Prizes
Every month, we’ll name one winner and two finalists. The writers who garner these honors each month will get prizes designed to help them forward their careers and get attention for their work. Prizes have been generously furnished by our sponsors, Talentville, Virtual Pitch Fest, Script Pipeline, WeScreenplay, and The Hollywood Pitching Bible.
The Monthly Winner receives:
- 6-month Citizen Membership to Talentville.com. Talentville is an online community specifically created to give a voice to screenwriters everywhere. Citizens can upload unlimited scripts for review by highly rated reviewers and are eligible for monthly prizes and awards.
- One free entry to the Script Pipeline contest of your choice. Script Pipeline has a fellowship program, a screenplay competition, a TV pilot competition, and more. They run some of the most respected competitions in the industry.
- 5 Pitch Package from Virtual Pitch Fest. Use your polished logline to pitch 5 industry professionals online with a guaranteed response in five days or less.
- A Basic Script Coverage Package from WeScreenplay. Five pages of detailed notes on your characters, plot, dialogue, and structure from a professional reader. Get coverage on a current script or save it for later.
- A copy of The Hollywood Pitching Bible, written by producer Ken Aguado and screenwriter Doug Eboch (Sweet Home Alabama).
- Free Polish of your Logline. Done by Angela Bourassa, founder of LA Screenwriter.
- Promotion on LA Screenwriter. We’ll write a post about you and your script (along with the two finalists) and feature it on LA Screenwriter. You’ll also be listed on this page as a past winner, and we’ll tweet your name and logline to our 24K+ Twitter followers, a large number of whom are Hollywood professionals.
Two Monthly Finalists receive:
- 6-month Preferred Membership to Talentville.com. Preferred members can upload up to three scripts for review by other writers and are eligible for all monthly honors.
- Free Polish of your Logline. Done by Angela Bourassa, founder of LA Screenwriter.
- Promotion on LA Screenwriter. We’ll write a post about you and your script (along with the winner and other finalist) and feature it on LA Screenwriter. You’ll also be listed on this page as a past finalist, and we’ll tweet your name and logline to our 24K+ Twitter followers.
Past Winners
July 2017
Winner: Matthew Barker ([email protected] – matthewbarker.com.au – Facebook – Twitter) with his logline for ASSASSIN QUEEN, an action adventure: Elizabeth I, warrior queen and deadly assassin, plots to murder her former lover — the new king of France — before he can send his undead army to England for her head.
Finalist: Malayeshia Hubbard ([email protected] – @malayeshiaah) with her logline for THE MOURNING AFTER, a dark comedy: Two bored suburbanite neighbors in an ongoing affair scramble to come up with an alibi that won’t lead to divorce for one and jail time for the other following the accidental murder of the woman’s husband.
Finalist: Jacob Appel ([email protected]) with his logline for MISSING, an anthology series: Recently released from prison after getting his murder conviction overturned, a struggling and highly aggressive LA detective finally lands a missing persons case: the lawyer who prosecuted him.
June 2017
Winner: Meg Leader ([email protected] – LinkedIn) with her logline for JOAN, a sci-fi: After a head injury, a heartless corporate mercenary fighting on a colony world starts to hear the voice of the natives’ god, and she transforms into an idealistic insurgent determined to liberate this remote planet.
Finalist: Charles Bensinger (peopleofthechange.com – Facebook) with his logline for BEYOND FIRE, a sci-fi: Upon escaping from Area 51, a brazen human/alien hybrid hurries to release an interstellar clean energy system to the masses before alien and corporate enemies hunt him down.
Finalist: Malayeshia Hubbard ([email protected] – @malayeshiaah) with her logline for FAVORITE PERSON, a romantic dramedy: Unemployed after a failed suicide attempt, a hollow woman struggles to regain her old life, but a meddling one night stand shows her what it might be like to start over.
May 2017
Winner: Erik V Wolter (IMDb – www.loyaltyontrial.com – www.breakthestagethemovie.com) & Steve Shear (steveshear.net – Facebook) with their logline for THE TRIALS OF ADRIAN WHEELER, a drama: After losing his arm and brother in Iraq, a kindhearted Marine battling PTSD and the wrath of his bully father stands trial for the murder of Iraqi women and children in a bloodbath he can’t remember.
