2023 SCRIPT COMPETITIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR ENTRY!

If you would like to submit more than one script, you will need to submit a separate online form (below), entry fee, and PDF for each.

FEATURE SCREENPLAY COMPETITIONS

Deadlines & Pricing:

Early: March 23 – $55
Regular: April 18 – $65
Late: May 25 – $85

Drama Feature Screenplay
The category is open but not limited to feature drama scripts in genres such as historical, western, family, romance, horror, thriller, etc.

Comedy Feature Screenplay
The category is open but not limited to feature comedy scripts in genres such as dark comedy, satire, family, animation, slapstick, horror, etc.

TELEPLAY COMPETITIONS

Deadlines & Pricing:

Early: March 23 – $45
Regular: April 18 – $55
Late: May 25 – $65

*no bibles or treatments will be accepted.

Drama Teleplay Pilot
Open to any pilot script written in the one-hour or half-hour format for an original drama television series.

Comedy Teleplay Pilot
Open to any pilot script written in the half-hour or one-hour format for an original comedy television series.

Drama Teleplay Spec
Open to any spec script for a current drama television show in the one-hour or half-hour format.

Comedy Teleplay Spec
Open to any spec script for a current comedy television show in the half-hour or one-hour format.

SHORT SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

Deadlines & Pricing:

Early: March 23 – $45
Regular: April 18 – $55
Late: May 25 – $65

Open to any narrative short script in all genres 5 to 40 pages in length.

SCRIPTED DIGITAL SERIES COMPETITION

Deadlines & Pricing:

Early: March 23 – $45
Regular: April 18 – $50
Late: May 25 – $55
Extended: July 7 – $65

Open to short-form episodic scripts intended for the web. Writers can submit 1-3 episodes of their series totaling no more than 30 pages.

PLAYWRITING COMPETITION

Deadlines & Pricing:

Early: March 23 – $25
Regular: April 18 – $25
Late: May 25 – $35

Open to full-length stage plays 60-90 pages or that could reasonably be performed within 90 minutes on stage.

FICTION PODCAST AWARD 

Deadlines & Pricing:

Early: March 23 – $40
Regular: April 18 – $45
Late: May 25 – $45
Extended: July 7 – $50

Writers can submit up to three episodes 3-30 pages in length of their series with the overall content of the story not going longer than 90 pages. Writers should also include a series outline, detailing the events of the remaining episodes in the series.  The winner will have Voyage Media produce a podcast, and two finalists will get development assistance and mentorship by Voyage Media.

ADDITIONAL AWARD AND FELLOWSHIP CATEGORIES

Additional Awards and Fellowship categories require an additional $25 entry fee per award and may not be applicable to all categories listed above. If you have already submitted and would like to add one of the following additional awards to your existing entry, please email us at screenplay@austinfilmfestival.com and include your Submission ID (found in your confirmation email).

Horror Award Presented by Vertigo
The Horror Award is open to any feature horror script including dark suspense, thriller, sci-fi, and macabre themes.

*This award can be added to the following category submissions: Drama Feature Screenplay, Comedy Feature Screenplay 

Sci-Fi Award
Open to science fiction, fantasy, horror, surrealism, myth/legend, and fantastical storytelling.

*This award can be added to the following category submissions: Drama Feature Screenplay, Comedy Feature Screenplay 

 

Enderby Entertainment Award
The Enderby Entertainment Award category is open to feature scripts in all genres with an original concept and distinctive voice that can be independently produced for under $10 million. Co-founded by Rick Dugdale and Daniel Petrie, Jr. (Beverly Hills Cop, The Big Easy), the production company acquired the 2008 AFF Finalist script Stranded (now titled Dawn Patrol) which premiered at the 2014 Festival starring Scott Eastwood and Rita Wilson.

*This award can be added to the following category submissions: Drama Feature Screenplay, Comedy Feature Screenplay

 

Josephson Entertainment Screenwriting Fellowship

Acclaimed producer Barry Josephson has been a longtime supporter of AFF since the very first festival in 1994 when he optioned the winning script from the Screenplay Competition. For the fifth year, Barry will present the “Josephson Entertainment Screenwriting Fellowship” which will provide a one-on-one mentorship for the writers of two scripts – one feature script and one teleplay pilot – selected from the Final Round of the 2023 Screenplay Competition. Finalists will be invited to apply and AFF will select the top writers for Josephson Entertainment to further review. The selected fellows will be announced and presented by Barry Josephson at the Awards Luncheon on October 28, 2023. Each fellow will be flown to LA to be mentored by Barry and take meetings with various executives from Josephson Entertainment to take their writing to the next level.

Entry Requirements:

• Must be entered in: Comedy or Drama Feature, or TV Pilot categories.
• Finalists in Feature and TV pilots categories are in consideration for this fellowship

 

The Rooster Teeth BIPOC Fellowship
The Rooster Teeth BIPOC Fellowship seeks scripts from underrepresented writers in the industry. While open to any genre, submissions should generally align with Rooster Teeth’s voice: an emphasis on comedy concepts that feature ordinary people in extraordinary situations, coming-of-age stories, or other engaging journeys of self-discovery.

The winner will receive a $2,500 prize and will be flown (travel-expenses covered) to Austin for a week-long mentorship with Rooster Teeth’s team. The winner will meet with Rooster Teeth executives and their development team.

