2023 Screenplay Award Shortlist

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stowe Story Labs alumna. Writer/director of an award-winning short THE ZAHIR. Trilingual multi-ethnic multinational. Mathematician whose journey led from humble beginnings in the Urals to professorships in Berkeley and Berlin. Olga's writing explores follies of genius, elusiveness of belonging, and

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

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

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

Stowe Story Labs alumna. Writer/director of an award-winning short THE ZAHIR. Trilingual multi-ethnic multinational. Mathematician whose journey led from humble beginnings in the Urals to professorships in Berkeley and Berlin. Olga's writing explores follies of genius, elusiveness of belonging, and

Amy began her career as a Casting Director in New York City where her office served as East Coast Casting for Paramount. From character development to dialogue, Amy’s writing is informed by her years reading with and directing actors. Her projects have found success in well-respected screenwriting

I'm a writer from jolly old England who many years ago, used to write short stories and scripts in my spare time. Somewhere along the way, I stopped writing them until a few years ago where I rediscovered the passion and made a conscious effort to rebuild that love, and hone those skills. Now, I'm

I was born in Cincinnati and lived in Chicago for a couple of years before moving to Los Angeles. I won the Let's Make it! competition 4th addition(2020) & was a quarterfinalist in the SWN competition(2021). I also completed screenwriting classes at Second City.

Micah Sloat is best known for starring in the micro-budget hit PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Combining that successful franchise with his degrees in philosophy and psychology, as well as his extensive background in the occult, he's currently creating and co-hosting PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE PODCAST for

David Ward was born and raised in Salt Lake City and has lived in Shanghai, Honolulu, Taiwan and northern Virginia. Drawn to writing by his love of Russian literature, he supports his writing habit by working as a corporate attorney.

Lover of words. Observer of humans. Connoisseur of weirdness. Changing the world one slang silver bullet at a time. Notable accolades: Winner with 'Sleeper' - SWN Short Screenplay Competition, 2nd Place award winner with 'City of Rats' - Film Pittsburgh Shorts. Born and raised on the fair emerald

After earning a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Hofstra University, Denise attended the USC Graduate film producing program while simultaneously holding her first job in Hollywood as a production assistant at Lucasfilm and Steven Spielberg's Amblin’ Ent. Denise was a Story Editor at 20th Century Fox, a

I write. Sometimes code. Sometimes screenplays. Sometimes lengthy work emails. I've been told that all three make people cry. But I suspect it's for vastly different reasons.

A writer/director whose short films have been selected for various festivals, most notably Palm Springs International. In 2022 he directed a pilot for a 6-part television series set in London. Tim is determined to make meaningful action films that his wife and daughter would watch over and over

Teodora is a freelance screenwriter with a love for romance, drama and mystery. She started writing scripts in college but her love for storytelling really grew in University, where she started working independently on her own script ideas. She values her ability to have ideas in a range of genres

Alex is a writer & director. His stories often place characters in morally ambiguous situations that threaten their identity and force them to confront their humanity. Before being a writer and director, Alex had a career as a medical doctor. He worked in some of the world's most challenging

Alysha grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, performing on the professional stage from the age of five. She found her place on the other side of the camera and produced commercials and music videos for several years in Los Angeles. But after a last-minute change of plans kept her from traveling on