Finalist: Brian Bennett ([email protected] – bennettland.com – @bkbennett) with his logline for ESCAPE 2120, a sci-fi: A detached orphan teen escapes to the future in suspended animation, but when he arrives at a natural utopia, he must evade a lynch mob convinced that he’s the prophesied Devil’s Child.
Finalist: Charles Bensinger ([email protected] – peopleofthechange.com – Facebook) with his logline for RADICAL OPTION, a sci-fi: Anticipating the collapse of global agriculture, a fearless biologist spearheading a radical human photosynthesis project finds herself targeted for elimination by ruthless corporate power-brokers intent on seizing control of the breakthrough secrets.
April 2017
Winner: Mitchell Gray ([email protected]) with his logline for FULL MOON PARTY, a comedy: After his heartbreak goes viral, a neurotic philosophy student travels to Thailand where his cowardly decision to abandon a brilliant new soulmate prompts a mad dash to reunite before she leaves the country.
Finalist: Nicole Newby ([email protected] – @imaginemagic89 –magicinkstudios2016.com) with her logline for THE BOOK GUARDIANS, an hour fantasy pilot: After discovering their mother is alive and trapped in a magical library in NYC, two outcast teenagers follow the clues inside a treacherous storybook world to find the power-hungry villain who holds her captive.
Finalist: Linda Hullinger ([email protected]) with her logline for HER SOUL INTENTION, a supernatural comedy: With a borrowed comatose body and the help of a guilt-ridden musician, a mischievous ten-year-old soul is given three days on Earth to prevent her mother from marrying the wrong man.
March 2017
Winner: Sara Barry ([email protected] – @sarabrry – www.sarabarry.net) with her logline for AMERICAN MUSLIM, a half hour dark comedy pilot: In the wake of her husband’s sudden death, an American convert to Islam juggles religious duties, overbearing Muslim in-laws, and post-9/11 prejudices as she struggles to provide for her four children in busy Manhattan.
Finalist: Hilary Burgoon ([email protected] – @theREALHilB) with her logline for SIGHT, a drama: When an aging machinist’s vision loss forces him to rely on a troubled teenage neighbor, his estranged daughter threatens their unlikely but crucial friendship by revealing a history of emotional abuse.
Finalist: Bruce Lamb with his logline for GINGERBREAD HOUSE, a fantasy comedy: When a vengeful witch takes the penis of an ambitious but talentless ventriloquist, he and his impish puppet outwit talking animals, a devil, and the enchantress herself to recover the errant member.
February 2017
Winner: Terri Viani (Instagram) with her logline for HOT FLASH!, a half hour dramedy pilot: A seasoned soap opera actress scrambles to keep her tidy life together after she agrees to star in her ex-husband’s web series about a menopausal superhero named Hot Flash! and the show becomes a hit.
Finalist: Stephen Readey ([email protected]) with his logline for THE PRICE OF PROGRESS, a drama: The true story of a Jarawa boy who leads his tribe out of 60,000 years of seclusion only to reject modern society, ultimately returning to nature and saving his entire tribe from the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004.
Finalist: Shani Moore Weatherby (@Hear_Shani) with her logline for BEHIND THE RED CURTAIN, an hour pilot: A controversial pick due to her views and youth, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court teams with her clerks to fight for justice — but a closely-held secret threatens to rob her of her robe.
January 2017
Winner: Erik V Wolter (IMDb – www.loyaltyontrial.com – www.breakthestagethemovie.com) with his logline for Footsteps of My Father, a war drama: When a German immigrant faces deportation for alleged Nazi ties during World War II, his combative teenage son takes on the FBI and fights to clear his father’s name.
Finalist: Jay Fisher ([email protected] – Instagram – Twitter – Facebook – Vimeo) with his logline for THE CANYON, a horror comedy: A disgraced PTA mom with a penchant for lying must convince her neighbors that body-snatching creatures are replacing everyone in their gated community with murderous doppelgängers.
Finalist: Alan Johnson (On Comedy Writing Podcast) with his logline for I HATE LEBRON JAMES, a comedy: A Cavaliers stadium vendor who grew up with LeBron James blames the star for all all of the disappointments in his life and attempts to ruin James by beating him in a game of HORSE during the All-Star Weekend.
