Early | June 17th, 2020 | $25
Regular | July 15th, 2020 | $35
Late | Aug 10th, 2020 | $45
Add Feedback Notes | +$35
Receive a one page analysis of your script.
See below for full list of placements and prizes!
Our shorts competition is designed to give writers unique opportunities to advance their creative careers. We work with more than 400 working industry professionals to help discover new and unique voices.
Whether it’s through one-on-one virtual meetings, executive pitching opportunities, or webinars, we are here to advocate for writers for months after our final announcement. Your success is our success, and we are always in your corner!
We bring the same level of industry access from our virtual classrooms to our competitions.
This competition is open to both short films and short scripts of all genres.
Roadmap Writers is a leader in screenwriting education and training taught by working industry executives & literary representatives. In just four years, Roadmap has helped 130 writers get signed to representation with agents and managers! Through our educational programs and competitions, Roadmap has directly helped writers get signed to companies including CAA, APA, Gersh, 3 Arts, Circle of Confusion, Gotham Group, Zero Gravity, Good Fear, Echo Lake Entertainment, and many more!
In addition to a killer roster of industry judges, our shorts competition also features two exciting partnerships that will create amazing opportunities for writers...
First, we've partnered with Studio71 who will select at least one creator from the competition to develop their project with an eye towards a feature film or TV series.
We are also pleased to announce our partnership with management company First Friday Entertainment to offer a guaranteed signing prize!
Studio71 is a full service development and production studio, with a highly successful team of producers and a full suite of production and post production services, including soundstages in Burbank. Studio71 recently produced the films PLUS ONE, which won the Narrative Audience Award at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, and Adventure Force 5, which was released on Vudu last year. Other notable Studio71 film productions include the V/H/S franchise, which consists of three films with the original having premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012.
Studio71 has also seen success in scripted series with The Real Bros of Simi Valley starring Jimmy Tatro, season 3 was released on Facebook Watch earlier this year, and Mr. Mom, a 2019 Vudu original series based on the 1983 movie that was written by John Hughes and stars Michael Keaton.
First Friday Entertainment is a management and production company representing writers, directors, and producers in the film, TV, and digital space. They place a premium on developing clients with fresh voices and diverse points of view. They love to discover writers and directors that traditionally have been under-represented. Their clients have worked on projects such as TRANSPARENT, LIVING SINGLE, FAMILY GUY, DR. KEN, as well as the comic book HARRIET TUBMAN: DEMON SLAYER.
First Friday Entertainment managers and co-heads, Krista Sipp and Devon Byers will guarantee to sign at least one writer/filmmaker to representation from this year's competition.
All entrants are eligible to win the Guaranteed Signing Prize, so even if you don't place in the Top 25 or above you are still in contention for this prize! So whether you have a short script or a short film, Roadmap's Shorts Competition is here to bring you big career changing opportunities!
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Top 5 Finalists
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Top 10 Semifinalists
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Top 25 Quarterfinalists
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Submissions will be judged by independent industry experts based on the following criteria. The below explanations of each criterion is by no means an exhaustive list, but just an example of some of the questions readers and judges consider in each category.
Premise/Concept
Is it unique/original? Is it a new spin on a familiar story? Does the concept have longer form potential for either film or TV? Can it succinctly be explained? Do the actions and obstacles advance the story?
Characters
Are the characters well developed? Is their purpose or struggle clearly identifiable? Do they have a clear and complete arc? Are they multi-layered? Are the characters relatable or accessible to the reader/viewer?
Dialogue
Does the dialogue elevate the scene? Does it heighten the overall story? Does it propel the story forward?
Story
Is the story compelling? Does it serve to drive the characters and events forward in a meaningful way? Does it emphasize a deeper theme? Does the story explore new ideas?
Structure
Does the story have a clear beginning, middle and end? Does it have the appropriate structural beats? For scripted work, is it formatted properly? For filmed content, is it edited effectively?
Voice/Style
Does the writer use interesting word choice and sentence structure? Do they have a unique way to view and relay what’s happening in the story? Does the writer/filmmaker have a unique perspective?
Read our full list of rules here.