RULES TO ENTER
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**SUBMISSION FEE WAIVERS AVAILABLE: email info@delshoresfoundation.org
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ELIGIBILITY
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Must identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
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Must be 18 years or older.
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Must be a current resident of one of 15 Southern States inclusive of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
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Playwrights and screenwriters who have had previous worked produced professionally or by non-independent means are ineligible.
THIS MEANS:-
- Playwrights must not have had a full-length play produced by a professional theatre.
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Screenwriters must not have had a full-length feature produced.
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Screenwriters who have had a short film produced may not compete in the short category, but may compete in the feature category.
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Screenwriters or playwrights who have had previous features, full-length plays or short films produced by non-independent means are ineligible.
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Scripts submitted must NOT have been previously optioned, purchased or produced at the time of entry. Previous workshops or readings of the scripts are acceptable.
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SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
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All scripts must be in PDF format. The name of the PDF should be only the title of the script.
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All scripts must be written in English in 12-point font. Brief dialogue in another language is acceptable so long as an English translation is provided.
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All scripts should adhere to standard industry margins and format.
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All scripts must be submitted online through FilmFreeway.com.
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All submissions are final. No substitutions of pages, drafts or scripts will be considered.
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There is a submission fee to enter the Writers Search. The fee is determined by the submission date. Waivers are available for financial hardship. To request a waiver please email info@delshoresfoundation.org.
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CATEGORY PAGE COUNT REQUIREMENTS
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SCREENWRITING – 80-130 pages
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PLAYWRITING – Must be full length, single or multiple acts, no musicals. 75+ minutes or 60-130 pages.
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SHORT FILM/WEB SERIES – 8-25 pages. Web series may submit multiple episodes within the page count.
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AWARDS
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Cash Awards will be given to a single winner in each category:
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Short Film/Web Series – $1,000
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Sponsored by Jae Waters in honor of Joan Furman
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Screenwriting – $3,000
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Sponsored by Darryl Avery & Deborah Page
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Playwriting – $3,000
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Sponsored by Philip Wm. McKinley & David A. Manning, McKinley/Manning Foundation
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Additional Cash Awards will be given in each category:
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Finalists – $250
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Sponsored by John & Louise H. Beard
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Semifinalists – $100
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Sponsored by Kevin Hryciw
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If a Del Shores Foundation Writing Festival is presented in 2025, the winning script in each category may receive a staged, public reading at the festival.
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GRANTS
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Grants will be made available associated with each category to promote the development of each winner.
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Short Film/Web Series – a grant of $2,000 to the production budget of the winner if produced within one year of winning the award.
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sponsored by Jae Waters in honor of Joan Furman
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Screenwriting – travel and accommodations provided to the winner for a three-day trip to Los Angeles to meet with production companies
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sponsored by Newell Alexander
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Playwriting – a $10,000 grant to the production budget of the first professional theatre company to produce the winning play
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Sponsored by Dennis Frisman
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STAGE READING GRANT
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$1,500 grants available for one night stage reading of each Play Finalist
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One reading sponsored by Philip Wm. McKinley & David A. Manning, McKinley/Manning Foundation
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One reading sponsored by Ranjini Lakshminarayan
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One reading sponsored Kaylan Thornhill
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One reading sponsored by International Reproductive Law Group/Eliseo Arebalos
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See Terms & Conditions for more information on these grants.
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JUDGING
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All winners are subjectively determined by our readers and jurors selected at the sole discretion of the Del Shores Foundation.
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Semifinalists and finalists may be selected and announced in advance of the winners.
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RULES & REGULATIONS
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Scripts must be an original idea, free and clear of any copyright issues.
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Scripts submitted to the competition must not have received grand jury prize awards from other competitions or nationally recognized playwriting competitions.
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Submitting your script with a cover page with your name, script name, and contact information is recommended but not required. This may include a title, author name, WGA registration number and/or Copyright information. A single cover page does not count toward your page count.
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It is not required, but we encourage writers to register their script with the US Copyright Office and/or Writers Guild of America.
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Multiple scripts may be entered across different categories but only one per category, and each script is required to pay separate submission fees.
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In the event of a writing team, both writers must meet all eligibility requirements and both be named on the script as writers. Limited to two writers.
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All scripts submitted will remain the property of the writer(s). Neither the Del Shores Foundation nor any of its readers or jurors and/or their respective companies assume any attachment to your work.
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All submission fees are final. No refunds will be issued.
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By entering the Writers Search you agree to receive competition updates by email and periodic marketing emails from the Del Shores Foundation. You may unsubscribe at any time.
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Entering the competition constitutes permission to use the winners’ names and likenesses for publicity and promotions with no additional compensation. We reserve the right to publicize and promote any and all progress, development and success of entered projects.
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The Del Shores Foundation reserves the right, at our sole discretion, to change or modify these terms at any time without notice.
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By entering the Del Shores Foundation Writers Search you agree to its Complete Terms and Conditions.
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