• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
  • Screenplays must:
    • be written in English
    • be an original feature script
    • be between 90 and 130 pages in length
    • have numbered pages
    • be in standard format
  • Any genre is accepted.
  • Multiple submissions are accepted as long as each is accompanied with an application and the entry fee.
  • Only one copy, draft or version of any single screenplay may be submitted by any entrant or entrants. Under no circumstances will substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entry screenplays be allowed.
  • Collaborative work undertaken by two writers is eligible. Collaborative work by three or more writers is not eligible. All prizes will be split 50-50 by collaboraters.
  • Entering the competition constitutes permission to use finalists’ names and likeness for publicity and promotions with no additional compensation. We reserve the right to publicize and promote any and all progress, development and success of the entered scripts.
  • Partners, affiliated members and employees of The Script Department and their immediate families are not eligible, nor are competition judges and their immediate families.
  • No applicant may have earned money or other consideration as a screenwriter for theatrical films or television, or for the sale of, or sale of an option to, any original story, treatment, screenplay or teleplay for more than $8,000. Applicants may not have received a screenwriting fellowship or prize which includes a “first look” clause, an option or any other quid pro quo involving the writer's work.
  • Adaptations of previously written work are not acceptable. The only exception being if the writer had adapted his/her own unpublished work. Material adapted from a previously published source to which the author has secured the rights, such as a novel, short story, or play, is ineligible.
  • The judges' decisions are final. The Silver Screenwriting Competition reserves the right to substitute prizes for other prizes of equal monetary value. Scripts may be disqualified for not adhering to the rules and requirements. No refund will be issued for disqualified scripts.
  • In an effort to make a contribution toward a better environment, The Silver Screenplay Competition is a paperless contest. We only accept scripts and payments electronically through Withoutabox. Do not mail scripts or payments.
  • All monetary prizes will be paid in US dollars. The airfare portion of the travel to Los Angeles for the Grand Prize winner is limited to $500 and will only be awarded if the winner lives more than 200 miles outside of Los Angeles. International fliers will have a $750 limit. The Grand Prize winner must work within the schedule and time constraints of the special guests and managers donating their time.
  • Travel Stipend for the winners of Killer Screenwriting will only be paid to the winners if they live more than 25 miles away from the location of the class they attend.
  • All participants will be automatically registered for the Script Department Newsletter. Clear instructions on how to unsubscribe are available or those who prefer not to receive it.
  • All submissions must be processed through Without a Box and adhere to the submission process and procedures.