (ET) and ends on Mar 1st at 11:59 PM (ET). There are a total of 3 winners will be selected to receive prizes as follows: Three (3) Prizes of $100 for top 3 screenplays to be paid upon selection of winners. The three (3) prize winners above will receive an additional license fee cash award of $400 upon submission of a produced short film based on their winning screenplay. By receiving this cash award, the winners agree to exclusively license the copyright in each winning screenplay to Open Screenplay for the purpose of posting on Open Screenplay’s Tik Tok channel. The top performing short on Tik Tok, as determined solely by Open Screenplay, will receive a final grand prize of USD $1,000. Contest is open to registered Open Screenplay users, excluding residents of Quebec, Canada, who are 13 years of age or older at the time of entry (parental or guardian consent required if entrant is under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry). Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries received before contest closes. Limitations apply. See full rules and entry details

Stay Safe &
#WriteABetterWorld

As the world emerges from the grip of the global pandemic, we are pleased to be continue to provide opportunities for our writers to showcase their talent and hone their skills with exciting contests that get them paid & produced! Below is a list of the contests that have been confirmed so far for the year, but this is by no means a complete list. We are regularly announcing additional contests with even more exciting topics and partnerships. We hope you will share your talent with us by participating in the contests below and help us to #WriteABetterWorld.

CONTEST TOPIC:

Short Film True Story

Nothing adds intrigue to a film’s opening more than the phrase “Based on a true story”. While we may be aware that events are dramatized, the dialogue is mostly made up, timelines are condensed, and directors have taken liberties, films based on true stories provide us with a unique entertainment experience. True stories transport us to places in the past in a real and visceral way. They remind us that the events we’re about to see unfold on screen really did happen. And while we are immersed, our skepticism and our awe have to walk hand-in-hand. From historical epics like Ghandi, Schindler’s list, and Lawrence of Arabia, to modern day crime dramas like Goodfellas and Spotlight, some of the most powerful and celebrated films have been based on true events.

We are looking for a great short film script that is based on a true story that is dying to be told! It can be in any genre, time or place, as long as it's based on true events. The top 3 screenplays will win cash prizes, and the 1st prize winner will be considered for production.

Duration

10 minutes

Deadlines

Submission Deadline is
March 31st, 2022

Contest Entry Fee

Free to Members

$40 to Non-Members

PRIZES

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

$1000 USD

License fee cash award

+ Chance to be produced!

$500 USD

Cash Prize

2^nd PRIZE

$250 USD

Cash Prize

3^rd PRIZE

Contest Mini-Rules

This contest is free to participate in for active Open Screenplay Members, or by paying a 1-time Entry Fee of $40 USD per submission to participate. Contest begins on Jan 6th, 2022 at 12:00 AM (ET) and ends on Mar 31st, 2022 at 11:59 PM (ET). There are a total of three (3) prizes available to be won as follows: one (1) First Prize consisting of a license fee cash award of USD $1000, and in Open Screenplay’s sole discretion, the option of production, one (1) Second Prize USD $500, (1) Third Prize USD $250. Contest is open to registered Open Screenplay users, excluding residents of Quebec, Canada, who are 13 years of age or older at the time of entry (parental or guardian consent required if entrant is under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry). Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries received before contest closes. Limitations apply. See full rules and entry details

Stay Safe &
#WriteABetterWorld

As the world emerges from the grip of the global pandemic, we are pleased to be continue to provide opportunities for our writers to showcase their talent and hone their skills with exciting contests that get them paid & produced! Below is a list of the contests that have been confirmed so far for the year, but this is by no means a complete list. We are regularly announcing additional contests with even more exciting topics and partnerships. We hope you will share your talent with us by participating in the contests below and help us to #WriteABetterWorld.

CONTEST TOPIC:

Short Film Thriller

It’s hard to define the thriller genre, but it’s easy to tell when you’re watching one. If you find yourself inching slowly toward the edge of your seat, your heartbeat is up a few beats, and you’ve squeezed the air out of a cushion you’re hugging, it's safe to say you’re watching a thriller. Suspense and a sense of tension is key, of course to a good thriller, and there are generally some recurrent themes such as murder, political intruige, espionge, conspiracy, criminal activity or psychological manipulation.

In this contest, we want you to bring out your inner Hitchcock and write a nail-biting screenplay. It can be about any subject you like as long as it gets our heart racing, and our inner sleuth guessing. Just be sure to stick to the guidelines. The top 3 screenplays will receive cash prizes, and the top screenplay will be considered for production!

Duration

10 minutes

Deadlines

Submission Deadline is
March 31st, 2022

Contest Entry Fee

Free to Members

$40 to Non-Members

PRIZES

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

$1000 USD

License fee cash award

+ Chance to be produced!

