Archive - Writing Competitions
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The
Tribeca Film Institute Sloan Filmakers Fund are looking for scripts that explore scientific, mathematical, or technological themes or that feature a leading character who is a scientist, engineer, innovator or mathematician.
Deadline: Monday
11th January 2010.
The Westminster Prize is a theatre playwriting competition open to those who live, work or study in the London borough of Westminster.
Deadline: Monday
11th January 2010.
24:7 Theatre Festival are looking for plays that are original, unpublished and no longer than 60 minutes. The Festival is held in Manchester in July.
Deadline: Thursday
14th January 2010.

The Company, in association with New Writing South and the Steyning Festival are looking for 6 unperformed plays (max length 45 mins), from playwrights from the South East, for the
Steyning Festival Theatre Trials. Deadline: Friday
15th January 2010.
Your Big Break - Barrie Osborne and Peter Jackson will support 5 new film-makers to produce a 3 minute film capturing the spirit of New Zealand. Deadline: Friday
15th January 2010.
The Magic Hour is a scheme for disabled filmmakers which will produce four films, each with a budget of £10,000. Deadline: Friday
15th January 2010.
Script Space at the Tobacco Factory Theatre are looking for one-act plays for rehearsed readings.
Deadline: Friday
15th January 2010.
New Writing North are looking for four new writers from the North East of England to mentor in their North East Theatre Consortium Script Development programme. Deadline: Friday
15th January 2010.
Bare Bones is a showcase of new short plays at the Old Red Lion Theatre in Islington, London.
Deadline: Saturday
16th January 2010 (for March showcase).

Big Finish, who produce Doctor Who audio adventures, are offering new writers an opportunity to pitch for their next production. They are looking for pitches for a one-off 25' story featuring the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa. Check out their submission guidelines. Deadline Monday 1st Feburary.

B3 FeatureLab returns to 'supercharge' feature film projects from black and ethnic minority filmmakers. Backed by Film4, Binger Film Lab and the Skillset Film Skills Fund, the programme is calling for applications from filmmakers with a track record in film, TV, radio, the visual arts and new media.
Deadline: Friday 29th January 2010.
Muckyduckmedia and ScriptOnline are looking for a short film idea from a West Midlands based writer.
Deadline: Friday
29th January 2010.
Saturday Shorts - Bristol Folk House are looking for 15 minute scripts (theatre, radio or screenplay) for script-in-hand performances in the spring.
Deadline: Sunday
31st January 2010.

The
Scottish Book Trust have launched Screen Lab 2010 - a free course on writing for the screen.
Deadline: Thursday
4th February 2010.
Eyebrow Productions are inviting writers to submit their short plays (5-10') for Write Bites - a night of new writing to take place at RADA in March.
Deadline: Friday
5th February 2010.
Theatre Writing Partnership is looking for writers based in the East Midlands for 'Crossovers' a new playwriting development scheme.
Deadline: Friday
12th February 2010.
TheatreWorks launch Dialogue - a call for scripts from writers based in the South West. The most promising 10-20 minute script will be performed at a script-in-hand performance at the Salisbury Playhouse.
Deadline: Wednesday
17th February 2010.

BBC Wales Drama and National Theatre Wales are looking for new
Welsh Writers. Successful applicants are invited to attend a four-day residential workshop. Applicants must have at least one professional credit and be either born or resident in Wales.
Deadline: Wednesday
17th February 2010.
Writers Lab is a new development scheme for writers based in North West England. Run by Bolton University in conjuction with
BBC Writersroom and leading N.W independent production companies, including
Red,
Lime and Abbott Vision.
Deadline: Friday
19th February 2010.
Topical comedy sketch show Newsjack returned for a second six week run on BBC Radio 7 on 7 January 2010, and they're once again holding an open call for new material. Newsjack seeks to comically scrutinise the news and is a showcase for new comedy writing, so anyone can submit material.
Deadline for sketches: Monday, 12:00noon
Deadline for one-liners: Tuesday, 5:00pm

