The Student Short Screenplay Contest
Austin Film Festival 2002: October 11-17

Deadline for Submission: Postmarked by September 4, 2002

Students Short Sceenplay Competition 2002

Printable Entry Form | 2001 Winners

Rules and Entry Form

Cyberways and Waterways® has partnered with the Austin Film Festival for the second year to provide your students the opportunity to participate in a screenwriting contest. Student communication skills are critical, not only in meeting education requirements, but in achieving long-term career success. Because there was such a great reaction the first year, this year's contest is open nationwide. The contest is open now with a deadline date of September 4, 2002 and is open to all 7th through 12th graders. 

Format, length and content of submissions: Short Screenplays ("scripts") are to be written in standard U.S. motion picture industry format. For an example of what this looks like, see pages 75-87 of Syd Field's Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting (in bibliography below). 

Screenplays should not exceed 10 pages in length and should be written in 12 point Courier or New Courier type. Pages must be numbered and bound. The TITLE of the screenplay along with the author(s) and his/her name and address should appear on the title page. Scripts may be written by a single author or may be a collaborative effort but must be indicated on the application as such. Please include a list of all authors. Entries should be original works, neither based on another's life story nor adapted from another's work. 

Short Screenplay Competition Rules:

The Screenplay Competition is open only to students in 7th through 12th grades. Screenplays must belong to the writer/s and not be optioned or sold at the time of entry.  Screenplays must be the original work of the applicant(s). Neither the Festival nor its jurists investigates or attests to the authenticity or an applicant's statement of authorship or rights. If a submission involves two or more writers as applicants, the award will be divided equally among them.  You may submit more than one screenplay. We recommend that you register your screenplay with the Writers Guild of America and/or copyright your material with the Library of Congress.  (Writers Guild of America/West), 7000 W. 3rd, Los Angeles, CA 90048, phone 310.550.1000. 

Each submission must be accompanied by a signed and completed entry form including author(s)' original signature(s) (do not send a photocopy of your signature). Awards are based on overall merit of the entries. (Judges reserve the right not to grant an award.)  Scripts will not be returned. 

Judging Criteria:

Screenwriting is the process of telling a story for the movies, though it is a logical extension of traditional storytelling. Film is a uniquely collaborative effort, but it is the screenwriter's greatest responsibility to create and maintain the spirit and focus of the story. Short scripts will be judged on the writer's ability to: 

Invent a unique and compelling story. Does the writer engage the reader and carry the ideas through to the finish? Is the story focused? Develop strong characters. Are these characters the audience wants to watch?  Do they matter? Are they memorable? 

Create atmosphere. Does the story have a strong sense of place? Does the location serve as an appropriate background to the characters and their actions? 

Write dialogue.  Does each character have his/her own voice? Do they speak distinctly and economically? 

Plot. Does the writer build mystery or surprises, which keep the audience interested? Does the story have conflict, which drives it towards a satisfying conclusion? 

Who is judging the competition?  The Austin Film Festival is the first film festival to be dedicated to the screenwriter. For over eight years, the program has attracted the film industry's leading screenwriters and received thousands of screenplays in its annual screenplay competition. 

Judges are handpicked by the Austin Film Festival (AFF) and are industry professionals. Most judges will also judge the AFF's adult screenplay competition as well. 

Past judges include industry professionals from Gramercy Films, Columbia Pictures, Universal Studios, and October Films. 

Resource Materials

There are a number of books currently available that describe standard screenplay formatting. The following are some suggestions which teachers may find the most accessible to students: 

The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler (2nd edition, Paperback, November 1998, Michael Wiese Productions) 

Screenplay, The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field (3rd edition, Paperback, 1994, Dell Publishing) 
You Can Write a Movie by Pamela Wallace 
(Paperback, 2000, Writer's Digest Books) 

Anatomy of a Film by Bernard F. Dick (2nd edition, Paperback, 1990, St. Martin's Press) 

Scenario Magazine, The Magazine of Screenwriting Art 
[RC Publications 3200 Tower Oaks Blvd., Rockville, MD 20852 (800-222-2654)] 

Screenplay Writing Video Clips of Tips from Industry Professionals 

Online Examples

Screenplay formatting examples:
http://www3.oscars.org/nicholl/format.html 

Screenplay presentation recommendations: 
http://www3.oscars.org/nicholl/format2.html 

Bibliography of books and other screenwriting information: 
http://www3.oscars.org/nicholl/bibliography.html 

Film resources 
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com
http://www.ifilm.com/ 
http://www.cinemanow.com

Script resources 
http://scriptsales.com/
http://www.script-o-rama.com/
http://www.dailyscript.com