December 2016
Winner: Bird-Dog, a political thriller by Andrew Dodson (andrewmartindodson.com – Medium – Instagram): Two high-powered Washington DC consultants manage a covert election-rigging agency, but a relentless independent journalist throws their schemes into disarray.
Finalist: Dancin’ In Dirt, a western by Kathy Grater ([email protected]): Deep in debt after her father’s premature death, a talented young artist would rather paint than ride horses, but she must compete in the good ol’ boys culture of the professional cutting industry to save her ranch.
Finalist: Crimson Palace, a pyschological thriller by Alexander Wagner ([email protected]): At a secluded hotel, a disgraced CEO gets twisted into a dark conspiracy after receiving a phone call from someone trying to prevent a murder in the next room.
November 2016
Winner: Famously Fiero, a half hour pilot by Cece Simandl (@cecesimandl – [email protected]): A camera-shy academic hired as a personal assistant to an egocentric Hollywood heir finds herself thrust into the limelight when her boss decides to star in his own reality TV show.
Finalist: Further We Wander, an adventure by Jason Sheedy ([email protected] – jasonmsheedy.com – returnstylepictures.com – @iamjasonsheedy): Upon entering a rickety grandfather clock, a shaky preteen and his friends get trapped in an ancient spirit realm that accelerates aging and must confront death in order to escape with their youth.
Finalist: Devil’s Gold, an action/adventure by Howard Porter ([email protected]): In 19th century Mexico, a reformed ex-mercenary and notorious bandit queen must join forces to stop a fanatical Priest and his legionnaires from finding and destroying a hidden trove of priceless Aztec treasure.
August 2016
Winner: House of Pain, a horror by Nicola Ralph (@NicolaRalph1 – [email protected]): When four thrill-seekers crash an invite-only haunted house, they discover that the blood is real as tortured guests put on display have their organs harvested for the black market.
Finalist: Baby Taylor, a dramedy by Jessica Coleman ([email protected] – @Jess_thewriter): When their friend dies in a car accident, three female lawyers adopt her orphaned baby and immediately struggle to balance motherhood, career, and dating in New Orleans.
Finalist: Fat, Sick, and Clearly Dead, a mockumentary by Johnathan Rousell ([email protected]): After a zombie bite gives a morbidly obese man his greatest desire — to be skinny — he tries to prove his naysayers wrong by showing the world the health benefits of being undead.
July 2016
Winner: As It Is…, a half-hour pilot by Matthew Barker ([email protected] – Website – @MatthewRWBarker – Facebook): After eons of bickering, God and Satan’s staff strip them of their powers and banish them to the Midwest where they must learn to get along as a middle-aged husband and wife or be stuck together forever.
Finalist: Kidnapped, a thriller by Shane Weisfeld ([email protected]): A painkiller-addicted detective jeopardizes his family and job in his frantic search for a young boy whose kidnapper vows to keep him for ten years or kill him immediately if law enforcement pursues.
Finalist: Carrow, a faith-based drama by Kimberly Jade Tompkins ([email protected] – @kimberlyjade27 – Facebook): After his release from prison for the the accidental killing of his closest friend, a hardened loner who cares for nothing but his sick daughter must choose between letting her die or a life of violent crime to pay for her care.
June 2016
Winner: Superzeroes, a comedy by Colin Costello (@colincostello10 – Instagram – Facebook): After a car crash leaves his best friend believing that he has super powers, a pudgy geek dons a cape to help his delusional “superfriend” protect their small town from a very real villain.
Finalist: Wisdom, a horror by Ben Abrass ([email protected]): In New York’s tight-knit Russian community, an empty beauty struggling to climb the social ladder fights for life and soul when a routine tooth extraction rapidly devolves into a hellish exorcism.
Finalist: The Parts We Play, a comedy by Duncan Allan ([email protected]): An arrogant, perpetually out-of-work actor meets his movie star hero while testing out a “Nice Guy” character, but he struggles to keep up the act as his popularity and career suddenly take off.
