2026 Screenplay Award Finalists

I'm Douglas Wilkinson. I am a Texas based screenwriter who builds stories from my own lived experience, deep emotional authenticity, and relational

Charlie Anderson teaches cinema production at Denison University. His work has screened at festivals throughout the United States, and he has various

We all have a vested interest in survival, whatever age or stage in life. I suspect my family tend to see me as a friendly fossil, beached on the

Anna is a neurodivergent single parent with Autism and Tourette's, born in Birmingham, now lives by the sea, full time writer, celebrates

Stu Strumwasser studied in the creative writing program at Cornell University and then pursued dual careers as a writer and investment professional

I’m a writer specialising in science fiction and horror. Having recently completed a Professional Program in Writing for TV at UCLA, and with a degree

Dean Temple is a Ukrainian-American writer, actor, and director based in Millbrook, NY, and NYC. He has written and directed animated shorts and

“At age thirty, I decided to pursue a career in law. I left my job in the corporate world to retrain as a solicitor. Three years later, I was

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

Ross studied Spanish and Latin American literature at Wake Forest University and La Universidad de la Habana before moving to NYC to work for a horror

I climbed Mount Everest to base camp, bungy jumped from the bridge in New Zealand where it all started, dived the Great Barrier Reef, fished for

Born in 1992 in northern France, Emilie Mayeur developed a love of reading at a very young age, especially in thriller and fantasy. Coming from a

Terry Podnar, a graduate of Kent State, is a prolific screenwriter and producer who currently lives in Akron, Ohio. His passion for films started at

Hi ! I'm a young and new writer from Switzerland. I mostly write when inspiration strikes. For a school project I wrote a full screenplay and made it

I’m a retired Pagan Elder who has written articles and letters published in Pagan and Fortean periodicals and I still speak at spiritual conferences

I am an accountant at Manulife/John Hancock in Boston, MA. I am married to my beautiful wife, and we have an adorable daughter. I keep all the movies

Hi, I'm Rachel. I'm a GP and amateur creative writer. I love writing about the grittiness of the seemingly mundane, the ordinary, and what, on the

My writing is influenced by my law enforcement career and a love of spy novels, sci-fi stories and noir fiction. I have written two novels, dozens of

Having taught in the LA public schools for thirty years, Morgan now writes about the people and places he has come to know in the course of his career

With extensive experience as a psychiatric nurse, he gained a deep insight into the complexities of the human mind and human behavior. Years spent

2024 ACADEMY NICHOLL FELLOWSHIP SEMI-FINALIST: In the last 5 years, Austin's screenplays Car Heroin Train, Her Seventh Death, William the II, Taming

Aris Lindler & John Allen Bernier

My writing is influenced by my law enforcement career and a love of spy novels, sci-fi stories and noir fiction. I have written two novels, dozens of

I’m an award-winning, traditionally published author with a 55-year career spanning children’s and adult markets. I'm currently enrolled in the 2025

I'm Douglas Wilkinson. I am a Texas based screenwriter who builds stories from my own lived experience, deep emotional authenticity, and relational

Greg Blair is a writer from Southern California, who began his journey as a country kid from Pennsylvania, migratng west to become a beach boy on the

Rory has nearly 20 years experience in the industry working as a script supervisor, working on some of the biggest TV shows & films. He is now co

Having taught in the LA public schools for thirty years, Morgan now writes about the people and places he has come to know in the course of his career

My academic journey includes preclinical medical studies, an MSc. in pharmacology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Film & TV studies at the

An SMU ballet and journalism graduate, Julie first wrote for area newspapers and News of East Texas. She staged theater productions like her award

Twins JC Martin and Jhada' Martin have been writing together since they were eleven years old, which means for as long as either of them can remember

My first feature romantic comedy won the 2023 Film Fund Luxembourg writing grant, and the screenplay was long-listed for both the Courage to Write

Carl Huebner is an award-winning, optioned screenwriter with over a decade of experience. He has had a feature and a TV concept optioned by major

An SMU ballet and journalism graduate, Julie first wrote for area newspapers and News of East Texas. She staged theater productions like her award

I spent 30 years working in publlic and academic libraries as a historian. In the past six years I have written over a dozen screenplays and

My award-winning screenplay Elven - by award winning, I mean my daughter read it and re-purposed her cheerleading medal for me, having considered it

