Past finalists and winners have signed with literary managers and secured shopping agreements for their scripts! So whether you have a family-friendly animated movie or an adult-oriented animated series, our animation judges are seeking great scripts with fresh voices.

REMIND ME

Contest opens on Apr 30, 2023

Current Season Announcements

Aug 31

Quarterfinalist

Oct 5

Semifinalist

Nov 2

Finalist

Nov 30

Winner

Accepting TV, Feature, and Short Scripts

Animation opens up a world of imagination and allows us to explore stories in unique ways. So whether you’re writing a family-friendly animated movie or an adult-oriented animated series, our jury is ready to read great material with fresh voices!

This year's jury features industry professionals from the companies and clients behind: FAMILY GUY, STAR WARS: REBELS, BOB'S BURGERS, PHINEAS AND FERB, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, ABOMINABLE, OVER THE MOON, and more.

ScreenCraft's industry relationships with top animation companies have helped generate meetings for writers with Pixar, Disney Animation Studios, Fox Animation, Rooster Teeth, and Titmouse to name a few. More importantly, it's led to over 275 career changing success stories for writers ready to take their career to the next level.

Jury

Get in front of Hollywood judges who love great animation.

Justin Littman

Literary Manager, Gotham Group

Justin is a literary manager at Gotham Group, a management and production company that has produced major award-winning animated films THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, CORALINE and more.

Sam Hoffman

Creative Executive, Fuzzy Door

Sam Hoffman is the creative executive for Fuzzy Door, Seth MacFarlane’s production company behind iconic animated series FAMILY GUY and AMERICAN DAD.

Mitchell Bendersky

Literary Manager, Gramercy Park Entertainment

Mitchell Bendersky is a literary manager for Gramercy Park Entertainment, a management company whose writers have written on successful animated movies such as ABOMINABLE and OVER THE MOON.

Nadya Panfilov

Coordinator - Writ Large

Nadya Panfilov works in development and management for Writ Large, whose roster of writers + directors have worked on major animation projects like Bob’s Burgers, Star Wars: Rebels, Central Park, and Duck Tales.

Edward Mejia

Executive Director of Current Series, Disney Television Animation

Edward Mejia is Executive Director of Current Series for Disney TV Animation where he oversees multiple shows for Disney Channels and Disney+, including the Emmy Award-winning MICKEY MOUSE cartoons, the critically acclaimed DUCKTALES reboot, and the upcoming MONSTERS AT WORK series. Disney+ is also home to some of the top animations like GRAVITY FALLS, PHINEAS AND FERB and PROUD FAMILY: LOUDER AND PROUDER.

Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin

Screenwriters, MULAN

Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin are writing partners who have been friends since high school. They love stories about fierce women. They co-wrote Disney’s live-action Mulan. They are currently working on a biopic about computer pioneer Grace Hopper, as well as writing Spellbound for Skydance Animation, directed by Vicky Jenson, music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Currently, Lauren co-chairs the Committee of Women Writers at the WGAW. They are repped by APA, Anvil Entertainment, and Kleinberg, Lange, Cuddy & Carlo.

Prizes

Jump start your career.

Grand Prize Winner

The overall grand prize winner in either feature, TV or short category will be welcomed to the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program and receive personal introductions and phone calls with one or more top industry professionals who are looking for talented emerging Film & TV screenwriters.

The top 3 winners’ project info and log lines will be extensively circulated and recommended to Screencraft's genre specific relationships at top animation companies, as well as to our network of over 150 other Hollywood managers, agents, producers, and development executives.

ScreenCraft has a proven track record for getting writers signed with managers, agents, and staffed in writing rooms.

