Screenwriting : Contests by D. Bright

can't hurt.

Don't know either, am asking myself the same question all the time.

See the article I recently had published on SImplyScripts on the subject of Comps - http://www.simplyscripts.com/2015/04/24/youve-finished-the-damned-script... Might prove useful.

Thanks Anthony. In how many contest over all have you spent how much money in subscribing fees?

Let me first say, enter the contest for fun, not as a career changing event. A few years back there was an interview article by one of the winners of a major contest. She made a big mistake. She said the year before she just moved to LA, her first job was as reader for this major contest. Her words were almost casual in that she wanted to write a screenplay because it seemed fun. She did and won the same contest the next year. Hence the interview. It was at this point "I" saw the light go off in my head and thought how "we" are taken advantage by many of these contests. If contests are such big help to your career, why are so many of the ones who have placed here? Now the same group will come on here and say Page and Nichols are great contests and not to slam them. If so, good enter them. These contests are big business and people other than the writers are making a good living on them. If they weren't there would be no contests, people don't do this for free. These people are not looking out for your better interest, they are out to make a living from your entrée fees. There are also wolves among the sheep. Contests routinely have people on this and other sites poo-hooing those that speak negative about contests. Especially if you use one by name.

@Elizabeth, probably something like $350-400 in entry fees so far.

Definitely helping, if they are legitimate and can lead to exposure or at least good coverage. It's harder to determine which are legit and will actually help you, so best to stick with the well known ones in my opinion.

Even though I may not win, the fact that someone read it is good enough because they can take it to someone that believes it is worth producing. So, yes, I do believe they help and just entered two today.

Doing well in them can also pay off in unexpected ways. You may or may not sell the script you entered, but if you love to write, others will take note of your success and might offer you other opportunities :-)

I don't know. I'm thinking that it all depends on who's reading the scripts. I find that with a lot of contests and pitch fests that the people overseeing things are not necessarily the decision makers or the people that can really get the ball rolling. So sometimes you can end up loosing hard earned money on a dead end contest or pitch.

Not trying to be discouraging. Just be watchful and smart about where you are investing your money.

There are so many screenwriting contests and software solutions, they cannot possibly all end up in contracts, prospects etc...I entered a screenwriting contest attached to a horror festival in London, I have not, as yet seen the winner made into a film. It was seven years ago. I am not suggesting they are a con, but I don't think they represent the opportunity they portend to be. There would have to be an analysis done as to the measurable extent winners of contests find the route to production for me to be 100% convinced by them and their power. The BBC Writers Room more or less admits in the submission guides for example that unsolicited script development is rare and they are looking really for new and promising talent. I think it is a far more realistic notion that a contest acts as talent filter.

If we include paper cuts, they're hurting. (I don't really get the question)