Fade in Awards

Now in its 30th year, the FADE IN AWARDS deliver. But my script Preston Tylk won and got me an ICM agent. And yes, ladies, we have female alumni as well!

Now in its 30th year, the FADE IN AWARDS deliver industry recognition, career-making mentoring and unprecedented direct access to hundreds of Hollywood agents, managers, executives and producers. Established in 1996 by accredited writers and producers, the Fade In Awards have proven, year after year, that when it comes to establishing emerging artists within the Hollywood entertainment community,

all it takes is a solid support network to begin your career as a working filmmaker. Fade In accepts screenplays, teleplays, short films and web series to compete in nine separate award categories – action, comedy, horror, sci-fi, thriller, true story/biopic, shorts and pilots – from aspiring writers and directors worldwide. Fade In then works with its finalists to bring their projects up to professional standards before making key industry introductions. Hollywood’s top agents, managers and producers have become accustomed to requesting Fade In’s award-winning material. Executive Producer/Creator/Writer Jon Bokenkamp (The BlackList) calls his decision to enter the Fade In Awards, “The most important moment in my career.” “When CBS Studios producer Todd Nelson encouraged me to submit, my inclination was to say, ‘No.’ I remember thinking there was no way I could afford it. It was huge for me.” Bokenkamp went on to work with Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry on Taking Lives and Perfect Stranger, respectively. Other notable Fade In alumni include Josh Gordon and Will Speck (Office Christmas Party, The Switch, Blades of Glory), Max Mayer (Adam, The West Wing), Matthew Healy (Clay Pigeons) and Frank Baldwin (Hard Powder). Grand Prize award-winners Colleen Schukei and Heather Petersen want you to know “The Fade In Awards deliver! Of all the contests to enter THIS is the one. We can’t say enough about the amazing staff who took us under their wing, and prepared us to enter the professional world of screenwriting. We also received invaluable notes that went through our script – line by line – to get it ‘market ready.’ We have now landed a producer and look forward to taking the next step.”

Grand Prize winners are flown to Los Angeles to attend the Hollywood Pitch Festival, where they will meet with their choice of 200 buyers and reps. First-prize finalists receive a five-hundred dollar cash prize and 20 submissions at Greenlightmymovie.com, Hollywood’s Official Submission Platform.. Second-place finalists receive a $250 cash prize and 15 submissions at Greenlightmymovie.com. Enter today. You’re just a submission away from being discovered!

06/18/2026

Writers want to win a VIP Pass to the 2026 Hollywood Pitch Festival?

Only 2 chances left. Which, if you’re a Drama or Thriller writer, is either exhilarating… or mildly terrifying.

For 30 years, the Fade In Awards hasn’t just discovered talent—it’s been quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) launching careers. The kind where you go from “working on something” to actually working—with agents, managers, producers, and the people who can say yes.

And they do say yes.

Our alumni don’t just place—they sign. With CAA, WME, UTA, Gersh, Paradigm, IPG. Their scripts turn into films and series like "The Marksman," "Your Honor," "The Blacklist," "Cold Pursuit," "Blades of Glory," and Hulu’s "Hit Monkey."

In other words: this is where things start to happen.

Prizes include:

A VIP Pass to the 30th Hollywood Pitch Festival
Cash prizes (always helpful)
A mentorship session with
Submission opportunities with
Exposure to 3,000+ industry buyers and representatives

Two chances left. No pressure. (Okay, a little pressure.)

Enter here: FadeInAwards.com

06/17/2026

Writers, 3 days left.

Which is just enough time to convince yourself your script is either a masterpiece or a cry for help—sometimes within the same paragraph.

The Fade In Awards Drama Competition is closing, and this is the part where you stare at a perfectly good sentence and think, “But what if it were… slightly worse?”

We’re looking for original stories, characters who feel like people you’d save a seat for, and dialogue that knows exactly when to slip out of the party.

Drama can be anything—love, crime, family, politics, quiet revelations, loud mistakes, or that story you’ve been carrying around like a secret you’re finally ready to tell.

Winners receive a VIP Hollywood Pitch Festival pass, cash, mentorship, and the rare, wonderful thing: your work placed gently but confidently in front of people who can open doors.

You can keep polishing, of course. You can adjust a comma, rethink a line, wonder if Act Two needs to be… entirely different.

Or you can do something wild and deeply adult: submit.

Enter at www.fadeinawards.com or FilmFreeway.

06/11/2026

The 30th Hollywood Pitch Festival is coming—July 31 through August 3—and if you’ve ever wanted to be in the room where things actually happen, this is that room. (You can take part via Zoom, as well!)

Which makes this the part where you might start telling yourself a story. Something along the lines of: maybe next year, maybe when the script is better, maybe when I feel more ready. It’s a very persuasive story. It’s also how people miss out on perfectly good opportunities.

