Op-Ed: Amateur screenplay writers — win 10K and promotion for a year Special

Los Angeles - Scriptapalooza is looking for the next big screenplay writer. Fifty bucks and a swift pen, will get burgeoning writers a shot at $10,000 and the opportunity of having a script placed before one of ninety, in-the-field judges.

Writers however, must act fast said Scriptapalooza, the first deadline is March 5, 2012. There is an entry free of $50 at this stage but if you wait until the final deadline on April 16, 2012, it costs $55. Decent scripts get a lot of bang for their buck though. Beside the 10K prize, which is a big draw in itself, writers looking to get their work noticed, could be onto something worth far more than cash – recognition. Scriptapalooza, who first launched the competition in 1998 and have been featured in the likes of Entertainment Weekly ... Vanity Fair ... Wired and several other reputable rags, said, any submitted script which lands "anywhere in the top 100 [...will get...] promoted for a full year." And that comes from a company with some impressive connections. Just take a look at the list of judges, which boasts some 90 well-connected producers, managers and agents – precisely who writers want their scripts to reach. One of them is David Blackman, the current Sr. Vice President for Sony-based Laurence Mark Productions (LMP) and producer of hit films, I, Robot, Jerry Maguire, As Good As It Gets, Dreamgirls and The Lookout. LMP currently has a deal with Sony Pictures, which means ... Well we asked the President of Scriptapalooza, Mark Andrushko, what exactly this did mean for those entering the competition. Mark explained to us that seeing how, "Laurence Mark Productions have a deal with Sony Pictures, it's easier for them to take a script to the studio." Meaning ... that script ... could be ... your script. As you digest that, another judge is Janet Jeffries, a Creative Executive for Lawrence Bender Productions, a company who works with Miramax. Bender, the founder of the company, was a producer on unforgettable films such as Pulp Fiction, The Mexican and the 1992 film, Reservoir Dogs, which marked the debut of director and screen writer, Quentin Tarantino. Ninety judges all told, some with an association to Samuel Goldwyn Films and the USA Network. There are even a few representatives from companies who deal with another enterprise you may have heard of – Universal Studios. The Scriptapalooza Competition is open internationally and will for the first time this year, feature a "Best in its Genre" category, seven of them in total. With three winners, ten runners-up and umpteen finalists, the company said, there will be "many winners." It isn't solely the top 13, Scriptapalooza says, "who have had their scripts optioned, or secured literary representation." Some have "even had movies made because of the connections they made through the competition," the company adds. The video above, is about a book called, The Trial of Alex Lord by Ray Blackston. The original screen play was written by the 2002 winner of the competition, Chris Carlyle. The judging process for the competition appear refreshingly different, as no details about the writer are shared with the judges, so you can't pitch yourself and your work stands alone. You could be "a wine grower in France, a stay-at-home mom, or a hot shot film student from NYU," said Scriptapalooza, it "truly levels the playing field." Overall, it is an intriguing and tempting prospect for any writer; but what happens if after all that work, a script falls short of the mark? You have the option to find out why, says Scriptapalooza. If you're so inclined, writers can order an invaluable critique of the work submitted. What doesn't kill us, only serves to makes us stronger ... right? Semi-finalists will be announced on Aug 06, finalists on Aug 10, and the grand prize winners on Aug. 15, 2012. So if you think you have what it takes to become the next Quentin Tarantino, enter via e-mail or regular mail at Scrioptapalooza.com. It could be a shot at the big time, or it could be just a long shot, but who knows which minds you'll tweak? The Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition was founded in 1998 with the goal of discovering and promoting writers and creating opportunities for them in a fiercely competitive entertainment industry. Divisions include Scriptapalooza Television Writing Competition and Scriptapalooza Coverage.