Writing Life: Two Scripts Named Quarter-Finalists in the 2017-18 Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition
Mondays are always tricky: you're excited for the week ahead but also wanting to extend your weekend a little bit longer. I woke up this morning feeling exhausted and not ready for the work week to begin. All I wanted to do was pull the covers over my head for another hour or so. (Being a parent makes this all the more impossible, but it's good to dream.)
However, starting the week with not one but TWO placements in a fantastic screenwriting competition can make you jump out of bed with excitement and glee.
Both CONNECTION and ESCAPE were this morning named as quarter-finalists (in the one-hour TV pilot and thriller/feature categories respectively) in the 2017-18 Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition, which makes me so, so proud.
“After weeks of evaluating and assessing nearly 1200 screenplays, our judges have whittled down the list to 300 quarter-finalists. We are very pleased to congratulate all of our advancing screenwriters.
Our 2017 Competition was one of our best years yet with a record number of submissions in three categories including 1 Hour Pilots, 1/2 Pilots and Short Scripts. In total, approximately 1,200 screenplays were received, read, assessed and evaluated this past year.
Entries were received from 37 countries around the world and 45 US states. California, Texas and New York submitted the most screenplays. Advancing screenplays represent the top 25% of material we received. A breakdown of submissions is as follows.
—Drama/ Historical/ Biopic Category received the most submissions
—Thriller, Comedies and 1 Hr Pilots were also among the most highly contested categories
—Scores ranged from a high of 9.7 to a low of 2.9
—The majority of scores averaged between 6.3 and 7.5”