*Note: This category is only open to writers who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). To submit to this category please select one of the options within the Demographics section in this form. Applicants from underrepresented communities are highly encouraged to apply.

 

The Rooster Teeth Women & Animation Fellowship
The Rooster Teeth Women & Animation Fellowship seeks scripts from women looking to enter into the field of animation. While open to any genre, animation scripts should generally align with Rooster Teeth’s voice: an emphasis on comedy concepts that feature ordinary people in extraordinary situations, coming-of-age stories, or other engaging journeys of self-discovery.

The winner will receive a $2,500 prize and will be flown (travel-expenses covered) to Austin for a week-long mentorship with Rooster Teeth’s team. The winner will meet with Rooster Teeth executives and their development team.

*Note: This category is only open to writers who identify as female. Applicants from underrepresented communities are highly encouraged to apply.

 

Conference Registration Discounts For Entrants

All entrants receive a discount on Conference Registration. Second Rounders and above receive greater discounts. If you register now and advance (notification letters sent through postal mail by mid-September), we’ll gladly refund you the difference.

REFUND POLICY:

Once an entry payment has been received we cannot provide a refund. If a payment is disputed by an entrant for any reason, the entrant may be subject to any transaction fees or similar amounts incurred by AFF in connection with the dispute. AFF reserves the right in its sole discretion to reject or disqualify any ineligible entries, without a refund.

Badge refund requests for the upcoming Austin Film Festival must be in writing and sent by U.S. first class mail or email to refunds@austinfilmfestival.com, postmarked by July 15, 2023. All refunds will incur a $75 processing fee. After July 15, 2023, all payments are non-refundable for any reason, including but not limited to illness, acts of God, or travel-related problems. All merchandise, Badge add-ons, Film & Food tickets, Film Passes, Competitions entries, Virtual Summer Film Program classes, membership, individual film tickets, special events, AFF Presents, Virtual Badges, or Conversation in Film purchases are non-refundable for any reason.

In the event that Austin Film Festival has to cancel our physical event, Badge and Film Pass Holders (only applicable to live event purchases) will have the following options:

• A full refund of your 2023 Badge or Film Pass
• Apply the purchase price of your registration towards our virtual experience if applicable* (Depending on original purchase price, you may owe additional funds for your Virtual transfer)
• Transfer your registration to 2024’s Austin Film Festival Live event (dates TBD)
• Support our organization by donating the price of your Badge or Pass to our organization as we continue to support the writing community! Austin Film Festival is a year-round 501(c)(3)non-profit organization.

Badges are non-transferable and are the property of Austin Film Festival, Inc.

Refunds will be issued either via the original method of payment or other method approved by Austin Film Festival, if such original method is not available. AFF does not refund unused credentials. Unused credentials cannot be credited for future year’s attendance.

Badge and Film Pass privileges may be revoked at any time for any reason without liability to Austin Film Festival. You hereby release and hold harmless Austin Film Festival, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, successors, assigns, and licensees, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims resulting in attendance of an Austin Film Festival, Inc. event.

Special events may require purchase of a separate ticket for entry. If you have any questions about the Festival, your membership, Badge, or Film Pass purchase, please contact info@austinfilmfestival.com or call 1-800-FEST (3378).

Please take a look at the complete Store Policies for more refund and health & safety details.

Payments are accepted through PayPal by account transfer or credit/debit card. Submissions are not complete until payment is made. Once an entry payment has been processed we cannot provide a refund. If a payment is disputed, the account holder may be subject to any fees.

Step 1: To start off, fill out the required fields in the “Information about you” and Address Information” section.

Step 2: In “Screenplay Information” put your script title, and name of the writer (if they are more than one writer, please click the “+ Add Writer” button and fill out their name and email.

Step 3: Next is the “Survey” – we have certain awards that apply to certain demographics, so we ask that you fill out the survey to the best of your ability.

Step 4: In “Screenplay and Teleplay Categories” this is where you will choose the category your script is in as well as awards that have populated based on your answers in the “Survey” section. This is also where you will have the option to purchase add-ons such as Badges, Film & Food, Pitch Tickets, and/or Awards Luncheon Tickets.

Step 5: You will see the total fee amount next.

Step 6: The next section is “Upload Screenplay file in a PDF format” your PDF file must be 5MB or below. If it is over, you can compress the file in Adobe. This is also where you opt-in to receive reader comments, there is a check box below if you would like to receive them and they are free.

Step 7: The “Competition Certification” is next, please read and review them before initialing. The “Refund Policy” is last, please read and review them as well.

Step 8: Double Check Info to ensure that everything is correct and then scroll on the actual form to show the submit button. (This will be at the bottom of the submit form and not the website page) Make sure your pop-up blockers are off in your browser to ensure that the pay window shows.

On Chrome

Step 1: Go to the menu at the top of your chrome window (right side), “click settings”, then go to “privacy and security”, then “site settings”

Step 2: Continue you by going to “pop-ups and redirects” and then finally click “sites can send pop-ups and use redirects”

Step 3: Go back to the form to finish and submit.

Step 4: Once you hit submit, the PayPal window should populate. If you do not have an account, it is okay to submit as a guest. Just hit “pay with a debit or credit card”

Step 5: Once you submit your PayPal, you will receive a confirmation email, as well as a submission confirmation. The submission email can take up to five days to receive.

If you are still having any issues with submitting, please contact us at 512-478-4795 or scriptdirector@austinfilmfestival.com