May 2016
Winner: A Cause for Divorce, a comedy by D.K. Johnston ([email protected] – www.trisevenpictures.com – @dkjohnston – Facebook): A recently retired couple struggling to transition to a less frantic pace of life decide to fake their own divorce to trick their self-involved children into coming home to Alaska for the holidays.
Finalist: Magnitude, a thriller by Douglas Fisher ([email protected] – @dougfisher4): An impulsive female agent for the EPA’s criminal division must hunt down a disgruntled seismologist who plans to trigger a massive earthquake along the east coast after discovering a hidden fault.
Finalist: Down and Out in Peoria, a dramedy by Brent Beath ([email protected]): Having crashed and burned as an adult, a former teen star returns to his backwoods hometown to find the one person he thinks will still love him — his old stalker.
April 2016
Winner: Catalyst, an hour-long sci-fi pilot by John “Shirley” Miller ([email protected]): Exiled on the Martian frontier, a hotheaded mercenary sparks a war with Earth when he kills his wife’s murderer, but he must fight his way back home when he learns his wife is still alive.
Finalist: The Mad Maiden, a sci-fi by Mario Kersey ([email protected]): When the prophesied savior of an alternate Earth is assassinated, his warrior daughter must track down his doppelganger on our Earth in order to keep the two worlds from colliding.
Finalist: Where I Once Belonged, a musical comedy by Shane Giles ([email protected]): When stealing the music of The Beatles prevents the birth of his future wife, an opportunistic time traveler stuck in 1985 recruits a now homeless John Lennon to help him set things right.
March 2016
Winner: The Eye of Owuo, a horror by Martin Reese ([email protected] – Stage32 – Facebook – @MartinReese): A desperate mother uses ancient African magic to resurrect her daughter, then realizes that the price for keeping her daughter alive entails taking the lives of others.
Finalist: Full Contact, a sports drama by Dave Kraft ([email protected] – Moviebytes – IMDB – Linkedin): When the NFL’s most feared linebacker gets forced into striking his best friend with a career-ending hit, he must clear his name by taking down the former-player-turned-extortionist who ruined him.
Finalist: A New Dawn, a thriller by Zak Karim ([email protected] – @ZedAKay – LinkedIn): Convinced she has pinned the crime on the wrong person, a manic, vengeful widow accepts the offer of the enigmatic bank robber accused of murdering her husband to track down the real killer.”
February 2016
Winner: Extremity, a thriller by Chidi Ezeibieli (@kscreens – [email protected] – LinkedIn): When terrorists in Nigeria kidnap her paraplegic daughter, a struggling American expat with nowhere else to turn poses as an Islamic extremist to infiltrate the group and find her daughter.
Finalist: Kill the Kabuki, an action/thriller by Jamahl Peavey ([email protected]): After a failed attempt at extortion, a dishonorable mercenary inadvertently pits himself against a soul-snatching shadow creature, and his only chance at salvation lies in the hands of his enemies.
Finalist: Pictures of You, a mystery by Enrique Bertran (@enrbertran – [email protected]): After the murder of his wife, a distraught photographer discovers that he can enter moments from her life caught in photos, and he uses his power to find her killer.
January 2016
Winner: The Last Defcon, an action adventure by Lawrson Pinson (@lawrsonpinson – Instagram – YouTube – Facebook): Upon foreseeing the cataclysmic destruction of her city, a head-strong teenager must reunite a legendary guild of female vigilantes in order to thwart the genocidal ambitions of a ruthless anarchist.
Finalist: Taking the Fall, a fantasy/comedy by Sean Flaherty ([email protected]): When the conniving archangel Michael tricks him into falling from Heaven, naïve-but-plucky Lucifer must fight to save Mankind – and his bromance with God – by proving that even crude humans can light up a halo.
Finalist: The Foretelling, an historic fiction by Nathan LeGrand ([email protected]): Plagued by horrific visions, a weary FDR must trust a southern root-doctor to defend the world against an occult overlord operating deep within Hitler’s war machine.
December 2015
Winner: Origin Earth, a sci-fi adventure by Christoph Furian ([email protected]): When an intergalactic distress call averts a world war, a gifted maverick must lead a global rescue mission, only to return in triumph to a war-torn planet.
