Part X: Conquering the Contest Season

 There are as many opinions about the benefit of contests as there are contests itself, and there are literally hundreds of screenwriting contests (approx. 3500) available every year. Only a handful are truly worth your time, energy and money, and deciding which ones are worth entering is purely subjective, but the following is MY process that I’ll share:

1) Determine your budget. This year, mine was set at $500, because I felt I had a strong entry. Last year, I was writing it, so I didn’t enter any. In essence, it was $250 for each year.  

2) Sign up for Moviebytes.com. I’m a paid member and it is a very helpful and informative site and service. They list most major contests, and offer ways to easily enter and track your entries.

3) Investigate each contest, including user reviews. User reviews are very enlightening, I assure you. Keep in mind, though, that people who do well in these contests, feel better about them than those who did not make it out of the first round. Look for a review from someone who admits not having done well in it, but wants to try again, as well the person who did well, but didn't like the experience.

4) Determine what the prizes are and if that is what you are looking for. There's nothing wrong with making a little cash with your writing. For me, money, recognition and exposure were my goals. I am less concerned about the dreadful "table reads" or "free airfare" to someone’s seminar in Cabazon, CA. I'm not even interested in getting into a "writer's room" or getting an agent. It's going to take far more than winning a contest to get those rewards.

5) Calendar EARLY BIRD DEADLINES. You can save significantly if you enter early, and the judging is the same. They won't "save" better grades on scripts for the later crowds, as each script is judged on its own merit.

6) Spend any extra money on feedback. Not for all contests, but only those with a reputable service. It might double the entry fee, or more, but in most cases, it is well worth it. My very first feedback, years ago, was from Script Pipeline (Script P.I.M.P. as it was known then). The script was awful, but the reviews made it sound like it had, and I had, potential. This was extremely important to me, because, like many others, I felt vulnerable when submitting my life’s dream- my first completed screenplay- up for ridicule or judgment. The feedback was spot-on, extremely informative, but more importantly, highly positive in tone. This was a major reason for my delving into another script, and another, and so on.

7) Read, accept and learn from the feedbacks, but do not dwell on them. Take the review to heart, because, if it’s factually correct, it comes from a good place. Make an effort to make the improvements/corrections as pointed out in the feedback. Also understand not everyone is going to like it, and not everyone is going to hate it. Chances are that the reader probably knows a bit more than you, especially in the bigger, more prestigious contests.

8) Read all of the contest rules. Some REQUIRE cover pages with info; some others PROHIBIT them. DO NOT get caught with your contact info anywhere on the script or you’ll be disqualified.

9) Get confirmation on your entry, and save it. I spent $50.00 on one entry fee, and never saw my name mentioned anywhere in the quarters, semis or finals. I never heard back from the contest, like "Better luck next year!" I contacted them, and they insisted I hadn't even entered. Fortunately, I kept the entry receipt. Even then, it took close to six months to get reimbursed. You think I entered that contest again? Which leads me to...

10) Document your script entries. If you don’t use a contest entry program, create an Excel spreadsheet, and document script, contest name, date of submission, cost, fee for feedbacks, date of finals and any other pertinent information. By the way, contest entries with feedback are tax deductible as a business expense (refer to your tax professional for details).

 Next Monday; Which contests are career-changers, and which are just cash-grabs!

WRITER'S BIO: Mr. Scala spent 22-plus years in the Hollywood community, and was the Executive Director for the 72nd Annual Academy Awards, as well as The Soul Train Awards, The Grammys, The Blockbuster Video Awards Show and The Saturn Award Show. 

His company is currently working on their thirty-ninth (39) novel-to-screenplay adaptation for clients, and he counts many celebrities and household names among his vast clientele. His TV project, "Bad Priest", is in development with a cable network, where one executive said the following: "This pilot is compelling and clear and offers just enough to tease us with where these stories and characters might go. It begs for a full season..."

Today, he and his writing team are actively working on several ghostwriting projects for his celebrity clientele as well, including the adapting the novel "Making Broken Beautiful" by Pamela Millican-Hartnoll; a tragic story of excessive abuse and redemptive success; and biopics of early rock pioneer Jimmie F. Rodgers and iconic folk star Harry Chapin- all while continuing to mentor new writers and self-published authors.

Geno has two screenplays produced into feature films; "Assassin 33 A.D." and "The Tombs". Both are currently available on Amazon Prime.