The 2027 report
Screenwriting contests and fellowships for 2027, by the numbers
We read the rules of 159 screenwriting contests, fellowships, labs, festivals, conferences and pitch events in 35 countries and online, each one on its organizer's own page. This is what they cost, what they ask you to send and when they close.
Counted on October 23, 2026. The list is checked every day, and these figures are counted again with it.
35 of 50
fellowships and labs cost nothing to apply to
22 of 28
contests charge an entry fee
$30 more
at the median, to enter a contest on its last deadline instead of its first
90 of 159
can be entered or attended without traveling
Where applying costs nothing
70 percent of the fellowships and labs on this list charge nothing to apply. Contests are the reverse. 22 of 28 charge to read your script, and five are free.
If entry fees are a stretch, start with fellowships and labs. Workshops and conferences sell a seat or a badge, and are left out of this count.
Fellowships and labs 50
Contests (competitions and festival script awards) 28
Pitch events and markets 15
Free Charges a fee Does not say
Free, and closing next
The later the deadline, the higher the fee
Every one of the 16 contests here that are priced in US dollars and have more than one deadline charges more as the deadlines pass.
At the median, entering on the last deadline costs $30 more than entering on the first, about 64 percent more. If your scripts are ready early, sending them by the first deadline saves that much on each entry, and over a season it adds up.
The fee for each contest's main category at its first and last deadline. 3 contests priced in other currencies are not shown.
When the deadlines fall
The busiest months ahead are November 2026, with 50 deadlines, and December 2026, with 38. The months further out look quieter than they will be. Many organizers publish the next season's dates only a few months ahead, and their events join the list when they do.
Deadlines still to come in each month, counting every tier of a contest. Early-bird ticket dates for conferences are not counted.
What they ask you to send
- 48 say in their rules that the script has to arrive as a PDF.
- 11 of the 33 that mention it want your name kept off the script, so the readers judge the pages blind. Most say nothing at all: 84 of the 117 that ask for a script. Check the rules before you put your name on the title page.
- Page limits and sample lengths differ from one call to the next, from a two-page outline to a full feature. Each event's page here lists exactly what it asks for.
- If your pages are not in standard screenplay format yet, the free formatter lays them out and saves the PDF.
Not only in English
51 of the 159 accept work in a language other than English, and 43 take no English at all. These are the languages they name:
- French 11
- German 8
- Spanish 7
- Japanese 4
- Hebrew 3
- Dutch 2
- Korean 2
- Polish 2
- Portuguese 2
- Turkish 2
- Arabic 1
- Chinese 1
- Czech 1
- Finnish 1
- Hindi 1
- Indonesian 1
- Irish 1
- Italian 1
- Valencian 1
Where they are
90 of the 159 can be done from home, counting online events, contests that take their entries online, and events that stream their sessions. The others meet in person. Leaving out the events held only online, the list covers 35 countries.
Keep the deadlines in front of you
How we counted
What is counted. The 159 events on our list on October 23, 2026, every one with a date still to come. An event leaves the list when its last date passes, and the figures change with it.
Which contests are here. We list a paid contest only when its site names its judges or readers, or its past winners. The contest figures describe contests with a public track record, not every contest that charges a fee.
Fees. The fee is the organizer's price for the main category at each deadline. Only contests priced in US dollars with more than one deadline count toward the cost of waiting.
What is missing. Many 2027 calls are not out yet, and some well-known contests have not opened their entries. The counts will grow through the season.
You are welcome to quote these figures. Please link to this page. It keeps the same address, and its figures are counted again every day. Found a wrong date? Tell us.