We are absolutely thrilled to announce the GOLDEN LIST of 2026! Congratulations to everyone who made it onto this year’s list! Selected from an incredible 1,880 submissions, we’ve handpicked the top 15 unproduced feature scripts, 9 exceptional TV pilots and 6 outstanding short scripts. This carefully curated selection will soon be shared with our industry partners, including creative executives, producers, and directors actively seeking fresh, unproduced material. Feel free t

The wait is over! After more than a year of excitement and anticipation, we’re beyond thrilled to reveal the WINNERS of 2026! This year’s edition was truly remarkable (and highly competitive). Out of 1,880 scripts, only 13% made the final cut. Congratulations to everyone who made it, as well as to everyone who was nominated as a quarter-finalist, semifinalist, or finalist. Stay tuned as THE GOLDEN LIST announcement will be made on September 15th, 2026! FEATURE CATEGORY WINNER

Good news! We are thrilled to announce that we are now down to the last 17 SHORTS, 25 TV PILOTS, and 32 FEATURES. We’re delighted to congratulate the talented screenwriters whose scripts have advanced to this final stage. Check out our FINALISTS OF 2026! The WINNERS will be announced on September 10th, 2026, followed by the GOLDEN LIST announcement on September 15th. So stay tuned! Short Script Finalists Feature Script Finalists TV Pilot Script Finalists Thanks once again and

2026 SEMIFINALISTS ANNOUNCED! Congratulations to all the screenwriters who have advanced to this next round! Short Screenplay Semifinalists Feature Screenplay Semifinalists TV Pilot Screenplay Semifinalists Those who are progressing will be receiving further emails from our team. The FINALISTS will be announced on September 5th, followed by the WINNERS on September 10th. We extend our best wishes to all of you! Stay tuned! Until next time, The Golden Script Competition Team

The wait is over! The moment we've all been looking forward to is finally here: the announcement of the 2026 QUARTER-FINALISTS is here! The level of competition this year was notably high, with an impressive total of 1,880 scripts submitted. As a result, only 13% of these outstanding entries made it through to the quarter-finals. We have our fingers crossed that our esteemed PARTNERS will soon discover the potential of these remarkable scripts. This year's prizes include excl

Courtroom dramas have given cinema some of its most memorable confrontations, from tense cross-examinations to closing arguments that seem capable of changing the outcome of an entire case. It is easy to understand why screenwriters are drawn to these stories, since a courtroom already contains many of the ingredients needed for compelling drama: two opposing sides, strict rules, information that can be revealed gradually, and consequences that may permanently alter a charact

Some films feel like an adrenaline rush from the opening scene to the closing credits. They never give the audience a chance to settle in, process what just happened, or relax before the next problem arrives. Instead, every decision creates another crisis, every success comes with a hidden cost, and every moment of relief is cut short. It is an approach that keeps viewers emotionally invested because they are experiencing the same pressure as the protagonist. Few films demons

The pilot of Your Friends & Neighbors (TV Series 2025– ) feels effortless on the surface, but that smoothness comes from very deliberate writing choices, the kind that are easy to miss if you are not actively studying how the script is working. This is a pilot that understands rhythm, escalation, and character contradiction, and it uses all three to guide the viewer through a dense setup without ever feeling heavy. Anchored by Jon Hamm as Andrew “Coop” Cooper, the episode tra

All screenwriters will hit the same frustrating wall. The first act snaps into place, the premise is thrilling, and the characters are moving, then somewhere in the middle it all begins to drag, the second act turns into a bog of repetitive or unfocused scenes, and all of a sudden the story that seemed electric begins to run out of energy. This is among the most prevalent issues in screenwriting, and it does not indicate that your idea is flawed, it typically implies that you

The Golden Script Competition is now officially open for submissions for its 2027 edition, welcoming entries in feature films, TV pilots, and short scripts. You can submit via our ENTRY FORM, FilmFreeway, ISA or Stage32. Earlybird Deadline: October 29, 2026 Final Deadline: March 6, 2027 Extended Deadline: March 29, 2027 All nominees will be announced on June 20, 2027. Have a look at our rules HERE. Happy writing, and we look forward to reading your work! The Golden Script Com

There are movies in which conflict is established right at the beginning, in which the viewer is led to a certain conclusion of who is the antagonist and why this antagonism is important. Nightcrawler (2014) is heading in the opposite direction, showing a world in which hostility is not limited to one character but rather develops over time through actions, setting, and silent complicity. It is not about fighting but about acknowledgment, a gradual understanding that somethi

Writing is an art that thrives on observation, empathy, and an understanding of how people behave when the world around them begins to fracture. In contemporary screenwriting, few writers capture emotional complexity and structural experimentation quite like Alice Birch. Birch has built a reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in modern film and television. Her work often explores identity, gender, power, and the fragile connections between people. She does this thr