I had a friend tell me recently that in order to submit to screenplay fests/contests that I should read the rules and taylor my script to each and every one individually. I have never heard of such an endeavor and I really kind of hope that's not what people expect because seriously what if I wanted to enter 50? That's a lot of editing! It's a daunting thought.
Screenwriting : Okay so screenplay fests by G.R. Barnett
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You can apply a lesser version of what your friend said. For example, some contests have categories and others do not. Certain genres tend to score lower in general. If you've written something in one of those genres, it is better for you to enter a contest with categories. There are other things you can do after you research the contest details to slightly tip the scales in your favor. Really, you don't have to tailor your script to a contest's rubric so much, and create different versions. But you can think strategically and know what contest is best for what script based on its details.
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The leading contests will in most cases ask you to specify the genre or genres of your script, but only a few contests require certain subject matter (political engagement, for example) or genre (there are a fair number of horror-only competitions). Nearly all prefer scripts with a maximum of 120-125 pages. So read the guidelines. If you're trying to figure out the odds that the subject of your screenplay will float to the top of a competition, check if they post information on the prior year's winners with title/logline (Blue Cat does this, the Nicholl did but seems to have stopped). Bottom line: it's a foolish exercise to attempt to rewrite a script for specific competitions. Maybe your friend simply meant that you should read the rules to make sure your script fits the guidelines -- those guidelines in nearly all cases are not focused on story, but on technical issues like length and format (nearly all require standard screenplay format), and info -- or lack of it -- on title page.
120 - 125 pages. At least it's a number to shoot for! Great topic, I've been looking at all of the different contests too.
I agree with Jason. In fact I checked the guidelines for the festival Script Pipeline, and they accept all genres. I would agree with your friend if they were talking about the world of publishing prose manuscripts. That world is more strict for what is expected from authors submitting manuscripts.