The “Scripts for Scholars” Script Writing Competition provides emerging screenwriters with a unique opportunity to have their work produced as part of an educational filmmaking experience with the Trilith Institute. The winning script will serve as the foundation for a hands-on production training program, allowing students to apply their skills in writing, directing, cinematography, and editing within a collaborative film environment. This competition supports new voices in filmmaking while offering students an immersive learning opportunity to bring a script to life in a professional production setting.
Winner Receives:
💰 $500 Prize
🎬 Script Produced by Student Filmmakers
🔹 Submissions Open Now!
Competition Timeline:
February 2: Competition Launch Date
March 2: Submission Deadline
March 16: Finalists Notified
March 24 & 25: Finalist Interviews
March 30: Winner Announced
Deadline: March 2, 2026
General Eligibility
All applicants must be 18+ years old.
All screenplays (“Scripts”) submitted must be in English.
Scripts must not have been optioned, have a shopping agreement, or sold, or have any changes in status following submission.
Scripts that have already been produced are ineligible.
No revisions or missing pages will be accepted once an entry has been received.
This program is intended for new and emerging writers yet to receive a writing credit in the film and television industry.
Awards are based solely on the overall merit of entries at Trilith Institute’s sole discretion. Trilith Institute reserves the right not to grant an award.
Requirments
Full competition details are provided in the forms section.
The Trilith Institute 365 Fund supports all aspects of the 501(c)(3) organization.
$250 pays for a single episode of the Trilith Institute Talks podcast.
$500 feeds cast and crew for one Creative Excellence Fellowship Grant film
$650 provides a one-week scholarship to the Script to Screen Summer Camp
$1000 covers a Dinner With… events where students talk with industry experts over dinner
No amount is too big or small.