Kaos Films are inviting submissions for their annual British Feature Screenplay Competition.
Deadline: Sunday 28th February 2010.
Theatre Writing Partnership launch Ears Wide Open - an opportunity for two writers (one from the West Midlands and one from the East Midlands) to collaborate and write a series of short audio plays in response to locations in Birmingham and Nottingham.
Deadline: Sunday 28th February 2010.
It's My Shout in association with BBC Wales/Cymru is calling for television drama/short films, from writers who are either resident or were born in Wales.
Deadline Monday
8th March 2010
Windsor Fringe Marrior New Writing Award is now inviting 1-act play submissions. Winner receives £500.
Deadline: Thursday
11th March 2010

The
Nick Darke Award offers the winning entrant £3,000, allowing them to develop their script. They are looking for work that pursues an environmental theme and is either a stage play, screenplay, radio play or documentary film.
Deadline: Friday
12th March 2010.
Screenplay Competition - The Festival takes place 15-27 April 2010.
Late Deadline: Saturday
13th March 2010
Tidy Productions are looking for writers for their new topical comedy panel show
What's The Story on BBC Radio Wales. You can submit gags from Saturday 13th March until...
Deadline: Thursday
18th March 2010.
Script Yorkshire are looking for 10-15min scripts or extracts for their
Emerge Festival which runs 21-27 June. Selected pieces will receive a rehearsed reading and critical feedback from an expert panel.
Deadline: Wednesday
24th March 2010.
The People's Play Award launched by New Writing North & the People's Theatre Company. Open to writers resident in North East England.
Deadline: Thursday
25th March 2010.
Scotland: Write Here, Write Now. BBC Scotland Comedy is looking for Scottish and Scotland-based comedy writers to submit the opening 10-15 pages of a contemporary comedy drama or sitcom.
Deadline: Friday
26th March 2010.

Screen Yorkshire and other northern regional screen agencies are looking for applications for
Gen Up North - a five-week long training programme for emerging digital creatives. Course includes placements at Channel 4, BBC Scotland and a leading digital agency.
Deadline: Monday
29th March 2010.
RealDeal Theatre are looking for submissions for their forthcoming 2010 Sitcom Saturday.
Deadline: Wednesday
31st March 2010.
Meyer Whitworth Award are open to submissions. £10,000 prize for winning play produced between 1 November 2008 and 30 November 2009. Play must be nominated by director of a professional production company.
Deadline: Wednesday
31st March 2010.
writerSearch UK - Highlands and Islands.
TAPS in conjunction with
BBC Training and Development are offering writers from the
Highlands & Islands of Scotland the chance to attend a weekend workshop (16-18 April) to develop the storytelling skills necessary to write for a variety of platforms. I'll be there to offer script advice on your project.
Deadline: Tuesday
6th April 2010.
writerSearch UK - Northern Ireland.
TAPS in conjunction with
BBC Training and Development are offering writers from
Northern Ireland the chance to attend a weekend workshop (23-25 April) to devleop the storytelling skills necessary to write for a variety of platforms. I'll be there to offer script advice on your project.
Deadline: Tuesday
6th April 2010.
Hosking Houses Trust are offering female writers over 40 a residential fellowship and bursary.
Deadline: Monday
12th April 2010.
Unheard Voices - an 11-week long course run by
The Royal Court Theatre to find and nuture the next generation of young Muslim playwrights (18-25).
Deadline: Fri
16th April 2010.
Bare Bones will be a showcase night of new short plays performed at the Old Red Lion in Islington.
Deadline: Sat 17th April 2010.
South West Voices is a professional development scheme for writers from South West England. It is being jointly run by
BBC Writersroom,
SouthWest Screen and
BBC Independent Drama Commissioning.
Deadline: Wednesday
21st April 2010.
Street Voices 3 comes from Freedom Studios who are looking for the next generation of Yorkshire writers from ethnic backgrounds.
Deadline: Friday
23rd April 2010.
10 Minute Play Competition 2010 from
The Sussex Playwrights' Club and
New Venture Theatre.
Deadline: Friday
23rd April 2010.
Foxed Up Theatre are a new, exciting, all-female theatre company, seeking submissions from playwrights for casts of 7 or more women, to be performed at a London fringe venue later in the year.
Deadline: Friday
30th April 2010.
Fireworks is open for applications. This is the annual playwriting programme for emerging writers aged 16-25 run by
Tinderbox Theatre, Belfast. Deadline: Monday
3rd May 2010.
BBC Drama Writers Academy will open for applications on 12th April.
Deadline: Wednesday
5th May 2010.
The Leith Short Film Festival have teamed up with the Scottish Screenwriters Group to launch a Screenplay Competition as part of this years film festival. They're looking for short and feature length scripts.
Deadline: Friday
7th May 2010.
ReAnimate is open for applications from female screenwriters and animators. Run by Birds Eye View and Warp Films this animation development iniative will provide training to successful applicants with the aim of bringing animations by women to the screen.
Deadline: Friday
14th May 2010.
Ren Theatre is seeking ideas or scripts for a piece to be performed in April 2011. Maximum one act (1 hour) and 4 cast members.
Deadline: Friday
14th May 2010.
The Muslim Writers Awards are looking for creative, interesting and exciting screenplays from Muslim writers.
Deadline: Friday
14th May 2010.
MAD (Monologues & Duologues) Festival 2010 is open for submissions (from 19th April). WRiTEON are looking for plays for 1 or 2 voices, up to 20 mins in length, any genre.
Deadline: Friday
14th May 2010.
High Tide are now looking for new plays to produce at their 2011 Festival.
Deadline: Saturday
15th May 2010.

