Save the Cat!® Announces the 2026 Screenplay Challenge Grand Prize Winners
Jason Kolinsky
The results are in! Save the Cat! is thrilled to announce the Grand Prize winners of the 2026 Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge.
This year’s Feature Grand Prize goes to Griffin Henry Sloan and Melissa Anderson for Midnight Sun, while Allison M. Gibson takes home the TV Pilot Grand Prize for Promised Land.
The two winning screenplays emerged from this year’s field after advancing through multiple rounds of the competition, culminating in our Top 5 Feature and TV Pilot finalists.
2026 Feature Screenplay Grand Prize Winner
Midnight Sun – Written by Griffin Henry Sloan and Melissa Anderson
Griffin Henry Sloan and Melissa Anderson are a mother-and-son duo of aspiring screenwriters based in New York City.
From Los Angeles to Montreal and finally New York, their experiences in multicultural environments have given them a unique perspective to share through their writing.
Congratulations, Griffin and Melissa!
2026 TV Pilot Grand Prize Winner
Promised Land – Written by Allison M. Gibson
Allison M. Gibson has had a long career as a television writer and producer in Hollywood, with credits including Home Improvement, Boy Meets World, Two Guys and a Girl, and Awkward. She was the creator and executive producer of Reba.
Allison and her husband have since created their own production company and are producing their first independent feature in fall 2026.
Congratulations, Allison!
What the 2026 Grand Prize Winners Receive
As Grand Prize winners of the Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge, Griffin, Melissa, and Allison will have the opportunity to take their stories beyond the page.
Among this year’s Grand Prize experiences are a trip to Los Angeles, industry meetings, a Producers Badge to the Austin Film Festival, and a live table read at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in West Hollywood.
The table read gives the winning writers the opportunity to hear professional actors bring their screenplay to life—an exciting next chapter for Midnight Sun and Promised Land.
Every Screenplay Gets Read – and Every Writer Gets Feedback
While today belongs to our winners, the Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge is designed to provide something valuable to every writer who enters, whether they’re submitting their first screenplay or have been writing professionally for years.
Every eligible screenplay submitted to the competition receives a full read and 50 Points of Analysis from an experienced Save the Cat! reader.
The analysis examines the screenplay through the lens of the Save the Cat! methodology, giving writers actionable feedback they can use to continue developing their story and their craft.
Because wherever you are in your screenwriting journey, there’s always another opportunity to become a better storyteller.
Congratulations to Our 2026 Screenplay Challenge Winners
Feature Grand Prize
Midnight Sun – Griffin Henry Sloan and Melissa Anderson
TV Pilot Grand Prize
Promised Land – Allison M. Gibson
Congratulations to Griffin, Melissa, and Allison, as well as our Top 5 finalists and everyone who submitted their work to this year’s Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge!
We can’t wait to see where these stories—and their writers—go next.
Learn More about the 2026 Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge>>
Share this article:
Similar Articles
Subscribe to Save the Cat! Newsletter
