Invitation Only
Please note that entry and participation in the Cut to Black Prize screenwriting contest are by invitation only. Be sure to request an invitation before submitting your entry.
Grand Prize
Cash award: 10,000 USD to the winner, paid within 30 days of winner verification.
Hollywood trip package: round-trip economy airfare to Los Angeles, two or three consecutive nights of standard hotel lodging, and a scheduled face-to-face general meeting with a producer or development executive.
Approximate retail value of travel package: up to 2,500 USD, varies by origin and travel dates. Total prize value up to 12,500 USD.
No substitution, transfer, or cash redemption of the travel package is permitted except at Sponsor’s sole discretion. If travel is impractical or unavailable, Sponsor may provide a cash alternative of 1,500 USD or an equivalent virtual meeting package of equal or greater value.
Travel Package Terms
Airfare: round-trip economy from the winner’s nearest major airport to LAX or BUR, booked by Sponsor or reimbursed, capped at 800 USD for U.S. and Canada, capped at 1,200 USD for international origins.
Lodging: standard single-occupancy room, hotel class to be determined by Sponsor, up to 300 USD per night, taxes and standard fees included.
Local transport and per diem: 100 USD total local transport stipend or rideshare credits, plus 60 USD per day per diem during hotel nights.
Travel window: must be completed within 12 months of the winner announcement. Blackout dates may apply around major holidays and industry events.
Documents and eligibility: winner must possess valid government identification, visas if required, and the ability to travel. Sponsor is not responsible for denied boarding, visa issues, or travel restrictions.
Meeting details: Sponsor will schedule a minimum 60-minute in-person general meeting with a producer or development executive. No promise of representation, employment, option, purchase, or further meetings is made or implied.
Guest policy: the prize is for the winner only unless Sponsor approves a guest in writing. Any guest travel costs are the responsibility of the winner.
Force majeure and scheduling: if events outside Sponsor’s control affect travel or meetings, Sponsor may modify dates, locations, or deliver a virtual alternative of equal or greater value.
Taxes and Reporting
Winner is responsible for all applicable taxes. For U.S. winners, Sponsor will issue a Form 1099 for the total value received. For non-U.S. winners, Sponsor may issue a Form 1042-S and withhold taxes as required.
Eligibility
By invitation only. Open to individuals aged 18 or older at the time of entry, except employees, officers, and immediate family members of Sponsor or judges, and anyone involved in administration of the contest. Void where prohibited by law.
Entry Period and How to Enter
• Pre-registration: November 15, 2025 - December 31, 2025
• Early: January 1, 2026 - March 31, 2026
• Regular: April 1, 2026 - May 14, 2026
• Late: May 15, 2026 - May 30, 2026
• Extended: May 31, 2026 - June 30, 2026
Submissions will close once the participant quota is reached.
Entry fee per script:
• Early: 100 USD
• Regular: 120 USD
• Late: 130 USD
• Extended: 150 USD
Fees are nonrefundable except as required by law.
Entry method: invited entrants submit one screenplay as a PDF with a title page only and no identifying information. An optional one-page logline and synopsis may be requested.
Limits: one submission per entrant unless Sponsor expressly authorizes otherwise in writing.
Submission Requirements
Original, unproduced scripts only. Entrant affirms sole authorship and ownership or that all co-writers have consented to entry.
Length guidance: shorts 5 to 30 pages, television pilots 30 to 65 pages, features 85 to 130 pages.
English-language scripts. Standard industry formatting is expected. Illegible, incomplete, or improperly formatted entries may be disqualified.
Judging and Selection
Blind judging in multiple rounds by producers, professional screenwriters, script analysts, and development executives selected by Sponsor.
• Quarterfinalists: July 10, 2026
• Semifinalists: July 20, 2026
• Finalists: August 3, 2026
• Winner: August 14, 2026
Criteria and weights: storytelling and originality 30 percent, characterization and emotional stakes 25 percent, craft including structure, pacing, formatting, and dialogue 25 percent, market potential 20 percent.
The entrant with the highest composite score will be the potential winner. In the event of a tie, the script with the higher storytelling and originality score prevails, then characterization, then craft.
Judges’ decisions are final. Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries.
Winner Notification and Verification
The potential winner will be notified by email and must complete required documents within seven days, including an affidavit of eligibility, liability release, and publicity release where lawful. If a potential winner does not respond, cannot be contacted, or fails to timely execute documents, Sponsor may select an alternate.
Intellectual Property
Entrants retain all right, title, and interest in and to their scripts. By entering, entrant grants Sponsor a limited, nonexclusive, royalty-free license to use entrant’s name, likeness, logline, title, and short excerpts for contest administration and promotional purposes related to the contest.
Publicity
Where lawful, acceptance of the prize constitutes permission for Sponsor to use the winner’s name, likeness, biographical information, and project details for advertising and publicity without additional compensation.
Conflicts of Interest and Disqualification
Sponsor may disqualify any entry that, in Sponsor’s sole judgment, violates these rules, infringes third-party rights, is plagiarized, or presents a conflict of interest for a judge or administrator. If disqualification occurs after prize award, Sponsor may rescind the prize and select an alternate.
Winner List
For the winner’s name, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Call Sheet Media, 1800 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028, United States, labeled Cut to Black Prize Winner Request, within 60 days after the winner announcement date.
