• Screenplay contest material should reflect progressive and diverse values, themes, and subject matter as conceived and written by members of the diverse writing community or be the work of a member or members of the diverse writing community as defined by identification as belonging to an under-represented ethnic, religioius, racial, LGBTQUIA+, disabled, or 50+ age demographic.
• Material submitted to The Diverse Writers Outreach competition is accepted via electronic submission only.
• Submissions must be in PDF file format, the title ONLY indicated in the PDF file name. Submissions as Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter files will not be read, scored, or judged.
• There is no limit to the number of screenplay, teleplay, or short film scripts you may submit.
• Submitted script material must be received by midnight of each monthly deadline date and submission fee payment must accompany your material.
• All entry fees are non-refundable; submissions in any file format other than PDF will be disqualified with no refund.
• Page count limitations: Short Film Scripts = 30 pp Television Scripts = 70 pp Feature Screenplays = 130 pp Entries exceeding those page limits will incur a 20% reading fee surcharge.
• All material submitted to these screenplay contests must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s).
• Screenplays and scripts must be submitted by the credited writer. Screenplays and scripts written by writing teams must be submitted by one of the writers, with consent of the other(s).
• All writers must be credited on title page.
• If a screenwriting team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given to the screenwriter submitting the project. Each team is responsible for dividing or sharing the prize money, with no direction from The Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards Contest administrators, staff, or judges.
• Once submitted, material is promptly assigned to analysts and judges and reading/scoring begins. Revisions, rewrites, addenda, or substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered screenplay or script material require a separate entry.
• Multiple entries are accepted. Submitting the same script pages for different levels of analysis is fine. In all cases, each entry or request for varying levels of analysis must be entered individually. When multiple levels of analysis are NOT entered individually, only the highest level of analysis will be provided with no refunds for other analysis services.
• By using our service, you authorize us to use any trusted third-party online and cloud-based services and databases for hosting, managing and/or transmitting your submission file(s), including FilmFreeway and/or Coverfly.
• All copyright, ownership and derivative rights to the material submitted to The Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards contest(s) remains with the original rights holders and/or author.
• By submitting material to the contest, writer gives contest administrators permission to promote the work and the writer to third parties, including professional literary managers and agents at their sole discretion. By submitting material to the contest, you agree to hold The Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards and Butterfly Beach Media Inc., its officers, managers, employees, contractors, and representatives of all kinds harmless against any and all claims. No assurances, warranties, or guarantees are either implicitly or explicitly made as to the efforts or lack of response by any and all third parties to whom The Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards may send or transmit material.
• Plagiarized or non-original written materials will be disqualified.
• Once announced and delivered, all prize package items and taxes appurtenant thereto are the responsibility of the recipient.
• All scores are final and purely at the discretion of the Senior Judging Panel.
• Writer acknowledges that any and all written feedback and analysis commentary is objectively presented and intended to be illustrative, instructive, and helpful in guiding the writer along a professional path. Scores and comments are in accordance with current professional film and television industry standards, but writer accepts them as purely subjective pursuant to the judgment and opinion of the individual reader-analyst and agrees not to request, demand, or suggest alternate, different, or revised written feedback; no guarantees of satisfaction on the part of the writer are expressed or implied.
Eligibility:
• All screenwriters, without regard to professional or amateur status, age, gender, race, ethnicity, country of origin, native language, political orientation, or sexual preference are eligible.
• The screenplay, television script, or short film script material submitted must be in English.
• All screenplay, television script, or short film script material submitted to other competitions or contests is eligible.
• There are no limitations or restrictions as to date of authorship of submitted screenplay, television script, or short film materials.
• The screenplay, television script, or short film script material submitted must not be encumbered by any obligation to, or option held by, any third party prior to entering the screenplay competition.
• Screenplay, television script, or short film script material should be submitted in standard screenplay format, font, spacing and margin.
• No limitations regarding title page content. Title and name of screenwriter and contact information on cover page is recommended.
• Live consultations are limited to one draft and one entry per writer per contest period.