  • Personal Introduction to industry professionals

  • Accepted into the ScreenCraft Writer Development Program

  • $1,000 cash

  • An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

Runner-Up Prizes

Feature Winner

$500 cash award

Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

Pilot Winner

$500 cash award

Accepted into ScreenCraft Development Program

An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

Short Winner

$500 cash award

An exclusive invitation to a Finalist+ workshop to position yourself and your writing to the industry

Finalist Benefits

All finalist scripts will be shared with these executives.
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REMIND ME

Contest opens on Apr 30, 2023

Previous Successes

Placing in a ScreenCraft competition can launch your career. See More Successes

As Featured in

New Add-on Prize Opportunity

Option Prize with Story Warrior

ScreenCraft is excited to present this optional add-on prize category that will grant one eligible writer/writing team the opportunity to receive an option from Story Warrior. This will be an invaluable opportunity to learn, develop, and strengthen your project with guidance from industry Producers. This unique add-on benefit is separate from the ScreenCraft Animation Competition prizes and placements.

Story Warrior

Amy Taylor is a partner at Story Warrior, a production company focusing on high concept kids animation content with an emphasis on rich character development. Story Warrior has a vast network of capital partners they work with. The team's past projects include movies like HOLES, DESIGNED WITH LOVE, and more. They are currently working with production companies to find the next IP like Lord of the Rings or Ducktales.

Only projects submitted to the ScreenCraft Animation Competition AND that select this add-on are eligible for consideration in this category. Additionally, all projects that place in the Top 10 of the competition will automatically be considered.

Animation Articles

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Rules and Eligibility

  • Rules
  • Eligibility
  • Selection Criteria
  • Additional Legal
  1. Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only.
  2. Entry fees are as listed on the site and checkout form. No coupon or discount is applicable on a previous entry.
  3. Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback can be done through Coverfly.
  4. Entries may be any length --  the standard 1/2 hour is between 20 - 40 pages, and the standard hour long is between 40 - 70 pages, and the standard feature is between 85 - 120 pages. Any script submission longer than 120 pages will incur a $.50 per page overage fee for each page over 120 if it does not include feedback and $1 per page if the entry does include feedback.
  5. There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.
  6. Entries must be received on or before the deadline dates by 11:59PM Pacific Time, and submission fee payment must be made in full at time of the submission. All entry fees are non-refundable.
  7. All submitted material must be owned by the writer(s), however the material may be based on other works not owned by the writers.
  8. Material must be submitted by the writer. Material written by writing teams must be submitted by one of the writers, with consent of the other(s).
  9. If a writing team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given to the person who submits the project. Each team is responsible for dividing or sharing any prizes awarded as they deem fair (whether there is a cash value or not).
  10. Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed for a limited time with a $6 reentry fee through Coverfly. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting.
  11. It is recommended that original material be registered with the WGA or The Library of Congress before submitting to any competition, however we do not require registration.
  12. Contact info may be included on the cover page of the screenplay, however it is not required. ScreenCraft uses Coverfly to manage submissions and automatically removes cover pages before scripts are read by the judges.
  13. ScreenCraft claims no ownership nor option on your work. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.
  14. The decision of the judges will be final and cannot be contested in any manner. There is no score on a scorecard that guarantees advancement to the next level as advancement will be based on all scores in the competition.
  15. ScreenCraft reserves the right to change deadline and announcement dates at any time.
  16. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.
  1. All writers at least 18 years of age are eligible. However, a writer who has earned more than $50,000 (or equivalent currency) from professional writing services for film or TV in the preceding 12 months or $500,000 (or equivalent currency) from professional film or TV in the proceeding 10 years is not eligible. (Contest winnings not included.)
  2. All persons from anywhere in the world are eligible; however the material submitted must be in English (occasional dialogue in other languages is acceptable, if subtitle translation is provided).
  3. All material submitted to other competitions or contests are eligible for this contest.
  4. The material may have been written at any time.
  5. Material should be submitted in standard screenplay format, font, spacing and margin.
  6. We have no preferences regarding title page content. Title and name of writer would suffice.
  7. All material must be submitted electronically as a PDF. Broken files or non-PDF files may be accepted, but if the file cannot be read ScreenCraft will not judge the submission.
  8. ScreenCraft reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.
  9. Prize winners may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and proper tax documentation before prizes are released.
  10. By entering the competition, user acknowledges their eligibility for the competition. ScreenCraft will verify all eligibility requirements at the finalist stage of the competition and before distributing any prizes.
  11. Scripts or projects based on underlying material not owned by the writer are accepted as samples, so long as the script itself is indisputably written by the writer and that the script does not contain any plagiarism.

