2010 Great Lakes Film Festival Scriptwriting Competition

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Considered among the top 100 most popular film festivals in the world, the 9th annual Great Lakes Film Festival Scriptwriting Competition has officially opened its Call for Entries and will accept submissions internationally of short and feature length screenplays, stage plays, and teleplays of all genres and niches including documentary, horror, experimental, Religious/Spiritual, animation and Gay/Lesbian for the 2010 competition.

The Great Lakes Film Festival Scriptwriting Competition has achieved such great success in past years that we now are able to offer a $5,000.00 cash award to our first place winner of the 2010 competition.

The annual Scriptwriting Competition is a way for new and veteran scriptwriters to possibly get the break they need. Each year we are contacted by many agents and production companies and have launched the careers of many budding scriptwriters while giving new exposure to veteran scriptwriters.
The 2010 Great Lakes Scriptwriting Competition will accept all forms of religious, Christian, and spiritual scripts including African, African American, Gay/Lesbian, Black, Hispanic, Islamic, Latino and Native/Aboriginal from the United States and around the world.

The Great Lakes Film Festival Scriptwriting Competition horror categories will include Horror, Thrillers, Science Fiction, Suspense, Grindhouse Horror, Horror Documentary, and Horror Animation.

Prizes for the winning script will include cash award of $5000.00. The winning script will be forwarded to agents and industry professionals for consideration.

What people say about the Great Lakes Scriptwriting Competition:
The Great Lakes Film Fest gave me my start. In 2005 my screenplay Santa Claus Goes to Pirate Island was a runner-up. It went on to place at the Beverly Hills Film Fest, The Phoenix Film Fest, The Script Dig Film Fest, and was named one of the 20 Best Scripts of 2006 by Script P.I.M.P. Santa Claus is now in development with the producers of the soon to be released film Car Babes. If it weren’t for the initial success at the GLIFF, it might still be sitting on my shelf! Erie is a fun place and I’m glad it all started there at the Roadhouse for me!
Pat Bates - Scriptwriter

I was a script writing participant and one of the winners in the Great Lakes Film Fest. I went to Erie for the occasion and found it to be a delightful town with many wonderful sights and great dining places. The officials at the Festival were helpful and courteous at all levels and made my visit a pleasure. They had time for their guests even while conducting the major task of keeping things running smoothly. I take my hat off to Steve Opsanic, his hard working assistant, Kelly, and to all of the others at GLFA who helped make this event such a success.
Bill Wellborn – Scriptwriter

FEES and DEADLINES:
Short Length Script:
$25.00 if postmarked by January 9, 2010 (U.S. Currency only)
$35.00 if postmarked by March 27, 2010 (U.S. Currency only)
$45.00 if postmarked by June 26, 2010 (U.S. Currency only)
$55.00 if postmarked by July 3, 2010 (U.S. Currency only) Withoutabox entries ONLY

Feature Length Script:
$35.00 if postmarked by January 9, 2010 (U.S. Currency only)
$45.00 if postmarked by March 27, 2010 (U.S. Currency only)
$55.00 if postmarked by June 26, 2010 (U.S. Currency only)
$65.00 if postmarked by July 3, 2010 (U.S. Currency only) Withoutabox entries ONLY

PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW ALL BELOW INSTRUCTIONS
ABSOLUTELY NO INTERNATIONAL CHECKS, WIRETRANSFERS, OR MONEY GRAMS WILL BE ACCEPTED. For all entries submitted outside the United States, we will only accept payment for submission fees in the form of INTERNATIONAL POSTAL MONEY ORDERS
Scriptwriting Eligibility:
Must be 18 years of age or older
The entered script must not be or previously been optioned, sold, or produced

Scriptwriting Rules:
Any genre considered

Scripts must be original work of the author

Multiple authorship is allowed. If the script wins, the writers will divide the prize.

Multiple entries are allowed, but their own completed entry form and their own appropriate entry fee must accompany each entry.

No corrected pages or additional pages will be accepted after the script has been entered.

Script Guidelines:
Submitted Scripts must be in English.

Do not send originals, scripts will not be returned.

Scripts must be in industry standard format and bound with 2 or 3 brads unless submitted electronically as an Adobe PDF or Word File.

Body pages must be correctly numbered.

Script title page should only contain name of screenplay.
Must be on white paper.

Covers must be card stock only

Teleplay Rules:
Teleplays must be original material. We will not accept spec scripts for existing shows, treatments or reality television pilots.

Teleplays must be hour or half-hour or one hour pilots. Additional material will not be read or considered.

Teleplays must not have been previously optioned, purchased or produced.

Competition Awards:
Prizes for the winning script will include cash award of $5000.00 The winning script will be forwarded to agents and industry professionals for consideration.

Top 10 finalists will:
Be given exposure to literary agencies, film studios and Hollywood producers.

Have names and contact information posted on GLFA Web site.

Included in a GLFA press release.

Posted on the GLFA Web site along with brief script synopsis and contact information.

Given further opportunities by having their scripts read by influential producers, agents and/or managers who play an active role in today’s industry.

Additional prizes will be announced as they are made available.

Script Length:
Feature Length scripts 70 pages or more
Shorts length scripts 69 pages or less

Teleplay Feature Length scripts no more than 60 pages
Teleplay Short Length Scripts no more than 30 pages

Stage Play Full Length scripts 50 pages or more
Stage Play Short Length Scripts 49 pages or less

All entries must be postmarked no later than the appropriate entry deadline they were submitted under. Additional entry fee will be required if not postmarked by the appropriate deadline. Entries received with uncompleted information will not be considered.

PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW ALL BELOW INSTRUCTIONS
ABSOLUTELY NO INTERNATIONAL CHECKS, WIRE TRANSFERS, OR MONEY GRAMS WILL BE ACCEPTED. For all entries submitted outside the United States, we will only accept payment for submission fees in the form of INTERNATIONAL POSTAL MONEY ORDERS

Checks returned to us will incur a standard $25 fee that must be paid, even if you choose to pull your script from the competition.

Winner will be announced no later than August 27, 2010

www.greatlakesfilmfest.com