SUBMISSIONS OPEN

All entrants receive 50 points of analysis—at no extra cost. 

All scripts receive a full read. 

Feedback is grounded in structure—not subjective opinion.

Our approach is simple: a screenplay competition that uses the same language the writer, the reader, and the decision makers use when analyzing your work.

Introducing year 3 of “Blake Snyder’s SAVE THE CAT!® SCREENPLAY CHALLENGE.”

Now accepting both feature film and 60-minute TV scripts.

All entrants will receive:
• 50 points of analysis report adapted from the Save the Cat! Greenlight Checklist (Save the Cat!® Strikes Back – pages 104-108)
• A review by readers and judges trained in the Save the Cat! Methodology
• Feedback grounded in structure and marketability and consistently applied to all scripts

Awards & Prizes

Grand Prize Winner(s)
• 3-day trip to LA ($600)
• 3-night hotel stay ($1200)
• Live table read to bring your work to life
• A real pitch to a production company in LA
• 4-month subscription and magazine winners listing in INKTIP ($500 value)
• 12-month subscription to host your work on The Black List on us
• Save the Cat! 4.0 Software – 12 Month Subscription

Top 5 Finalists
• Meeting with one of the judges
• 4-month subscription and magazine winners listing in INKTIP ($500 value)
• Save the Cat! 4.0 Software – 12 Month Subscription

Your Submissions
• We want screenplays that are entertaining and have a strong and unique voice that grabs the audience – after all, if it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the screen
• See all details on the Film Freeway site (link below)

KEY DATES

Earlybird Deadline – November 29, 2020
Feature: $129  USD
Hour Long TV: $119  USD

Regular Deadline – January 31, 2021
Feature: $139  USD
Hour Long TV: $129  USD

Late Deadline – February 28, 2021
Feature: $145  USD
Hour Long TV: $136  USD

Extended Deadline – March 28, 2021
Feature: $149  USD
Hour Long TV: $144  USD

Check out Testimonials from Current Entrants and Last Year’s Winner!

JUDGES

SHEILA HANAHAN TAYLOR
A producer and partner of Practical Pictures, Sheila is known for such movie franchises as American Pie, Final Destination, and Cats & Dogs, which have earned over $500 million worldwide. In 2018, Sheila produced the box-office hit Breaking In. She is also a visiting professor and lecturer at various film programs around the globe.

JULIET BERMAN
As Head of Development at Treehouse Pictures, Juliet oversees the development and packaging of the Treehouse Pictures’ slate. Her credits at Treehouse include Producer of Set It Up, Executive Producer on Sand Castle (both for Netflix), and Co-producer on Mediterranea.

ZACHARY LEVINE
Zachary Levine is a Creative Executive at Gilbert Films, a Los Angeles-based production and finance company known for La La Land, The Kids Are All Right, and Garden State. He oversees the development slate, tracks and ideates projects for financing and development, and scouts talent.

JAMIE NASH
The author of the soon to be released Save the Cat! Writes For TV: The Last Book on Creating Binge-Worthy Content You’ll Ever Need is a working and accomplished screenwriter. Jamie has written and sold almost every type of story under the sun, including horror films like Exists, V/H/S/2, The Night Watchmen, Altered, and Lovely Molly, and family films like Santa Hunters and Tiny Christmas. He teaches screenwriting at MICA and Johns Hopkins and co-hosts the podcast Writers/Blockbusters.

BOBBY HOPPEY
Bobby Hoppey is an independent producer and consultant who currently serves as an advisor to 2 upstart LA-based production companies, Everlast Pictures and Complementary Colors. A seasoned story analyst, Bobby was a founding member and ran development for Valparaiso Pictures, where his projects included Straight Up and the upcoming Pig with Nicolas Cage. Prior to Valparaiso, Bobby spent 5 years at Echo Lake Entertainment, where he managed projects across the film and television divisions.

Watch this space for more judges to be announced soon!