The 24 Hour Plays, part of Old Vic New Voices, is looking for fearless, talented writers aged 18-25. Successful applicants will write a play in 24 hours which will be performed in front of industry professionals.
Deadline: Monday 24th May 2010.
Coming Up 2011 is now open for applications. Run jointly by Channel Four and Touchpaper TV the scheme is open to Writers, Directors and Writer/Directors. Winning pieces will be broadcast on Channel Four.
Deadline: Wednesday 9th June 2010.

Pint-Sized Plays 2010 Writing Competition is now open for submissions. Plays should be 5-10 minutes long with 2-3 characters.
Deadline: Wednesday 30th June 2010.

Television Drama - The Writers Debate is by writers, for writers and will run in Leeds on Wed 30th June - Thu 1st July.

My One Word is looking for short screenplays with just one word of dialogue.
Deadline: Sunday 4th July 2010.

British Short Screenplay Competition is now open for submissions.
Late Deadline: Monday 5th July 2010.
Lazarus Films are looking for a feature film spec script from writers with a distinctive voice. Needs to be achievable on mico-budget of £100,000 to £500,000. Get in touch with a synopsis, outline/treatment, first 10 pages of script and short biography. No scripts at this stage.
Film production company
Breach Independent is looking for high-concept, visually interesting short film scripts for production summer 2010. Max length 10', achievable on small budget (£5-£10K) but all genres considered. Logline/synopsis only in the first instance.
Strong Point Theatre are looking for a talented writer to develop the script for a new musical, due to be work-shopped in April. The show centres around four young women in 1960s London, and the choices they make faced with the society that they find themselves in. We would like the script to explore the emancipation of women, so ideally (but not essentially) the writer who comes on board will have an interest in writing about this theme. There is a modest fee on offer for the successful writer. Expressions of interest, including any examples of past work if available, should be sent to Johannah Jolson (co-founding producer of Strong Point Theatre); info@strongpointtheatre.co.uk. For more information about Strong Point Theatre, please visit
www.strongpointtheatre.co.uk
Short film producers Loonatik & Drinks are looking for short film scripts to produce. They're looking for scripts under 10 minutes and will be shooting on HD. Although they're open to any genre they are particularly drawn to strong, original, dark tales with the potential for stunning visuals.
Short film production company Horseshoe Boy is looking for a short film script to produce this year. It will ideally be 4-5 minutes in length and needs to have a small number of characters and locations. If you think you've got something that might be right, then email an 1-page outline or treatment only at this stage to adam@horshoeboy.com