2023 Screenplay Award Finalists

I am a creative soul, the first in my family to get to go to University where I studied film. Unfortunately, I was never able to break into the entertainment industry, but still have a passion for storytelling and look for opportunities to express creativity. I was in the short list last for last

I am a new screenwriter. Hobart College, BS Creative writing, Professor Sibyl Johnson, Tufts University “Screenwriting”, Anne Jordan (NORCAL Screenwriter) Santa Rosa J. College, California WOODS HOLE FILM FESTIVAL, winner. FILMATIC, winner. ACCLAIM SCRIPTS, winner. LOS ANGELES SCREENPLAY FESTIVAL

Some of my biggest inspirations creatively are Stephen King, Thomas Harris, William Peter Blatty, William Goldman and Kenneth Lonergan. I aspire to one day make these novelists and screenwriters my competition and hope that people will compare me to them favourably. I’m confident I’ll achieve this

I'm a young writer based in London. Through my writing I aim to represent Queer characters in a historical context, an area from which they have long been eliminated.

I’ve been writing for many years and have published The Devils' Cradle novel (under my pseudonym Darcy Daniel), which has fantastic reviews on Amazon. Winner of TopShelf Magazine's Indie Book Awards for "The Devils' Cradle" under the pseudonym Darcy Daniel - available on Amazon: https://www.amazon

Following a twenty-three-year career in Arts Theatre Management, Steve retrained with the Yorkshire Academy of Film and Television Acting (YAFTA) and gained a Diploma in Applied Screenwriting (Distinction) in July 2019, under the tutelage of Simon Stirling. Steve has already received commissions for

Meredith Wargo is an award-winning author and advocate for animals. The recipient of four Maxwell Medallions from the Dog Writers of Association of America, she has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Although a native Texan, Meredith currently lives in southern

I’ve been writing for many years and have published The Devils' Cradle novel (under my pseudonym Darcy Daniel), which has fantastic reviews on Amazon. Winner of TopShelf Magazine's Indie Book Awards for "The Devils' Cradle" under the pseudonym Darcy Daniel - available on Amazon: https://www.amazon

Josephine is a classical violinist-turned-TV writer based in New York City. She began her career on Broadway, as a Music Assistant on "Hamilton" and "Dear Evan Hansen." She's worked on 10 Broadway shows, a sold-out Lady Gaga concert, and the Steven Spielberg movie musical adaptation of West Side

I’ve been writing for many years and have published The Devils' Cradle novel (under my pseudonym Darcy Daniel), which has fantastic reviews on Amazon. Winner of TopShelf Magazine's Indie Book Awards for "The Devils' Cradle" under the pseudonym Darcy Daniel - available on Amazon: https://www.amazon

Michaela Wadzinski is an award-winning director, writer, and story artist. She’s originally from Sioux City, Iowa but now resides in Los Angeles. Despite her new life in the city, she finds that her work is still heavily inspired by the cornfields she grew up in. She loves to tell character-driven

Born in Englewood New Jersey and raised in Winter Haven Florida, author Terry Bent has been writing and developing the world of Ranshio ever since he was at the young age of twelve. With his bachelor's in business management, Terry began working for Enterprise Holdings and eventually started working

Previously a falconer, consultant and writer-presenter of CITV’s Wild World, Jo is now loving the writer’s life, and is also a script consultant and copywriter. She’s been involved in falconry and conservation industries for over twenty years and is passionate about protecting wildlife and educating

Joe Campbell Jr. is a father of three adult daughters and lives with his wife on Long Island in New York. With the high demand for IP from Hollywood, Joe took on a new challenge and created a TV pilot, adapted from his unpublished trilogy. Different Wings is ​​​​​​an emotional romance and family

Karla M. Jay is the award-winning author of When We Were Brave, It Happened in Silence., The Puppet Maker's Daughter and her new vigilante novel, A Shot at Justice. She has wanted to write books since she was seven. Originally from the east coast, she makes her home in Salt Lake City. Over the years

Jan is a novelist and screenwriter living in the magnificent Pacific Northwest. She was born and raised in northern Ohio. Enticed by the sea, she packed up and moved to Pleasure Island, North Carolina, and remained in the area with her family for 12 years. She now writes nestled between the Olympic

