Fade in Awards

Fade in Awards Now in its 30th year, the FADE IN AWARDS deliver. But my script Preston Tylk won and got me an ICM agent. And yes, ladies, we have female alumni as well!

Now in its 30th year, the FADE IN AWARDS deliver industry recognition, career-making mentoring and unprecedented direct access to hundreds of Hollywood agents, managers, executives and producers. Established in 1996 by accredited writers and producers, the Fade In Awards have proven, year after year, that when it comes to establishing emerging artists within the Hollywood entertainment community, all it takes is a solid support network to begin your career as a working filmmaker. Fade In accepts screenplays, teleplays, short films and web series to compete in nine separate award categories – action, comedy, horror, sci-fi, thriller, true story/biopic, shorts and pilots – from aspiring writers and directors worldwide. Fade In then works with its finalists to bring their projects up to professional standards before making key industry introductions. Hollywood’s top agents, managers and producers have become accustomed to requesting Fade In’s award-winning material. Executive Producer/Creator/Writer Jon Bokenkamp (The BlackList) calls his decision to enter the Fade In Awards, “The most important moment in my career.” “When CBS Studios producer Todd Nelson encouraged me to submit, my inclination was to say, ‘No.’ I remember thinking there was no way I could afford it. It was huge for me.” Bokenkamp went on to work with Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry on Taking Lives and Perfect Stranger, respectively. Other notable Fade In alumni include Josh Gordon and Will Speck (Office Christmas Party, The Switch, Blades of Glory), Max Mayer (Adam, The West Wing), Matthew Healy (Clay Pigeons) and Frank Baldwin (Hard Powder). Grand Prize award-winners Colleen Schukei and Heather Petersen want you to know “The Fade In Awards deliver! Of all the contests to enter THIS is the one. We can’t say enough about the amazing staff who took us under their wing, and prepared us to enter the professional world of screenwriting. We also received invaluable notes that went through our script – line by line – to get it ‘market ready.’ We have now landed a producer and look forward to taking the next step.”

Grand Prize winners are flown to Los Angeles to attend the Hollywood Pitch Festival, where they will meet with their choice of 200 buyers and reps. First-prize finalists receive a five-hundred dollar cash prize and 20 submissions at Greenlightmymovie.com, Hollywood’s Official Submission Platform.. Second-place finalists receive a $250 cash prize and 15 submissions at Greenlightmymovie.com. Enter today. You’re just a submission away from being discovered!

The Fade In Awards were built with the writer in mind because we know what writing a screenplay is actually like.You spe...
08/07/2026

The Fade In Awards were built with the writer in mind because we know what writing a screenplay is actually like.

You spend months talking to imaginary people and then another year trying to get real people to answer your email.
Which is why the Fade In Awards exist. Not to hand you another laurel you'll forget you won in six months, but to do the thing writers actually need: get your script in front of people who can do something with it. Recognition, mentorship, industry access, cash prizes, and a VIP pass to the Hollywood Pitch Festival. Otherwise known as reasons to keep going.

Because Hollywood rarely changes your life overnight. It usually changes it one introduction, one meeting, one "send me your script" at a time.

Enter the Fade In Awards at fadeinawards.com

Midnight, July 20. It’s very soon. Emotionally, it may already be here.30th Annual Fade In AwardsTHRILLER CompetitionFin...
07/20/2026

Midnight, July 20. It’s very soon. Emotionally, it may already be here.
30th Annual Fade In Awards
THRILLER Competition
Final Deadline: July 20, 2026

We’ve reached that moment—the one where the deadline stops feeling theoretical and starts feeling like a personality trait.

There are two kinds of people right now: the ones who have already uploaded their script and are calmly hydrating, and the ones who have suddenly become very interested in reorganizing their desktop.

Unfortunately, thrillers do not reward avoidance.

The good ones linger. They tap you on the shoulder at inconvenient times. They make perfectly reasonable people double-check the locks and reconsider their life choices.

We’re not looking for “safe.” No one remembers safe. We’re looking for control—the kind that knows exactly what it’s doing, even as everything onscreen begins to unravel in a deeply compelling way.

Psychological, supernatural, political, grounded, completely unhinged—genre is flexible. Point of view is not.

If your script keeps someone up at night you’re already ahead of most people.

What you’re entering for:
- VIP Pass to the Hollywood Pitch Festival
- Cash Prize
- Mentorship at NextLevelScribe.com
- Submissions to GreenlightMyMovie.com
- Exposure to 3,000+ buyers and representatives

Enter now: fadeinwards.com

Writers, the final countdown just got real.30th Annual Fade In AwardsTHRILLER CompetitionFinal Deadline: Midnight, July ...
07/15/2026

Writers, the final countdown just got real.