Because right now, you still have two chances to enter the Fade In Awards—and yes, that includes a shot at a VIP Pass to the 30th Annual Hollywood Pitch Festival.

And that’s not symbolic access. That’s real meetings, real conversations, the kind where someone actually asks, “What else are you working on?”

Your script does not need to be perfect. In fact, if you wait for perfect, you’ll be waiting longer than anyone recommends.

It just needs to be entered.

Go ahead. This is the fun part.

FadeInAwards.com

06/09/2026

Writers, there are 10 days left until the June 20 deadline, which is exactly enough time to either submit your script or spiral over a comma.

The Fade In Awards Drama Competition is wrapping up, and this is the moment where you decide if you’re done — or if your main character still needs to say “well” before every sentence.

We’re looking for original stories, characters who feel suspiciously real, and dialogue that knows when to quit.

Drama can be anything — crime, family, political, noir, western, or whatever you’re calling it when even you aren’t quite sure what it is.

Winners get a VIP Hollywood Pitch Festival pass, cash, mentorship, and their work in front of people who can actually makes things happen.

This is opportunity, gently knocking while you adjust that one line.

Enter at www.fadeinawards.com or FilmFreeway.

06/04/2026

When writers like Annie point a finger at the Fade In Awards and say “pay attention,” you’d be a fool not to listen. That’s not polite applause — that’s a flare shot into the sky.

We didn’t build this thing for polite applause anyway. We built it for the sleep-deprived, story-obsessed few who know momentum, visibility and a crack in the door are hard to come by.

Sure, every submission is a gamble — your script thrown into the arena daring the industry to look away. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it can’t.

You'll never know until you take the shot.

👉 fadeinawards.com

06/01/2026

Congratulations to the 30th Comedy Competition Winners!

Grand Prize
“”
by Ryan Clarke

1st Prize
“BANK RUN”
by Arnaud Hubert

2nd Prize
“FRANKSLIST”
by Christine Celozzi

05/31/2026

Writers! Enter before the clock strikes twelve!

DRAMA: Regular Deadline
THRILLER: Early Deadline

Is there a story burning a hole in your hard drive? We want to read it!

Judges seek work that refuses to play it safe. Stories driven by character, executed with precision, and told in a voice we haven’t heard before. Bring your feature scripts, pilots, teleplays, shorts and web series, if it stands out – it moves forward.

Winners receive:

- 2026 VIP Hollywood Pitch Festival Pass
- Cash prizes
- A Next-Level Scribe mentorship session
- GreenlightMyMovie submissions
- Marketing exposure to 3,000+ buyers and representatives

This is more than recognition. It’s access.

Enter now: www.fadeinawards.com or via FilmFreeway

05/26/2026

5 Days & Counting! Regular Deadline: May 31, 2026.

The 30th Annual Fade In Awards Drama Competition is now in its final stretch.

We’re looking for stories that feel original. Worlds that feel lived in. Characters that stay with you. Banter that gets straight to the point.

Drama, in all its forms—crime, political, family, noir, war, western, or something that doesn’t fit a label at all.

If it works, it belongs here. And if it stands out, it moves forward.

Winners receive:
A 2026 VIP Hollywood Pitch Festival Pass
Cash prizes
A Next Level Scribe mentor session
GreenlightMyMovie submissions
And their project marketed to over 3,000 buyers and representatives

This is more than recognition. It’s access 👉 www.fadeinawards.com or via FilmFreeway

05/21/2026

Writers! What are you waiting for? Enter early and save!

The 30th Annual Fade In Awards Thriller Competition is now open for entries. We’re looking for thrillers that refuse to play it safe—psychological, supernatural, political, suspense, action, tech. Stories driven by character, told with precision, and written or filmed with a voice we haven’t heard before.

If it makes our pulse race, it belongs here.

Winners receive a VIP Pass to the 30th Annual Hollywood Pitch Festival, cash prizes, mentorship at NextLevelScribe.com, submissions at GreenlightMyMovie.com, and marketing to 3,000+ buyers and representatives.

Why wait? 👉 fadeinawards.com

05/20/2026

The clock’s almost out — and comedy doesn’t wait.

The 30th Annual Fade In Awards COMEDY Competition hits its final deadline at midnight TONIGHT, May 20, 2026.

This isn’t about safe laughs or easy punchlines. It’s about bold voices — the ones that swing, sting, and stick. Scripts that take risks. Comedy that leaves a mark.

We’re open to screenplays, teleplays, shorts, and web series that push past the expected and into something unforgettable.

Winners receive cash prizes, a VIP pass to the 2026 Hollywood Pitch Festival, and exposure through GreenlightMyMovie and mentorship via Next Level Scribe — plus your workmarketed to 3,000+ industry professionals who can actually open doors.

Midnight is closer than you think.

Submit now: www.fadeinawards.com or FilmFreeway

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Website

https://fadeinonline.com/best-script-contest-submission

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