Kairos Prize 2026
Movieguide's faith and values prize wants uplifting features and pilots built on biblical principles, with one track for beginners and one for working professionals.
closes today
Competition United States
2027 Screenwriting Contest (25th Annual Script Pipeline Screenwriting Contest)
Now in its 25th year, this feature contest is judged only by Script Pipeline's own development staff, with no volunteer or intern readers. Writers who want follow-through after a win are the fit: the winner and finalists are sent to managers and producers and mentored on later drafts. The pre-register fee holds until December 30, 2026.
Pre-register deadline Dec 30, 2026 (closes in 71 days)
The listed dates have passed. We check the organizer's page every day and add the next dates once they are published.
Dates
| Deadline | Date | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Special entry | Sep 25, 2026 passed | USD 45 |
| Pre-register | Dec 30, 2026 | USD 50 |
| Early | Mar 5, 2027 | USD 60 |
| Regular | May 1, 2027 | USD 65 |
| Late | May 15, 2027 | USD 70 |
| Extended | May 31, 2027 | USD 75 |
Deadlines are as the organizer states them. Check the time zone on the official page.
At a glance
- Entry fee
- From $50Pre-register tier, until December 30, 2026
- Formats
- Feature
- Language
- English
- Where
- United States (enter online)
- Who can apply
- Writers aged 18 or over, from any country. The feature can be in any genre and must not have been produced at full length (a short made from it is fine). Co-writers may enter together. Anyone who won, placed second or reached the finals of a Script Pipeline screenwriting or TV contest since 2025 is excluded.
- Prizes
- The winner receives USD 20,000. Each of the five finalists receives USD 1,000.
What to send
- Length
- Features, 80 to 120 pages preferred
- File
- Title page
- Title required on the cover page; writer name and contact details can be stripped, and keeping them is not grounds for disqualification; adding a genre and logline is optional
- Your name on the script
- Allowed
- Also asked for
- Unlimited entries, one fee per script
Need your pages in standard screenplay format first? The free screenplay formatter lays them out and saves a PDF.
What it gives besides money
The winner and finalists are introduced to managers, agents and producers, get development help and further reads from the Pipeline team, and finalists are invited to private Symposium events. Quarterfinalists and semifinalists get extra executive notes and a re-read of a revised draft.
More competitions
13th Annual Search for New Blood Screenwriting Contest
A horror contest for features and pilots, run by Stage 32 for the 13th time.
closes tomorrow
CineStory TV Retreat & Fellowship 2027
This pilot contest leads to a five-day retreat in Idyllwild, California, in late April 2027, where the writers invited from the top rounds work one-on-one with industry mentors.
closes in 5 days
Fall 2026 WriteMovies Screenwriting Contest
WriteMovies, set up in Hollywood in 1999, runs a fall and a spring round.
closes in 5 days
Also in United States
The AFM Pitch Conference
At the American Film Market in Century City, a handful of attendees pitch an original film or series idea to industry panelists on stage and hear their reaction in the room.
closes in 2 days
Austin Film Festival Writers Conference
A four-day program of panels, roundtables and workshops in Austin for screenwriters, held during the first half of the city's eight-day film festival.
starts in 9 days
Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship
Producer Cassian Elwes chooses one unrepresented feature writer from ten scripts the Black List shortlists, then takes the fellow to the Sundance Film Festival for meetings and events.
closes in 12 days
Garden State Film Festival Screenplay Competition
New Jersey's festival runs a script contest beside its film program, with feature, short and teleplay categories.
closes in 12 days