The winners and runners-up of the 2016 Script Pipeline Screenwriting and TV Writing Competitions were announced Saturday, July 23rd and awarded over $35,000. The private event in Los Angeles connected top industry execs and the finalists, as well as other recent Script Pipeline writers.
Australia-based writing team Penelope Chai and Matteo Bernardini won the Grand Prize for screenwriting with the adventure/fantasy Cinderella Must Die. Runner-up: The Coat, a thriller by Ross Saxon.
For television, another writing duo claimed the top spot--Kay Tuxford and Elizabeth Dahl's original pilot 40 Elephants, a period drama based on a true story. Runner-up for TV was The Mother, by Laura Bensick.
From left: Ross Saxon, Laura Bensick, Elizabeth Dahl, Kay Tuxford, Matteo Bernardini, and Penelope Chai.
"After hearing that Script Pipeline had launched so many writers' careers, I decided to take a shot and enter," Laura said. "I wrote this script to explore a taboo social topic that was very important to me personally. I'm so grateful Script Pipeline is giving this quiet story a loud introduction to the town."
Laura also had another pilot, Widows, in the top 10. She's currently repped by Think Tank Management.
"The quality of scripts ticks up a bit overall every season--this time, it took a giant leap," said Script Pipeline's Director of Development, Matt Misetich. "The bar has been set so high now, writers need to push the boundaries of their own abilities in order to stay ahead of the curve. Which is great. Forces everyone to keep improving."
The 2017 Script Pipeline Screenwriting and TV Writing Competitions will open on August 15th, and writers can submit for a reduced entry fee until September 1st. Final deadline is May 1st, 2017.
"Each year, the scripts get better, which only strengthens the relationships with our industry contacts," said Script Pipeline CEO Chad Clough. "We're thrilled to have the top agencies reviewing our finalists."
Industry requests for finalist material may email industry@scriptpipeline.com.
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Inquiries and other information, contact: development@scriptpipeline.com