Act Up! Screenwriter’s Competition happens in three rounds:

Round 1 - Submission period. September 2018 - June 2019.

During this period the contest is heavily marketed to filmmakers of all levels, with a heavy focus on film communities, both online and large scale organizations (such as Gotham Writer’s Workshop and NYWIFT).

Round 2 - June 15th - June 30th.

Before or on June 30th, the top five writers are notified that they have reached the finals, and begin a mentor relationship with a professional screenwriter hand selected by Vanessa King (Gotham Writer’s Workshop | NY Screenwriter’s Collective). The semi-finalists must submit a 10-page script to their mentor for initial feedback, and begin initial pitch preparation for the final leg of the contest in August during the Hip Hop Film Festival.

Round 3 - August 1st -August 4th.

The top five are invited to pitch in competition at Act Up! Powered by Final Draft. Each contestant is given 5 minutes to pitch their work (pitch / stage reading combo) to a panel of esteemed Hollywood producers.  Each finalist will have access to a pool of the most talented actors and actresses coming up in film and theatre to help deliver the live read portion of their pitch.