CONTEST RULES
Please read the Hollywood Symposium® Screenplay Contest rules carefully. Incomplete or incorrect applications cannot be accepted until all required elements for each script are properly and completely submitted.
EARLY APPLICATION DEADLINE: APRIL 15, 2004 ($40). LATE APPLICATION DEADLINE: JUNE 1 ($60).
- Every screenplay must have on its first page the title, author's name, and a synopsis of the story using no more than 50 words. A longer synopsis will disqualify the work. This premise statement is your "pitch" to the industry, so please consider it very carefully. The title and writer's name should also appear at the top of the first page of actual screenplay.
- Scripts must be the original work of the applicant(s), and submitted in English, typewritten. Collaborations are acceptable, but both writer's must sign the application and the release documents.
- Any script based on, or adapted from, source material (a book, article, life story) MUST be accompanied by a copy of a valid rights acquisition document, or a signed statement confirming that the rights are in the public domain, or a signed statement as to why rights acquisition isn't necessary.
- A non-refundable application fee of $40 in the form of a personal check or cashier's check must be included, payable to The Hollywood Symposium. (If the script is submitted between April 15 and June 1, the late application fee is $60.) No credit card payments can be accepted. International payments must be made by check or money order drawn on U.S. banks.
- Screenplays will not be returned, so please do not send your only copy. We will keep your script on file for future reference, and for possible referrals.
- Screenplays must be between 75 and 150 pages long. NO other materials (photos, music, drawings, etc.) are to be attached to the script.
- No later substitutions of new drafts or corrected pages can be accepted for screenplay entries.
- You must be at least 18 years of age to apply.
- Use accepted film industry format only; computer script-formatting programs are widely available, and you will be judged in part on the professional presentation of your screenplay. Pages must be sequentially numbered, the print dark and legible, and the font a consistent 12 point Courier. Use of a tiny type font will disqualify your script, as the page count will no longer accurately reflect the length of your movie. Paper must be 3-hole punched, held together with two large brads, with heavier card stock (thick paper) used as covers.
- Optioned scripts are eligible, but a clear statement declaring the option status of the material must be included, along with a copy of the complete contract.
- There are no restrictions as to genre or setting, or as to the nature, age, nationality, sex, species, or live or animated form of your central characters.
- Two self-addressed stamped letter size #10 envelopes (one to send you the master judging form, one to keep you posted), and a self-addressed stamped blank postcard (to acknowledge receipt of your script), MUST be included with your application.
- Members, employees, and immediate family members of The Hollywood Symposium are not eligible to enter.
- A writer may submit as many scripts as they wish, but each screenplay must have its own complete signed application, release form, and application fee included.
- Print and use the application included in this web site,
or send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope requesting one, to:
The Hollywood Symposium
22817 Ventura Boulevard #101
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
- E-mail questions to: info@hollywoodsymposium.com.