Finalist: No More Heroes, a comedy by Lawrson Pinson (@lawrsonpinson – Instagram – YouTube – Facebook): In a desperate attempt to win the love of an alluring female supervillain, a lowly henchman sneaks into the annual Cape Convention to vaporize her egotistical superhero ex-boyfriend.
Finalist: Teen Zombie Show, a comedy pilot by David Santo (ScreenwriterDave.com – Teen Zombie Show Website – @TeenZombieShow): A small town girl with a razor sharp mind rescues the man of her dreams from certain death, but their ensuing romance gets tricky when Prince Charming turns out to be a zombie.
November 2015
Winner: Subsistence, a sci-fi by Nicola Ralph (@NicolaRalph1 – [email protected]): Desperately searching for his wife and infant son, an emotionally scarred veteran must evade the aliens hunting those left behind after the population of Chicago vanishes.
Finalist: Fortunate Son, an action/adventure by Sean Flaherty ([email protected]): Lured to Colombia by the promise of an inheritance, a volatile activist searches for answers about his long-lost father only to find himself prey to the vengeful drug lord his father betrayed.
Finalist: Mrs. Claus, a comedy by Ellen Waitt (@EllenWaitt – [email protected]): Miserable at the thought of icing cookies and wrangling reindeer for another decade, an undervalued Mrs. Claus defies tradition by running against her unopposed husband in a Santa election year.
October 2015
Winner: Into the Unknown, a sci-fi/horror by Nicola Ralph (@NicolaRalph1 – [email protected]): An interplanetary rescue mission becomes a fight for survival when the stranded crew — morphed by an alien parasite — attack, giving one rescue crew member a murderous idea.
Finalist: Dead Ringer, a horror/suspense by Natalia Lopez-Woodside (@Taliana83 – Facebook): When her troubled, long-lost sister shows up on her doorstep, an increasingly paranoid art therapist becomes convinced her sister’s actually an ancient doppelganger bent on consuming her young daughter.
Finalist: Love and Blood in the Third Reich, a drama by Jennifer Null ([email protected]): An idealistic German teen is forced into a Nazi training school, separating him from his audacious Jewish girlfriend until he discovers her years later as a prisoner under his reluctant command at Auschwitz.
July 2015
Winner: The Fright House, a horror/comedy by Chris Michael Burns (@toemichaelburns – [email protected]): When the President, a bloodsucking robot, malfunctions and goes on a killing spree, a gang of intrepid teenage history nerds touring the White House must reprogram or destroy him.
Finalist: Baba Yaga, a feature length fairy tale by Dawn Howard (@realdawnhoward – DawnHoward.com):When her father sets sail, a precocious girl is sold by her stepmother to a legendary cannibal witch, but the girl finds strength in her mother’s deathbed gift, an enchanted doll.
Finalist: Intersection, a thriller by Aki Parhamaa (@WriterAki – [email protected]): A charming ex-criminal gets into a car crash and wakes up bloodied and bruised, prisoner in the house of a wrathful police woman whose son was killed in the wreck.
June 2015
Winner: Make Easy Money From Home, a half-hour pilot by Jennifer Krukowski (@jenkrukowski – www.JenniferKrukowski.com – Instagram): An unemployable college dropout writes a weekly blog on get-rich-quick schemes, drawing inspiration from her misfit friends who will do anything for money (except work).
Finalist: Wrath of Men, an hour long crime drama by Eric Irizarry ([email protected] – ISA Profile): After his son’s murder, a quiet office worker descends into madness, unleashing a supernatural force that helps him raise a vigilante army to wage war against all criminals.
Finalist: Blind Past, a sci-fi drama by Trent Meunier (@iwroteascript – [email protected]): After a failed suicide attempt, a blind college freshman takes a pill that sends him into the past where he can see, but the only way to stay is to convince his parents not to conceive him.
May 2015
Winner: Zakia’s Song, a drama by Barbara Rodrigues (@barbararwriter – [email protected]): After losing her brother and a leg to a landmine, a precocious Afghan orphan learns the social complexities of elementary school when she gets adopted by an American solider, brought to Virginia, and enters a school singing competition.
Finalist: Willful Blindness, an hour long crime drama pilot by Allie Yohn (@allie_yohn – [email protected] – Facebook Page): After meeting a seemingly clean-cut drug dealer, a broke bank employee starts a money laundering business and begins manipulating everyone she knows in order to outsmart a demented federal agent determined to bust her.