Domenico graduated from the Diaz scientific high school in Caserta, and then attended the three-year degree course in Film Studies at Queen Mary University of London. He was able to spend a fourth year at the University of Texas at Austin thanks to a scholarship sponsored by his home university. He

Payton McCarty-Simas is a freelance writer and MA student at Columbia University studying film. They have won several awards for their screenwriting. Their academic and critical writing focuses primarily on horror film, sexuality, psychedelia, folk horror, and the occult. Payton's most recent work

Arlene is passionate about art in all its forms. She fully believes that at the end of the day (and the end of all civilizations) art is the only thing that lasts after all the dust has settled. (That, and children— of which she has two.) Arlene grew up in an Appalachian town where everybody knows

Mark Rosendorf is a High School Guidance Counselor for students in the New York City Department of Education’s special education district. He is also a former professional magician. Mark shares his knowledge of magic with his students as part of the school's Performing Arts program. He uses stage

I live in Los Angeles with my lovely wife and cats. I’ve been working in the industry for almost ten years as a producer/director/DP. The majority of my work is music-videos for well-known artists (A Perfect Circle, Iggy Pop, Cypress Hill, Cold Cave, to name a few). I'm on the long, hard road of

Melissa Hope is the author of Sea of Kings, a fantasy adventure middle-grade that Newbery Award winner Andrea Wang described as "everything a kid could want." More recently, her picture book Not My Order was a finalist in the Kids Choice Award 2023, and her short film finished as a quarterfinalist

A self published author of a children's novel titled 'Old Hige' and a graduate of Met Film School with a Master's Degree in Screenplay Writing.

Melissa Hope is the author of Sea of Kings, a fantasy adventure middle-grade that Newbery Award winner Andrea Wang described as "everything a kid could want." More recently, her picture book Not My Order was a finalist in the Kids Choice Award 2023, and her short film finished as a quarterfinalist

A British Turkish Cypriot, twenty two year old neurodivergent writer and actor, raised in South East London, who has recently defected to North London.

Hi, I am Francesa. After graduating from the University of Exeter in 2016, I have dedicated the last seven years of my life to the film industry. I completed a screenwriting course at the Met Film School in London in 2017 and an 'Acting for Film' course in New York in 2018, which I funded through

Writer & Artist exploring a mix of genres & styles including Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Cosmic Horror, plus digital art and traditional art. Liath LaVerne Hawke is my pen name that I plan to write and illustrate under, but I share my real name when required. Most of my experience comes with writing short

Paul has an MA in English Literature from Oxford University. He wrote and performed comedy, professionally, both live on stage and for TV and radio, with Ian Hislop, and Richard Curtis, the romantic comedy screenplay writer. His play - “A New Adam and Eve”- was performed by the Haymarket Theatre

Darren is an actor, writer, producer and director. He recently completed his debut short film BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE as a writer / director, where he was awarded the New York Screenwriting Award 2023 for Best Short Screenplay LGBTQIA Winner and Winner Best Performance – LGBTQ+ Toronto Film Festival 2023

CLAIRE PARTIN is a storyteller, artist, writer, lyricist, song improvisor and actor living in West Hollywood, California. She recently co-wrote the musical “Heartland” with composer Kat Zimmerman about an Amish teen who moves to the big city only to have his American dreams dashed when he witnesses

Kim Black is a not-quite-cozy genre mixologist and award-winning author. She loves learning new things and returned to school in her fifties to receive her certification in screenwriting. She is a member of the Texas High Plains Writers, one of the oldest writers' groups in America. She speaks to

Born in Italy in 1961, I started to travel the world at the age of seventeen. As a Political Science university student I began exploring Western Africa, acquiring a deep knowledge of the territory and its people. In the ‘90s I moved to the United States where, as a TV producer, I realized several

Erasmo Acosta was born in Cantaura, a small town in Venezuela, and moved to the United States in 1996 to pursue a software engineering career sponsored by a small Silicon Valley company. He retired to Portland, Oregon, in 2020 after achieving 32 successful years in the industry. In 2015, he became

