Is anybody else disillusioned with contest wins for their scripts! Over the past year I have seen so many people win so many contests, but their scripts still remain unsold years later. And I'm talking big wins in big contests. This one lady must have had at least 20 different finalist and winner badges in her posts, but no sale. I am starting to think there are 2 different kinds of scripts out there, the ones that win at contests, and the ones that are actually sold.
Introduce Yourself : Contest wins by DAvid Rorie
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I've spent the last two years on the contest circuit. My script I DON'T KNOW won or placed in about 75, and the others probably added another 40 accolades to the list. Most of the "awards" were laurels (golly!) and being listed on their website, which is to say, basically, bragging rights. I think two of them had a small cash prize, and a few of them interviewed me online or performed excerpts from the script on Zoom (in most cases, badly). But...amount of additional reads from producers, agents or anyone who could help move things forward? Zero. Amount of connections with anyone I've made from them? Zero. Amount of people who I managed to persuade to read the scripts based on all these accolades? Zero.
The long and short of it is that there are MAYBE five contests that will impress anyone of any import to a degree that moves the football forward. The rest are just noise.
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Script contests can be worth it if you get written feedback or prize money. Don't expect them to mean anything to producers or potential buyers. From what I've heard, the only contests that carry any clout are the Nichols, Austin, and maybe Sundance. I wouldn't tell people NOT to enter, but go in with your eyes open and expectations in check.
I'm afraid to even ask how much you spent on all of that. In 2021 the Austin Film Festival had 14,648 script entries. Averaging $65 per entry gives them $952,120 ! Cant they at least make these prizes like $10,000 for the winner! I may not know the way into this business, but don't think contest winning is it.
Yeah, the fees added up to a lot. I got a decent chunk of it back in tax returns, but still, quite a poor return on investment. If I could do it all over again, I'd be far more discriminating. A sheer amount of contest wins won't impress anyone. You have to win the right ones. And there are almost no right ones.
Forget contests. Take that money and shoot something, use it as a calling card.