The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest Round 11

UPDATE 10/12/15

We are happy to share the first 15 pages from the ten finalists screenplays for the 11th round of The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest. Download for free and happy reading!

UPDATE 9/25/15

Join us as we congratulate Cher Lytle, winner of the 11th round of The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest with her script Past Crimes.

UPDATE 5/15/15

The 11th round of The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest brought in some very strong and imaginative writing talent. Join us as we congratulate the 10 finalists!

Jim Beck – Wonder Broad
Darren Love – Ill Will
Julie Thompson – It’s All Arranged
Meg Leader – Wingman
Eric Lieb – The Ghost and The Machine
Cher Lytle – Past Crimes
David Woolner & David Burton – The Three Deaths of Thomas Edison
Normann Pokorny – Beneath The Rust
Zach Stratton – The Grounds
Jason Tropiano – Matriarch

Enter for your Chance to Win an A-List Screenwriter Experience

Can you turn a provided logline into a killer spec script? The ability to create a screenplay based on a given idea is a top way to break into the Industry. That’s why the majority of our past finalists gained representation and met with top production companies, with one lucky winner selling his script to Universal. Now, it’s your turn to show Hollywood what you can do.

Ready to get started?

Step 1. Enter today to take part in the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest and submit your entry or entries anytime before the final submission date. You may submit an entry for one, two or all three loglines. Securing your entry today is a great way to motivate yourself to get down to writing!

Step 2. Write up to the first 15 pages of an original script based on one or more of the following loglines, provided by The Writers Store and partnered companies. Make it your own—setting, time period, character's gender, genre… anywhere your imagination takes you. And take your time—once you’ve signed up and submitted your entry fee, your pages aren’t due until the final deadline.

The Logline Choices

Logline #1

“The creator of a popular dating website does anything he can to keep his ex from finding love
again."

Logline #2

"When a scientist moves into a haunted property, he finds that he must confront the tragic past he has
fought to forget.”

Logline #3

“A superhero has a one night stand with her archenemy and discovers she’s pregnant with their child.”

Step 3. Submit your script(s) using the instructions provided when you purchase your entry or entries.

How the rest of the contest works

All submissions will be carefully read by studio readers, who are looking for both a unique take on the logline and/or a superior writing ability. 10 finalists will be chosen from the submissions.

Each of the 10 contest finalists enter into a 12-week Story Specialists mentoring program, consisting of feedback for every 10 pages submitted, with the goal of completing a spec screenplay based on one of the given loglines. Finalists also receive a copy of Movie Magic Screenwriter to professionally format their work.

After the mentoring, the finalists submit their rough drafts to our studio script readers for comprehensive Extended Coverage Development Notes, and then have two weeks to work with their mentors and notes to complete the final draft of their screenplay for judging.

Our team of Industry Insiders evaluates the completed screenplays and chooses a winner.

The lucky winner receives an A-List Screenwriter Experience, including:

3-Day Stay in Los Angeles
Pack up your bags and fly out to Los Angeles for a three-day meeting bender!

Lush Accommodations at a swanky Hollywood Hotel
Hollywood will serve as the home base for the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest winner. Thinking of the many opportunities to network and hobnob with the Hollywood elite that frequents this hotspot is mind-boggling!

One-on-one Meetings with these Top Companies

AMASIA ENTERTAINMENT (The Call, Mr. Right, Careful What You Wish For)
ARTISTS' COLLABORATIVE MANAGEMENT - Talent and Literary Agency
BENDERSPINK (We're the Millers, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone)
PANNON ENTERTAINMENT - Literary Management
PB MANAGEMENT - Literary Management

Software and e-books!

A copy of Movie Magic Screenwriter, a copy of the Hollywood Screenwriting Directory (e-book) and The Pocket Screenwriting Guide:120 Tips to Getting to FADE OUT (e-book).

The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest can give you the tools and the resources you need to complete a saleable screenplay. But besides the experience and the mentoring you could receive, placing in this competition shows that you can take another’s idea and turn it into a winning script— a trait that’s truly valued in Hollywood, and serves as a priceless addition to your screenwriting resume.

Get writing now and enter your submission for your chance to win!

Contest Feedback Option

Want to get a head start on the competition? Get preliminary feedback on your 15-page entry using our Contest Feedback Option. With this professional service, you receive:

Overall Notes
A rating of Pass or Consider as a Finalist
A chart rating on Concept, Plot, Pacing/Structure, Format, Characters, Dialogue and overall fifteen pages

Looking for regulations, and/or answers to specific questions? Check out the Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest’s Rules and FAQs now.

