Welcome to the Writers Network Screenplay & Fiction Competition FAQ (Most Frequently Asked Questions)

Who judges the competition? Judging is comprised of three rounds: quarter-finalist, semi-finalist and finalists. The judges for the first round (quarters) are WGAw writers. Judges for the second (semis) and final round (finals) are both WGAw writers and select (they differ each year) agents and managers.

May non-U.S. residents enter? Yes.

May I submit a screenplay that I've written with a writing partner? Yes, as long as your partner also signs the application form and is listed on the application as a co-writer.

My project is based on a book. May I still enter? If you have rights to the underlying material or the material is in the public domain, you may enter an adaptation.

Your rules state that I may enter up to two pieces of material. Am I able to enter into more than one category? No. You may only enter two pieces of material if fall within the same category (e.g., two screenplays in the screenplay/teleplay category, two plays in the play category, two teleplays in the screenplay/teleplay category). If you are entering a novel/book you may only enter one novel/book in addition to a selection (3-4) short stories. What if I have only written one manuscript, may I just enter just one piece of material? Yes, absolutely.

If I enter two pieces of material in one category, can one of my entries count against me? No. If you enter two pieces of material and our judges only like one, the one they like will advance in the competition.

I would like to enter my book but your rules state that it cannot already have been published. I'm wondering if this also pertains to self-publishing? If you have self-published your book you may still enter and compete in the competition.

Many competitions don't meet their deadlines for notification of advancement into quarters and semis. How does your competition fare with the printed deadline you give for notification? The only time a legitimate competition may run late is when there are more entries to read than they anticipated receiving for that given year, in which case you should be glad the competition is taking additional time to read each entry thoroughly before making any announcements, or when there is a force majeure situation, which recently happened with the Writers Guild strike of '07/08. It is always our goal to meet our deadline, but as explained above, sometimes it is out of our control.

Once my material has been selected as a winner, what is the process for helping me find representation? Whether you entered a screenplay, teleplay or book, it is our first priority to help you with any needed editing, revisions, polishes prior to our submitting the work to literary agents and managers. Once we've addressed with you any reason a representative may come back and say "No," we move on to the next stage of the process, which is marketing. As one of the longest running competitions in the industry, our contact list of literary representatives from New York to Los Angeles is vast. And because we have maintained a record of discovering new talent that go on to become professional working writers, these representatives take our finalists seriously. Your screenplay, teleplay, book is sent to agents and managers for their consideration throughout the course of an entire year. Once an agent or manager is interested, we arrange a meeting. The rest is up to you!

There are so many writing competitions out there, what makes your competition one to enter? If your goal to entering a writing competition is to get results (i.e., signed, optioned, produced, etc.) then simply look at the results the competition you are looking to enter gets for their winners. We have had the most sales, options and agency and management signings of any writing competition, sans the Nicholl's. Our screenplay winners have gone to make Blades of Glory, Wedding Crashers, Taking Lives, Javelina (2009), Adam, Clay Pigeons, After Sunset, Perfect Stranger, to name just a few! Our book winners have gone on to have their winning manuscripts adapted by Hollywood A-list screenwriters (e.g., Grant Jerkins' "An American Crime" aka "A Very Simply Crime" was adapted by Nicholas Kazan and Terry Curtis Fox and will be directed by Barbet Schroeder.)

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