There are very few film screenplay competitions. I mean only screenplays and not projects; for the latter, there is already a production company, budget, shooting schedule, and an estimated technical crew. <\/p>\n
In some festivals, there are indeed awards for projects, such as Medina del Campo, Gij\u00f3n, Cinema Jove, Abycine, etc.<\/strong>, and there are also grants from both the ICAA and some Autonomous Communities. <\/p>\n In screenplay competitions<\/strong>, screenplay writing is awarded, and the author is directly supported. The aim is to help in the creation of a work from the very beginning, even before it becomes a project<\/strong> and starts seeking funding. <\/p>\n Screenplay competitions have always seemed very important to me, for several reasons:<\/p>\n In other countries, it is common for film festivals to have sections to award screenplays<\/strong>, for both short films and feature films. On the Filmfreeway<\/a> submission platform itself, there is a filter for this type of competition, which yields a result of 928 festivals with screenplay awards<\/a>. <\/p>\n I have been looking for these screenplay competitions in our country, as many of the ones I had noted no longer exist.<\/p>\n This is the result:<\/p>\n The Flori\u00e1n Rey Cultural Association<\/a> organizes this short film screenplay competition within the festival<\/strong>. Screenplays must have a maximum length of 20 pages. There are several cash prizes, with \u20ac500 for first place and \u20ac300 for second. There are also specific awards for Hispanic American, Aragonese, regional, and youth screenplays, up to 21 years old. <\/p>\n The submission deadline was January 25<\/strong>. The festival usually publishes the list of all submitted screenplays<\/a> on its website. <\/p>\n This is organized by the Faculty of Communication and the Master’s in Audiovisual Screenwriting at the University of Navarra<\/strong>. Screenplays must be between 6 and 10 pages long and are aimed at Master’s applicants, as the prize is a discount on tuition fees. <\/p>\n The submission period is now open, until April 30, 2017<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This competition is also linked to a training activity, as it is organized by the International Master’s in Digital Cinema<\/strong> at this center. The prize for this competition is the production of the short film through a production company, and the participation of the Master’s students. <\/p>\n The call for entries closed on January 15 of this year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It offers 10 cash prizes. There are awards for screenplays of 6 to 12 pages and for 5 pages. The maximum prize money is \u20ac400, or \u20ac700 in academic services from Ars-Media<\/a>, which organizes the competition together with Abcguionistas<\/a>. <\/p>\n The second edition was held last year, and the call for entries is not yet open. Last year, the deadline was July 8<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This is more of a project competition, but the screenplay is requested, so I have included it. According to previous years’ rules (new rules are pending publication), filming in Castell\u00f3n is mandatory, only in the locations designated by the Diputaci\u00f3n for each project. The prize consists of \u20ac700 to help with travel and living expenses during filming. <\/p>\n If the short film is not made, the prize must be returned, so it is more of a project award<\/strong>. You can follow the competition’s progress on the Facebook page<\/a>. <\/p>\n It has a prize of \u20ac25,000, making it the most important Feature Film Screenplay Award in our country. It has an Ibero-American scope, and you must be an SGAE member to participate. <\/p>\n Last year, the deadline was August 8, and the call for entries opened on June 20.<\/strong><\/p>\n It is organized by the Valencian Film Writers Association<\/strong> and was recently launched. It has a prize of \u20ac2,000. The submission period opens on March 20 and closes on April 21<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Dismal<\/strong><\/p>\n Of the 6 short film screenplay competitions<\/strong>, only Fescila<\/strong> and Abcguionistas<\/strong> could be considered, as the rest have many restrictions, are aimed at project realization, or are linked to Master’s tuition, as in the case of the University of Navarra<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n
#1 Fescila La Almunia Screenplay Competition<\/a><\/h2>\n
#2 University of Navarra Short Film Screenplay Competition<\/a><\/h2>\n
#3 International Center of Photography – EFTI Short Film Screenplay Competition<\/a><\/h2>\n
#4 Abcguionistas International Short Film Screenplay Competition<\/a><\/h2>\n
#5 Cortometrando Festival Screenplay Competition of the Diputaci\u00f3n de Castell\u00f3n<\/a><\/h2>\n
#6 SGAE Julio Alejandro Feature Film Screenplay Award<\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n
#7 La Traca Comedy Feature Film Screenplay Competition<\/a><\/h2>\n
This concludes the screenplay competitions.<\/strong><\/h3>\n