$500 USD

Cash Prize

2^nd PRIZE

$250 USD

Cash Prize

3^rd PRIZE

Contest Mini-Rules

This contest is free to participate in for active Open Screenplay Members, or by paying a 1-time Entry Fee of $40 USD per submission to participate. Contest begins on Jan 6th, 2022 at 12:00 AM (ET) and ends on Mar 31st, 2022 at 11:59 PM (ET). There are a total of three (3) prizes available to be won as follows: one (1) First Prize consisting of a license fee cash award of USD $1000, and in Open Screenplay’s sole discretion, the option of production, one (1) Second Prize USD $500, (1) Third Prize USD $250. Contest is open to registered Open Screenplay users, excluding residents of Quebec, Canada, who are 13 years of age or older at the time of entry (parental or guardian consent required if entrant is under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry). Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries received before contest closes. Limitations apply. See full rules and entry details

Stay Safe &
#WriteABetterWorld

As the world emerges from the grip of the global pandemic, we are pleased to be continue to provide opportunities for our writers to showcase their talent and hone their skills with exciting contests that get them paid & produced! Below is a list of the contests that have been confirmed so far for the year, but this is by no means a complete list. We are regularly announcing additional contests with even more exciting topics and partnerships. We hope you will share your talent with us by participating in the contests below and help us to #WriteABetterWorld.

CONTEST TOPIC:

Short Film Romantic Comedy

Admit it. You love a good romantic comedy. Rom-coms make us believe in love. They make us laugh AND cry. They always have a happy ending, and they make us feel like anything is possible!

In this contest, we want you to channel the spirits of Meg Ryan and a young Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts & Richard Gere, or pretty much anything that starred Hugh Grant. Write us your best romantic comedy script, complete with a saccharine meet-cute. Set the romantic bar high, and the comedic bar higher, for a chance to win one of several cash prizes and a chance to get produced!

Duration

10 minutes

Deadlines

Submission Deadline is
March 31st, 2022

Contest Entry Fee

Free to Members

$40 to Non-Members

PRIZES

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

$1000 USD

License fee cash award

+ Chance to be produced!

$500 USD

Cash Prize

2^nd PRIZE

$250 USD

Cash Prize

3^rd PRIZE

Contest Mini-Rules

This contest is free to participate in for active Open Screenplay Members, or by paying a 1-time Entry Fee of $40 USD per submission to participate. Contest begins on Jan 10, 2022 at 12:00 AM (ET) and ends on March 31, 2022 at 11:59 PM (ET). There are a total of three (3) prizes available to be won as follows: one (1) First Prize consisting of a license fee cash award of USD $1,000, and in Open Screenplay’s sole discretion, the option of production, one (1) Second Prize USD $500, (1) Third Prize USD $250. Contest is open to registered Open Screenplay users, excluding residents of Quebec, Canada, who are 13 years of age or older at the time of entry (parental or guardian consent required if entrant is under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry). Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries received before contest closes. Limitations apply. See full rules and entry details

Stay Safe &
#WriteABetterWorld

As the world emerges from the grip of the global pandemic, we are pleased to be continue to provide opportunities for our writers to showcase their talent and hone their skills with exciting contests that get them paid & produced! Below is a list of the contests that have been confirmed so far for the year, but this is by no means a complete list. We are regularly announcing additional contests with even more exciting topics and partnerships. We hope you will share your talent with us by participating in the contests below and help us to #WriteABetterWorld.

CONTEST TOPIC:

TikTok Shorts

With over a billion users worldwide, there is no denying that Tik Tok has taken the social media world by storm. What started off as a platform for young people to record short dance routines has quickly become a powerful storytelling tool for a generation of increasingly short attention spans. Now you can see 1-minute snippets of a story, and if it catches your attention, you find yourself clicking on part 2, which is the next 1-minute continuation, and part 3 and so on.

For traditional storytellers it poses a unique challenge: is 60 seconds enough to capture the attention of a viewer enough that they want to watch more and more 60 second segments to get the complete story? This is the challenge we are posing to you. The best 3 screenplays will receive money to produce the short, and the top performing short will receive a top prize of $1,000 USD.