30th Annual Fade In Awards
THRILLER Competition
Final Deadline: Midnight, July 20, 2026

Five days, which, depending on your personality, is either plenty of time or absolutely none at all—and this is also your last chance to win a VIP Hollywood Pitch Festival Pass!

Here’s the inconvenient truth about thrillers: The good ones unsettle. They whisper. They linger in the room long after the lights are off.

We’re not looking for “safe.” We’re looking for control in the chaos — a voice that knows exactly what it’s doing, even when everything onscreen is spiraling.

Psychological, supernatural, political, grounded, completely unhinged — genre is flexible. Point of view is not.

If your script keeps people up at night, you’re already halfway there.

What you’re entering for:
- VIP Pass to the Hollywood Pitch Festival
- Cash Prize
- Mentorship at NextLevelScribe.com
- Submissions to GreenlightMyMovie.com
- Exposure to 3,000+ buyers and representatives

Enter now: fadeinwards.com

Writers, we're officially in the final stretch! 30th Annual Fade In AwardsTHRILLER CompetitionFinal Deadline: Midnight, ...
07/10/2026

Writers, we're officially in the final stretch!
30th Annual Fade In Awards

THRILLER Competition
Final Deadline: Midnight, July 20, 2026

Ten days to stop second-guessing and send the script.

But here’s the thing about thrillers: they’re not supposed to feel safe. If your script makes people a little uneasy — if it lingers, if it surprises, if it knows something we don’t — that’s not a problem. That’s the point.

We’re looking for thrillers with a point of view. Psychological, supernatural, political, grounded, unhinged, comedic even — none of that matters as much as the voice behind it. The confidence. The sense that someone is in control, even when everything onscreen is not.

If it keeps us up past our bedtime, it belongs here.

What you’re entering for:

- VIP Pass to the Hollywood Pitch Festival
- Cash Prize
- Mentorship at NextLevelScribe.com
- Submissions to GreenlightMyMovie.com
- Exposure to 3,000+ buyers and representatives

You can spend the next ten days wondering if it’s ready.
Or you can submit it and let someone else lose sleep over it!
Enter now: fadeinwards.com

Congratulations to our 2nd Annual Fade In Fellowship Winners!Grand Prize“HAVEN"by Alessandro Chille1st Place“BURDEN OF S...
07/01/2026

Congratulations to our 2nd Annual Fade In Fellowship Winners!

Grand Prize
“HAVEN"
by Alessandro Chille

1st Place
“BURDEN OF SILENCE”
Paul Frank

2nd Place
“THE REACH”
by Tsung-Long Wu

Congratulations to our 30th Annual Drama Competition Winners! Grand PrizeVICE GRIP by Steven Traviss Smith 1st PlaceGEOR...
06/30/2026

Congratulations to our 30th Annual Drama Competition Winners!

Grand Prize
VICE GRIP
by Steven Traviss Smith

1st Place
GEORGE OF THE WATER TOWER
by Kenneth Arthur

2nd Place
RED IRON MAMA by Jaime Tintor

Writers, the clock is ticking.30th Annual Fade In AwardsTHRILLER CompetitionRegular Deadline: Midnight. Tonight! June 30...
06/30/2026

Writers, the clock is ticking.

30th Annual Fade In Awards
THRILLER Competition
Regular Deadline: Midnight. Tonight! June 30, 2026

We’re looking for thrillers that don’t behave. The kind that linger. The kind that make you double-check the locks, rethink the ending, or stay up later than you meant to.

Psychological, supernatural, political, suspenseful, action-driven, or tech-forward — what matters most is voice. A point of view. A story that knows exactly what it’s doing and takes us somewhere we didn’t see coming.

If it keeps us on edge, it belongs here.

The bag...
- VIP Pass to the Hollywood Pitch Festival
- Cash Prize
- Mentorship at NextLevelScribe.com
- Submissions to GreenlightMyMovie.com
- Plus your project marketed to 3,000+ buyers and representatives

So yes, you could wait. You could open another tab, tell yourself you’ll come back to it later, maybe after dinner, maybe tomorrow. But tomorrow will be too late.

Which means this is your moment. Take it!
Enter now: fadeinwards.com

Nothing makes us happier than hearing that writers had a great experience and, even more impressive, survived the proces...
06/23/2026

Nothing makes us happier than hearing that writers had a great experience and, even more impressive, survived the process with their sanity intact. For 30 years, we’ve been celebrating talent and making introductions, and we’ve always believed the process should feel thoughtful, welcoming, and free of unnecessary drama. Because let’s be honest: the stories are serious, the talent is real, and the experience should not feel like a hostage negotiation. So thank you to every writer who trusts us with their work.