I write character-first screenplays and genre stories where survival, pressure, dark humor, and emotional consequence collide. My work blends high

Megan's successes (various screenplays): 2025 Austin Film Festival Semi Finalist - Comedy Feature category. 2025 Austin Film Festival Second Rounder -

Malia took up screenwriting in 2012 as a single-mom raising 4 kids in Los Angeles. Her writing, very much like her life story, amplifies female voices

I am a former journalist, publisher, TV producer and media executive, now writing books (crime fiction) and TV scripts (comedy and drama). I am a Brit

Myles Yaksich is an award winning writer and director based in Los Angeles, CA and originally from Canada. He is dedicated to crafting bold, character

I began writing at the age of fourteen, when I wrote, directed and performed a school play. Even then, I was fascinated by creating characters who

Tiffany M. Armstrong is a screenwriter with a passion for crafting bold, cinematic stories that blend visceral genre thrills with layered, character

I write character-first screenplays and genre stories where survival, pressure, dark humor, and emotional consequence collide. My work blends high

Edward Pontacoloni is an New York Attorney Emeritus Pro Bono Publico and an outdoorsman residing in New York's Adirondack Park with his wife of 43

Jonas Kulikauskas is an artist and educator based in Los Angeles and Lithuania. The American-born son of Lithuanian refugees, he returned to his

Kaitlin Harvey is an award-winning senior editorial manager, executive ghostwriter, and corporate storyteller with ten years of experience in

I am a screenwriter currently seeking representation for my screenplay Trade Offs. I wrote Trade Offs during a difficult period in my life. That

Nina Amée Fox is a writer, poet, screenwriter, voiceover artist, actor and visual storyteller. Her work explores the darker corners of human

Ladiangti is a writer from Shillong, Meghalaya, with academic backgrounds in English, Psychology, and Journalism. She worked as a journalist for

I write completed, serialized works, focused on immersive worlds and emotionally grounded stories meant to be shared on the silver screen. An aspiring

We all have a vested interest in survival, whatever age or stage in life. I suspect my family tend to see me as a friendly fossil, beached on the

Georgette Skolnick's father lost everything during The Depression. So, she grew up in a poor dysfunctional family with both parents working to make

My name is Willchel Kish and I'm an emerging screenwriter. I'm 18 years old and am one of 3 siblings. I come from an African background, Liberia to be

Jayne Doxtater was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and now resides in the beautiful West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. After a

Steven Davies is a UK-based screenwriter specializing in high-concept, visceral genre features that blend psychological tension with dark fantasy, sci

I write character-first screenplays and genre stories where survival, pressure, dark humor, and emotional consequence collide. My work blends high

Malia took up screenwriting in 2012 as a single-mom raising 4 kids in Los Angeles. Her writing, very much like her life story, amplifies female voices

I spent 30 years working in publlic and academic libraries as a historian. In the past six years I have written over a dozen screenplays and

I’m a Texas-based history teacher and emerging screenwriter with a growing portfolio of character-driven feature scripts. My writing focuses on

I write character-first screenplays and genre stories where survival, pressure, dark humor, and emotional consequence collide. My work blends high

Kendall Veasey is a screenwriter and editor, whose work blends comedy, romance, and emotionally grounded storytelling. Originally from the Midwest and

Malia took up screenwriting in 2012 as a single-mom raising 4 kids in Los Angeles. Her writing, very much like her life story, amplifies female voices

Headline: Screenwriter & Fine Artist | Expert in Historical Antiques | Author of the Epic "RACHEL 1942" "About" Section: "I live in a world where the

Matt Zullo is a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief who has more than 40 years’ experience in radio intelligence, now more commonly known as communications

I'm a graduate of USC's Peter Stark Producing Program (MA, Producing) and an award-winning independent animation writer, director, and producer. My

Susannah Kulikauskas & Sue Gauthier-Pin | Suex2 Productions Susannah Kulikauskas is a writer, artist, and storyteller living in Southern California —

Kymberly's interested in stories that personally deal with how we are formed by our families and by society, and how that effects our ability to

I am a writer from Galway, Ireland with a background in trading, recruitment and the hospitality sector. After gaining vast life experience of living

Digital Dinosaur. Mature, energetic, open minded, curious, thick skinned, and very easy to work with. Husband, father, grandfather, dog’s best friend