Finalist: Phate, an action thriller by Chidi Ezeibieli (@kscreens – [email protected]): During a major outbreak, an American au pair falsely accused of murder in Nigeria goes on the run and struggles to get to the sole witness of the crime, a young boy lost among the hundreds quarantined in an offshore facility.
April 2015
Winner: The Muffin Men, a comedy by Laura Garrison (@pickleboots – [email protected]): After their struggling breakfast-delivery startup rolls out a sensual “secret menu” for eccentric housewives, four hapless guys scramble to save their suddenly booming business from a puritanical HOA.
Finalist: Sparks, a romantic comedy by Megan Bickel (@megankbickel – [email protected]): A neurotic scientist goes on the run with a charismatic bachelor when his touch sends lightning crackling from her hand, igniting interest from terrorists, the government, and a believed-dead lab partner.
Finalist: Alexander the Great, an hour pilot by Hank Isaac (@Hank_Isaac – IMDb – Web Series – Vimeo – LinkedIn): When train-geek Alexander is inadvertently given an actual railroad for his tenth birthday, he decides to rally both his friends and his enemies to get it running in order to save his town from economic ruin.
March 2015
Winner: Josh Munger Wasn’t Here, a dramedy by Dan Longe ([email protected]): A quiet nobody dying of cancer says goodbye to his friends and foes in unexpectedly spectacular fashion in an attempt to make his last day of high school unforgettable.
Finalist: Memoirs of a Sociopath, a psychological thriller by Lestyn Evans (@LestynE – [email protected]): When a manipulative mastermind escapes death row during an interview with an ambitious journalism student, the student must prove she isn’t his conspirator by stopping this man who threatens to incite mass anarchy with his words alone.
Finalist: Odum, a supernatural fantasy by Chidi Ezeibieli (@kscreens – [email protected]): When a naive teen discovers that she’s actually a shape-shifting leopard, she gets caught in the middle of a centuries-old feud and must lead her leopard clan in battle against an ancient serpentine rival that threatens their very existence.
February 2015
Winner: Tagged, a horror by Colin Costello (@colincostello10 – [email protected] – colincostello.com): The popular teen daughter of a disgraced Georgia sheriff must stop an Emoji-mask-wearing killer who uses social media to hunt her friends and tag her in pictures of their gruesome deaths.
Finalist: The Long Night, a sci-fi by John Tetzlaff ([email protected]): In the distant future, a disgraced soldier must bring a scientist from the past to the wasteland of Earth, for only she can stop a resurgent AI hell-bent on eradicating humanity.
Finalist: Rock Damnation, a comedy by Lowman Hatfield (@Lowmanhatfield – [email protected] – YouTube): The guitar that brought the world rock and roll has been stolen from Lucy Fir, Queen of Hell, and now Lucy must clash with demons and her ex throughout the French Quarter to get the guitar back before rock and roll is lost forever.
Honorable Mention: Something Coming, a horror/comedy by Chris Michael Burns (@toemichaelburns – [email protected]): When a rogue fertility scientist unleashes a giant, acid-spewing penis, a pair of misfit teen girls recruit their vivacious sex-ed teacher to help them destroy it.
January 2015
Winner: Tall Tale, a children’s fantasy by Brittney Nuckoles (@BrittNuckoles – [email protected]): After her main character goes missing in the whimsical yet precarious land she created, a malevolent writer casts an unassuming girl into the land where she must find the character within two days or remain trapped forever.
Finalist: Voyeur, a feature thriller by Nadia & Ben Robertson (@1931Productions – 1931productions.com – Vimeo – [email protected]): An uninspired photographer stalked by a masked killer is drawn into a collaboration to create beautiful and gruesome art that pushes the limits of his sanity.
Finalist: Moscow Mule, an action comedy by Thesy Surface (@ThesyIsASurface – thesysurface.com): A group of art thieves discover that the Rodin they nabbed in Moscow is actually a vault hiding Putin’s donkey sex tape, but when they attempt to sell it, they get caught in a pursued-across-the-globe nightmare by the Russians and the CIA.
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