From a young age, Timothy Jay Smith developed a ceaseless wanderlust that has taken him around the world many times. En route, he’s found the characters that people his work. Polish cops and Greek fishermen, mercenaries and arms dealers, child prostitutes and wannabe terrorists, Indian Chiefs and

Maia is the author of the forthcoming rom-com novel, DARE TO AU PAIR, set to be released in August 2024 with CamCat Books. Levantine Films has optioned the rights to this work with plans for TV production. As an author and screenwriter, she's focused on empowering, inspiring, and entertaining

A recent novelist I'm former financial journalist and writer of non-fiction books, with experience in arts fundraising for theatres and in caring for someone brain-injured. I enjoy art, theatre, socialising; have raised two children, and various cats and dogs.

Alan travelled extensively in the international oil and gas industry as a marine geophysicist and it was during his time off that he first began writing novels for adults. Following the selection of his third novel, Woollyback, for a tutored adaptation for the silver screen, Alan went on to complete

Alan travelled extensively in the international oil and gas industry as a marine geophysicist and it was during his time off that he first began writing novels for adults. Following the selection of his third novel, Woollyback, for a tutored adaptation for the silver screen, Alan went on to complete

Alan travelled extensively in the international oil and gas industry as a marine geophysicist and it was during his time off that he first began writing novels for adults. Following the selection of his third novel, Woollyback, for a tutored adaptation for the silver screen, Alan went on to complete

Following my decision last March to take time to dedicate to my writing, I was delighted to become a finalist with my scripts for Unlikely Heroes and Sebastian. I have loved having the freedom to get absorbed into the world of words and enjoy the buzz it gives me. Yes there are ups and downs with

Following my decision last March to take time to dedicate to my writing, I was delighted to become a finalist with my scripts for Unlikely Heroes and Sebastian. I have loved having the freedom to get absorbed into the world of words and enjoy the buzz it gives me. Yes there are ups and downs with

I am originally from Brooklyn, New York. I have lived in England for nearly two decades and have dual US/UK citizenship. I have a B.A. in Russian from Columbia University and was an Intelligence Officer in the US Navy. I also have a Master’s degree in Opera and worked as a singer, director and stage

As a child, I struggled with writing. That transformed when I was in graduate school studying for a Ph.D. in biochemistry and confronted with composing a dissertation. As I worked on my thesis, I felt enlivened in a new way. I assumed it was because I was nearing completion of my degree, yet now, in

Since attaining my MA in Play and Screenwriting – graduating from City, University of London, in 2014 – I have had three plays successfully produced in London, commissioned and directed by Martin Parr, known for producing work in unconventional spaces. Consequently, with a produced two-hander, one

Clark is a produced and optioned screenwriter with a focus on Sci-Fi, Dark Dramedy, and True Stories. Clark has successfully collaborated with Producers and other screenwriters on several projects. Most of his projects are grounded in themes of "the haves and the have-nots", classicism, and coming

I was born a vagabond spirit and have yet to learn the meaning of “comfort zone.” My life has been and continues to be sui generis. All that follows is a standard literary CV for an extremely non-standard career. ***** In high school, I was an editor of the underground paper, The Charlotte

I'm a musician by day, writer by night, originally from High Wycombe - which genuinely has a chair museum - but now living a seagull poop-spattered existence in Plymouth, Devon. I began pursuing screen/comedy writing in 2015, starting off writing jokes and sketches for radio, before moving on to

A conqueror of fears, Travis has taken his acrophobia to the top of a 108-foot-tall Mayan temple, swam with sharks, and attended a mixer where he knew no one. He currently has a feature film project setup with Eclectic Pictures as well as a forthcoming graphic novel through Motor Content and Thunder

I was born a vagabond spirit and have yet to learn the meaning of “comfort zone.” My life has been and continues to be sui generis. All that follows is a standard literary CV for an extremely non-standard career. ***** In high school, I was an editor of the underground paper, The Charlotte

Wrote and directed following films, Sheppard Boys, Lees Offering, David's Child and The Good Family. Wrote countless scripts and directed countless short films in a 30 year career.