Script software king adds TV categories as over 6,600 writers go for the prestigious prizes
(CALABASAS, CA — August 14, 2013) — Final Draft, Inc., publisher of Final Draft®, the #1-selling screenwriting software in the world, announced today a record number of submissions for its 14th annual Big Break Screenwriting Contest, one of the most highly regarded screen and television writing competitions in the world. By July 31, 2013, at the close of the submission process, 6,668 writers had entered a feature film or television screenplay. Two Grand Prize winners – one each for film and TV -will be announced at the Final Draft Annual Awards Event on January 7, 2014.
The goal of the Big Break Screenwriting Contest is to spotlight the undiscovered talent of exceptional aspiring screenwriters. Winners and finalists are awarded over $80,000 in cash and prizes, flown to Los Angeles for the awards show and brought to meetings with top industry professionals. Long known for its generous payouts to aspiring film writers, this year’s contest marks the debut of television categories in the competition.
Final Draft VP of Events and Services and director of the Big Break Contest Shelly Mellott says, “We’ve long been known as a premier competition for aspiring film writers but Final Draft users have been asking for a television contest for years. Now, in addition to introducing feature film writers to the industry, we can showcase excellent television writers at the same time. With so much incredible writing on TV now, we look forward to launching careers on both the large and small screen.”
A breakdown of the submissions paints a portrait of the aspirations of today’s fledgling writers. There were 4,952 feature screenplay submissions for the seven genre competitions, with the finalist from each genre moving on to the judging for the feature screenplay grand prize. The genre submissions break as: action adventure (615); comedy (1,145); dramas (1,373); family/animation (255); period/historical/war (424); sci-fi/fantasy (455); and thriller/horror (685).
The 1,716 television entries, all of whose category winners compete for the TV grand prize, break down as follows: original half-hour pilots (579); spec teleplays for existing half-hour shows (236); original hour-long pilots (759); and spec teleplays for existing hour-long shows (142).
Marc Madnick, CEO and co-founder, Final Draft, Inc. adds, “Adding genres allows us to recognize more talented writers across the board and give a sci-fi or a family script equal footing with a drama or comedy. I’m also incredibly excited by the response of aspiring television writers to the Big Break Contest. We’re working with more writers, more readers, and more judges to find the very best aspiring film and television writers out there. It’s a whole new ball game.”
The Big Break Contest has an excellent track record for helping their winners find success in Hollywood. The 2012 Big Break Contest Grand Prize winner Craig Houchin’s script “Ludlow” is in development at Katonah Pictures, and the 2010 co-winner Adam Perlman earned a spot on the writing staff at HBO’s “Newsroom,” run by executive producer and 2010 Final Draft Hall of Fame inductee Aaron Sorkin. 2010 Big Break third-place winner Larry Brenner’s career skyrocketed after his winning script, Bethlehem, sold in a six-figure deal with Universal.
About the Final Draft Big Break International Screenwriting Contest
Now in its 14th year, the Big Break Screenwriting Contest has become one of the most renowned because of its generous payout and previous winners’ successes. The goal of the Final Draft Big Break Contest is to spotlight the undiscovered talent of exceptional aspiring screenwriters. Winners and finalists are awarded over $80,000 in cash plus meetings with industry professionals.
Past winners and finalists alike have had their screenplays optioned and produced, and have secured high-profile representation as well as lucrative writing deals. For more information on Big Break success stories, visit www.finaldraft.com/products/big-break/success-stories.php. To see of past and present judges for the completion, visit http://www.finaldraft.com/products/big-break/index.php#judges. For information about the Final Draft Annual Awards Event, visit http://www.finaldraft.com/company/annual-event/
About Final Draft, Inc.
Final Draft, Inc. has published Final Draft software – the number-one selling screenwriting application in the world – for over 20 years. Final Draft software automatically paginates and formats scripts to industry standards allowing writers to focus on what they do best – scripting stories. Used by industry giants, like J.J. Abrams, James Cameron, Aaron Sorkin, and more, Final Draft has become the professional’s choice and the entertainment industry standard. In addition to its flagship software product, Final Draft, Inc. offers other services for writers, like the Big Break Contest – a screenwriting contest that launches careers and awards over $80,000 in cash and prizes and professional script coverage with its ScriptXpert services. In 2012, Final Draft, Inc. launched Final Draft Mobile™, a division focused on bringing screenwriting tools to mobile devices. The Final Draft Reader® and Final Draft Writer® apps for iPad are the first in a series of mobile apps to be brought to market. To learn more about Final Draft, Inc. and its products and services, visit: www.finaldraft.com.