Explore more at FadeInAwards.com and see what’s waiting for your story.

Midnight is coming... which is the sort of phrase that makes everything sound more dramatic than it probably is, except ...
06/20/2026

Midnight is coming... which is the sort of phrase that makes everything sound more dramatic than it probably is, except in this case, where it is.

The Fade In Awards Drama Competition closes with it, and if your script is still sitting on the table, this is the moment to stop gazing at it like a misunderstood object and send it into the world.

We’re looking for drama that stays with you — stories with pulse, characters with actual inner lives, and dialogue that knows how to get in, do the job, and leave before it starts explaining itself. Family, crime, politics, noir, westerns, or the beautifully unclassifiable: we’re not picky, just interested.

Winners receive a VIP Hollywood Pitch Festival pass, cash, mentorship, and the kind of opportunity that can turn a good script into a real conversation.

So if it’s ready, let it speak! That’s what scripts are for.

Enter at www.fadeinawards.com or FilmFreeway

Congratulations Fade In Fellowship Semi-FinalistsD.B.S. Eugene HattinghA LEG UP Anthony ColanninoA MISNAMED FATE Chelsea...
06/19/2026

Congratulations Fade In Fellowship Semi-Finalists

D.B.S. Eugene Hattingh
A LEG UP Anthony Colannino
A MISNAMED FATE Chelsea Lin
AGAINST OUR WILL Jean Michel Fages & Antoine Caulliez
AGONY Maverick J. Schry
ANCHOR BABY Eduardo Moral Escudero
BECOMING ISAAC Victor B. Atkins
BETTER ANGELS Shannon Denise Evans
BLEEDERS Andrew David Paterson
BLOOD RIG John Fife Sr.
BURDEN OF SILENCE Paul Frank
BURNING WATER Loren Davis
CHUGGA CHUGGA BANG BANG Andy Gonzalez–Bendiksen & Liz Magallane
CITIZANOS Efrain Cortes
CLEARLAKE Robert Frank Hirsch
CLOSER TO THE SUN Sara Althani
DARK COUNTRY Daniel Yi
DO BIG THINGS Josue Perez
DONORA Judy Jansen
DURANGO Daniel J. Ricottone
EUREKA SPRINGS Chris Knauer
EVELYN Fabian G. Henault
FERAL MOUNTAINS Terry Luke Podnar
FIRME Stephen Guillén
FROM WHENCE WE CAME Charles Maxwell
GEORGIA, MY HOME Kennedy Brabham
GNARLED GODS J. R. Dimuzio
HAVEN Alessandro Chille
HELLFIRE FOR HIRE Multi Puliyze
HIS MOTIVE TO KILL Jeremy Blackwell
IMPERFECT Matthew DeJohn
IN A FULL MOON'S FORTNIGHT Caroline Rovello
MISS ALEXANDER Jowanda Durham
MOTHER LODE Bongo Jack Hooper
NIKKY James Everett
NO RE-ENTRY Mark Damon Tjarks
OPEN ARRANGEMENT Rocky Karri
OXIS Zoe Reid
PACIFIC COAST Chloe Bellande
PORCH PIRATES J.J. Brent
PRIME TIME Chance Wellnitz
PROJECT VALKYRIE Linsay Rousseau
RECKON Chloe Bellande
REJECT Eric Silvera & Sean Kenealy
SAKAZUKI Dmani Q. Williams
SALLY WHITE Katrina Jaxson
SAPIENTIA: TAKEOFF Brad Cooper
SERENGETI Greg Nichols
SOMA Markus Johnson "Castro"
SOUS Joel M. Galanti
STREET JUSTICE Matt Demblowski
T.U.X. Anthony Mezza
THE ARCHITECT Jackson Gavin
THE EQUIPMENT ROOM Ben Pot
THE FIFTH DOMAIN Victor Lesniewski
THE FOREVER MAN Paul Watson
THE ODD SON Nigel Tyrone Simms
THE REACH Tsung-Long Wu
THE REALTOR Jack Newsome
THE RIFT Delaney Bishop
THE TRIANGLE GIRLS – EPISODE 1 – IGNITE Jane Ann Gonzalez
THE VACUUM WE RETURN TO Tsung-Long Wu
THY FIST AND FANG Bryson Dillon Hille
VALERIE AUGUST Martyn Eaden
WE CAME, WE SAW, WE RETREATED Kevin Brunner
WHO KILLED TRUELOVE? Robert Lifton
WHO LET THE WALLFLOWERS OUT? Virginia Austin
WINTER IN BUDAPEST J. Penberth Rabold
WITCHY WOMAN Tom Basham
WOLF LIKE ME Jessica Forbes
YOU JUST DON'T DO THAT Matt Shapiro

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