Duration

Maximum 3 minutes

Deadlines

Submission Deadline is
March 1st, 2022

Contest Entry Fee

Free to Members

$40 to Non-Members

PRIZES

Top 3 screenplays

$500 USD

Each to produce a Tik Tok Short

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

$1000 USD

Top performing short on Tik Tok*

* Top performing short on Tik Tok as determined solely by Open Screenplay and with minimum 100K Views

Contest Mini-Rules

This contest is free to participate in for active Open Screenplay Members, Contest begins on Jan 10, 2022 at 12:00 AM (ET) and ends on Mar 1st at 11:59 PM (ET). There are a total of 3 winners will be selected to receive prizes as follows: Three (3) Prizes of $100 for top 3 screenplays to be paid upon selection of winners. The three (3) prize winners above will receive an additional license fee cash award of $400 upon submission of a produced short film based on their winning screenplay. By receiving this cash award, the winners agree to exclusively license the copyright in each winning screenplay to Open Screenplay for the purpose of posting on Open Screenplay’s Tik Tok channel. The top performing short on Tik Tok, as determined solely by Open Screenplay, will receive a final grand prize of USD $1,000. Contest is open to registered Open Screenplay users, excluding residents of Quebec, Canada, who are 13 years of age or older at the time of entry (parental or guardian consent required if entrant is under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry). Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries received before contest closes. Limitations apply. See full rules and entry details

Stay Safe &
#WriteABetterWorld

As the world emerges from the grip of the global pandemic, we are pleased to be continue to provide opportunities for our writers to showcase their talent and hone their skills with exciting contests that get them paid & produced! Below is a list of the contests that have been confirmed so far for the year, but this is by no means a complete list. We are regularly announcing additional contests with even more exciting topics and partnerships. We hope you will share your talent with us by participating in the contests below and help us to #WriteABetterWorld.

CONTEST TOPIC:

Short Film True Story

Nothing adds intrigue to a film’s opening more than the phrase “Based on a true story”. While we may be aware that events are dramatized, the dialogue is mostly made up, timelines are condensed, and directors have taken liberties, films based on true stories provide us with a unique entertainment experience. True stories transport us to places in the past in a real and visceral way. They remind us that the events we’re about to see unfold on screen really did happen. And while we are immersed, our skepticism and our awe have to walk hand-in-hand. From historical epics like Ghandi, Schindler’s list, and Lawrence of Arabia, to modern day crime dramas like Goodfellas and Spotlight, some of the most powerful and celebrated films have been based on true events.

We are looking for a great short film script that is based on a true story that is dying to be told! It can be in any genre, time or place, as long as it's based on true events. The top 3 screenplays will win cash prizes, and the 1st prize winner will be considered for production.

Duration

10 minutes

Deadlines

Submission Deadline is
March 31st, 2022

Contest Entry Fee

Free to Members

$40 to Non-Members

PRIZES

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

$1000 USD

License fee cash award

+ Chance to be produced!

$500 USD

Cash Prize

2^nd PRIZE

$250 USD

Cash Prize

3^rd PRIZE

Contest Mini-Rules

This contest is free to participate in for active Open Screenplay Members, or by paying a 1-time Entry Fee of $40 USD per submission to participate. Contest begins on Jan 6th, 2022 at 12:00 AM (ET) and ends on Mar 31st, 2022 at 11:59 PM (ET). There are a total of three (3) prizes available to be won as follows: one (1) First Prize consisting of a license fee cash award of USD $1000, and in Open Screenplay’s sole discretion, the option of production, one (1) Second Prize USD $500, (1) Third Prize USD $250. Contest is open to registered Open Screenplay users, excluding residents of Quebec, Canada, who are 13 years of age or older at the time of entry (parental or guardian consent required if entrant is under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry). Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries received before contest closes. Limitations apply. See full rules and entry details

Stay Safe &
#WriteABetterWorld

As the world emerges from the grip of the global pandemic, we are pleased to be continue to provide opportunities for our writers to showcase their talent and hone their skills with exciting contests that get them paid & produced! Below is a list of the contests that have been confirmed so far for the year, but this is by no means a complete list. We are regularly announcing additional contests with even more exciting topics and partnerships. We hope you will share your talent with us by participating in the contests below and help us to #WriteABetterWorld.

CONTEST TOPIC:

Short Film Thriller

It’s hard to define the thriller genre, but it’s easy to tell when you’re watching one. If you find yourself inching slowly toward the edge of your seat, your heartbeat is up a few beats, and you’ve squeezed the air out of a cushion you’re hugging, it's safe to say you’re watching a thriller. Suspense and a sense of tension is key, of course to a good thriller, and there are generally some recurrent themes such as murder, political intruige, espionge, conspiracy, criminal activity or psychological manipulation.

In this contest, we want you to bring out your inner Hitchcock and write a nail-biting screenplay. It can be about any subject you like as long as it gets our heart racing, and our inner sleuth guessing. Just be sure to stick to the guidelines. The top 3 screenplays will receive cash prizes, and the top screenplay will be considered for production!

Duration

10 minutes

Deadlines

Submission Deadline is
March 31st, 2022

Contest Entry Fee

Free to Members

$40 to Non-Members