Thanks to our sponsor Write Brothers!

Movie Magic Screenwriter - Professional Formatting Software

Format your script and outline it, too, with the newly redesigned Movie Magic Screenwriter 6! This award-winning screenwriting software formats movies, television, novels, stage plays and even comic book scripts, making it the only program for all types of creative writing.

Want to know what the judges are looking for in the First 15 Pages? Click the orange button above to download the winning entries from this round’s finalists.

If you are an Industry Professional and have interest in reading any of the completed scripts, please contact Sadie Dean at The Writers Store.

Due to the subject matter, please be advised that some of the material in the pages available for download may be inappropriate for children.

Contest Details:

For feedback on your contest submission click on Enter Contest w/ Feedback for an additional $20 fee.

For general contest submission click on Enter Contest.

• Contest Begins: January 1, 2015
• Early Deadline: January 31, 2015
• Early Fee: $40
• Standard Deadline: March 31, 2015
• Standard Fee: $50
• Extend Deadline: April 30, 2015
• Extended Fee: $75
• Finalists Announced: May 15, 2015
• Mentor Program Begins: May 2015
• Mentor Program Completes: August 2015
• Winner Announced: September 2015
• Meetings: November 2015

Contest Testimonials:

“No other screenplay contest offers what the Industry Insider Contest does — a chance to develop your script alongside an industry professional. Some contests are about cash and prizes. The Industry Insider Contest is about advancing your career and developing material that can be successful in the marketplace. It’s about opening up doors.”

- Tyler Marceca, The Disciple Program – Contest Winner (Robert Mark Kamen Round)

“After my wonderful experience with the contest, I became a full time writer and landed on this year’s (2014) Blacklist while securing representation at Management 360 and APA. Along with my Blacklist spec going out now, I have a TV pilot that is being produced by TV360.”

- Leo Sardarian,_ Historia_ (Simon Kinberg Round)

“I took the screenplay I wrote for the Industry Insider Contest and turned it into a television pilot. That pilot went on to win Best Original TV Drama in the 2013 Creative World Awards. The guidance I received from my Story Specialist mentor really helped me nail down the concept and the characters, and I think that’s part of the reason the pilot was so successful. Thanks to the work I did during my time with the contest, almost everything was in place when I sat down to craft the pilot. All I had to do was expand the story line a bit and change the formatting!”

- Jennifer Green,Triangle (Todd Garner Round)

“There’s a really wonderful sense – from the beginning of the contest on — of how invested everyone at The Writers Store is in helping the finalists write a great script. From Mario’s, my Story Specialist’s, weekly call to the amazingly detailed Development Notes after the rough draft, to the terrific, encouraging updates and emails throughout, there’s a great sense of motivation and professionalism that’s very inspiring. I can’t say enough about this screenwriting contest. If I could, I would be a perpetual finalist!”

- Joshua Rebell, Old Boys Club – Contest Winner (Allan Loeb Round)

“I have a B.A. in Screenwriting, but I am an even better writer for having been a finalist in the Industry Insider Competition. This is boot camp for screenwriters — and it only takes fifteen pages to open the door to an invaluable experience. You’d be crazy to pass this up.”

- Kelsey Rude, Imaginary Bachelor (Allan Loeb Round)

“The whole experience was just fun — and instilled in me a work ethic and a drive to write which has persisted even after the contest’s end. Because of the Industry Insider Contest, I’m a better writer and I have a complete screenplay that I never would have written otherwise. It’s way too awesome an experience for any writer to pass up.”

- Zan Gillies, The Dark Side of Eden (Robert Mark Kamen Round)

“Just like a character in a screenplay, I started the contest hoping the reward would appear at the end of my journey and then realized that the reward was the journey itself. This is a contest you have to enter if you want to become a better writer.”

- Dan O’Donahue, The Magnesian Protocol (Robert Mark Kamen Round)

“If you are going to enter a screenwriting contest, then pick this one. In my opinion, this prize package is one of the very best in the industry.”

- Kari Ciardi, Alien Underground (Robert Mark Kamen Round)

“I wish everyone had the opportunity that I did and wish all of the future contestants the best of luck. Remember, being in the ‘top ten’ IS winning because the rest is up to you.”

- John Torma, Salmon Falls (Robert Mark Kamen Round)

Copy and past this link in your browser to read more testimonials: http://www.writersstore.com/industry-insider-contest-testimonials