As an aspiring writer one think that has become clear to me is that getting exposure is as important as writing. It doesn’t matter how good your work is if no one reads what you’ve written. It can be discouraging and depressing to put in countless hours of time and effort to finish your manuscript of screenplay and have nothing come of it. To that end I’ve started looking into what respected competitions there are out there that give writers the chance to showcase their talents to the people who can jump start their careers. This how some big name fantasy authors did it like Patrick Rothfuss and Trudi Canavan, so if it worked for them then it can work for the rest of us.
This first competition I’m going to showcase is for all the aspiring screenwriters out there. Is from the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum they are accepting submissions from new writers until March 10th. Its not a lot of time to create something new but if you already have one ready then this ideal for you.
Submission Guidelines
- Entry form via the Application Form
- Proof of payment such as like PayPal (Online Entry Fee £21)
- Industry relevant biography 100 words. It can “This is my first script” – we love discovering new talent. This should be on a single page with your name and application number.
- Short synopsis – 25 words
- Treatment or outline of the series or show (500 words max)
- Character breakdown of featured characters (50-100 words per character)
- Up to 6 episode guides – minimum 3 if it is a series.
- Introduction to extract that sets the scene (100 words)
- 10 page extract of the script (you may spill onto the 11th page to end a scene), typed and formatted to industry standards. Script pages should be numbered 1-10. Do not send full scripts. Script extracts should be typed and follow standard script format. For information on formats, we recommend you look at BBC Writersroom
- No personal details to appear on materials except on biography page. The application number should appear on support material should be no more than 3 pages (excluding biography) and arranged in the following order: Biography, Logline, Treatment, Character Breakdown, Introduction, Script.
Please do not include artwork or casting suggestions.
Also if you take a look at the judging panel below you can see that there are some high profile people who will be taking a looking at your work.
Judging panel
| Serena Bowman | Head of Development, Company Pictures (Secret State, Shameless, The Shadow Line) |
| Danny Brocklehurst | Screenwriter (Exile, Accused, The Street, Shameless) |
| David Chikwe | Creative Director at Blacklisted Films (Missing, Eve) |
| Lawrence Cochran | Development Editor, BBC Independent Drama |
| Richard Cookson | Head of Development, Lovely Day – (Doctor Who, Peaky Blinders, Ripper Street) |
| Emily Feller | Development Editor, Red Productions – (Last Tango in Halifax, Hit & Miss,Scott & Bailey) |
| Surian Fletcher-Jones | Head of Development, Channel 4 |
| Jane Hudson | Head of Drama Series, ITV |
| Jake Lushington | Head of Drama, World Productions (The Fear, Line of Duty) |
| Tim Morris | Development Assistant, Drama Republic (The Honourable Woman, My Mad Fat Diary) |
| Kate Rowland | BBC Creative Director of New Writing & BBC Writersroom |
| Sue Vertue | Producer, Hartswood Films (Doctor Who, Sherlock) |
| Camilla Young | Literary Agent, Curtis Brown |
The Aspiring Writer 