Selection Criteria:

The reading and judging of the scripts will be based on the following criteria:

  • Voice
  • Concept
  • Story
  • Structure
  • Characters
  • Dialogues
  • Genre Conventions

In addition to the scoring criteria for the script, ScreenCraft may conduct interviews and send questionnaires to learn more about the entrant, their voice, perspective, and goals to help identify the winning projects. Selected Finalist scripts are read by the industry jury who votes for their favorite scripts at their sole discretion.

ScreenCraft Add-on Prize Selection:

  1. Only writers who submit to the competition and include this add-on at the time of entry, or who place in the top 10 are eligible to be considered for this prize opportunity.
  2. The winner of this prize will be selected solely by the specified industry professional. The selected winner of this prize will engage with the specified industry professional in an educational development capacity.
  3. Being selected as the winner of this prize does not constitute or guarantee representation by the industry professional or the company they work for.
  4. The approach and manner in which the industry professional and winner interact is at their discretion. ScreenCraft will have no involvement in the process beyond facilitating an introduction.

Criteria for Winners and Finalists:

  1. The winners and top finalists may be contacted by interested industry representatives, such as managers, agents or producers.
  2. Entrants may be required to submit further information to assist in the judges’ verification of eligibility.
  3. Any entrant may be deemed ineligible as a Finalist or Winner at the sole discretion of ScreenCraft.
  4. All recognition, placements, and winners are chosen at the sole discretion of ScreenCraft.
  5. Finalists may be required to sign and return within seven (7) business days of receipt a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and a Release and Indemnification and proof of valid passport and any other documents that ScreenCraft or any other partner may require before receiving prize payment. Failure to respond to the initial notification within ten (10) days or return of notification will result in disqualification.
  6. We reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.
  1. COPYRIGHT AND OWNERSHIP: ScreenCraft or any other partner, employee or agent associated with this contest claims no ownership nor first right of option to any original screenplay submitted to this contest. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders until and unless other agreements are made.
  2. PUBLICITY: Except where prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes each entrant’s consent to ScreenCraft and its agents’ and contest sponsor’s use of entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs, and/or personal information for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. All uses of entrants' information are in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
  3. REFUND POLICY: All entries are non-refundable.
  4. SITE TERMS OF SERVICE. All ScreenCraft Terms of Service apply in addition to these rules and eligibility criteria.
  5. DATA MANAGEMENT AND PRIVACY. Entries for this competition are managed on the submission platform Coverfly, and ScreenCraft (a d/b/a of Red Ampersand, Inc) uses other data management tools, including but not limited to, Google Services and Amazon Web Services, to securely manage your data. ScreenCraft is not accountable for any data hacks (internal or external) or user errors that may release scripts or writer data unintentionally.
  6. ENTRY CONDITIONS AND RELEASE: BY ENTERING THE CONTEST YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS. You agree to release, indemnify and hold harmless ScreenCraft, ScreenCraft.org, its subsidiary, parent and affiliated companies, Prize contributors, judges, screenplay readers, Sponsors, and any other organizations responsible for administering, advertising or promoting the Contest, and every one of their respective members, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) past and present from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to damages and negligence to property and persons, including but not limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, copyright, infringement of trademark or other intellectual property rights relating to a participant’s Entry, participation in the Contest and/or acceptance or use or misuse of Prize; provided however, that such release will not apply to any commercial exploitation of the script by a Released Party in violation of your rights under applicable copyright law; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the ScreenCraft.org and its Sponsor, agents and employees from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys fees) relating to an entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s use or misuse of Prize. Employees of ScreenCraft and their immediate families are ineligible to participate in this contest. Any such submission will be immediately disqualified. ENTRY TO THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED or restricted by any Federal, State or Local law. Voided entries will be refunded. Recipients’ eligibility will be verified before the grant is awarded and the winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility. By entering the contest, you authorize us to use any trusted third-party online and cloud-based services and databases for hosting, managing and/or transmitting your submission file(s). The governing law is California.

Scripts We Love

Simply a few of our favorite animated scripts for inspiration.

Other Open Competitions