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Spring 2026 Screenwriting Contest Semi-Finalists Announced!

Spring 2026 Screenwriting Contest Semi-Finalists Announced!

by | Jun 26, 2026 | Contests, News, Results, Updates, WMC, WriteMovies News

Today, we’re excited to announce another major milestone in the competition as we reveal the WriteMovies Spring 2026 Screenwriting Contest Semi-Finalists.

WriteMovies Spring 2026 Screenwriting Contest Semi-Finalists Announced
WriteMovies Spring 2026 Screenwriting Contest Quarter Finalists Announced

The semi-finals represent the penultimate stage of the contest, bringing us one step closer to crowning this season’s winners. After another round of careful judging, we’re delighted to spotlight the scripts that continue to stand out for their originality, storytelling craft and commercial potential. (more…)

Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest – Semi-Finalists!

Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest – Semi-Finalists!

by | Feb 22, 2019 | Updates

It’s time for more Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest results! There were a lot of great scripts in our Quarter-Finals and it was tough to make this next round of decisions, but after careful consideration our judges have decided on our Semi-Finalists!

There’s often a fine line when it comes to the different rounds of our screenwriting contest. Some scripts only just miss out, and it can be difficult to know why. A lot of the time, it comes down to the execution of basic elements – structure, characters, and dialogue.

Take a look also at this article that our Director, Ian Kennedy, wrote when we announced Quarter-Finalists: What your writing submissions are telling us, 2017-2019. If you’re making any of these mistakes, they could be holding you back!

But what else have we found with these latest Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest results? Well, a few things that have often helped our Semi-Finalists stand out from the rest:

  • Unique Concepts. If there’s something in a script we haven’t seen before, it immediately makes us want to read on. See what Ian wrote in his article about the number of scripts with a vehicle smash at about page 10 – when we’ve read the same thing so many times, it quickly starts to become dull. On the other hand, when we encounter something new – that’s really exciting!
  • Specific in genre and the story they wanted to tell. With a number of scripts, we found it difficult to tell what genre the writer was aiming at and it was a while before the story began to take shape. These unfocused openings usually fail to hold our attention. Be specific about your story, and be clear with its genre!
  • Engaging characters. Ian wrote it in his article but it’s worth repeating again here: “Make us care and get fascinated with your main characters and their world”. When we care about the characters, the script takes on a whole new life. Don’t rely on clichés or stereotypes, but create rounded characters we can engage with as if they were real people. And not just the protagonist either, but the supporting characters and villains as well!

And with that, it’s time for the moment you’ve been waiting for. Here are our next Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest results: the Semi-Finalists!

Semi-Finalists  
BAD LUCK VS KARMA, Aaron Davis TÖDLICHE ERINNERUNG, Urs Aebersold SPACE RACERS, Jason Azcar
THE DAWN OF EVE, James Bingham LE SECRET DU KATANA NOIR, Christian Bourgeois LA VENGEANCE DU COBRA, Christian Bourgeois
THE WALL, Anthony Buono UNE CHANCE POUR GUERIR, Christine de Chauvelin PSYCHOANALYTIC TALES, Christine de Chauvelin
STRUCK, Elaine F Chekich THE HUNTED, Mark Flood WITHOUT BORDERS, Chris Gebhardt & Jenn Russi
LAST CHRISTMAS, Owen Gower BAD LISTING, Brent Hartinger KOBOS, Adam Hersh
HOLLYWOOD’S MOST WANTED, Manny Jimenez Sr. THE SAX, Pascal Kulcsar AGENT 355, Laura Lambert
IN THE ABSENCE OF JUSTICE, Stephen F Maynard PROMISE OF TOMORROW, Andrew Pennington THIS IS NOT REVENGE, David Pierotti
BOY MOST WANTED, Tuck Tucker ESTHER’S DEN, Persephone Vandegrift THE CRACK IN PEGGY SUE’S FLOOR, John Woodard

Keep an eye out for more Winter 2019 Screenwriting Contest results from us, as we move on now to judge our Finalists and winners – and decide who takes away the Grand Prize!

Spring 2018 Screenwriting Contest – Semi-Finalists and Best Studio Script, Indie Script and Short Script!

Spring 2018 Screenwriting Contest – Semi-Finalists and Best Studio Script, Indie Script and Short Script!

by | Aug 3, 2018 | Our Winners, Results, WMC, WriteMovies News

We are pleased to announce the Semi-Finalists for our Spring 2018 Screenwriting Contest – and the winner of our Best Studio Script, Best Indie Script, and Best Short Script Awards!

Screenplay

After another tough judging period, we’ve decided on the Semi-Finalists for our Spring 2018 Contest – plus three awards in new categories!

The scripts that advanced to the semi-finals impressed us for many reasons, with fantastic stories, well-crafted dialogue, and strong commercial potential – and as ever, a lot of great scripts just missed the cut. If yours is one of them, don’t feel downhearted – all of our Quarter-Finalists were impressive entries.

And don’t forget, if you want to find out why your script didn’t make it, and want to take it to the next level, all our Script Report services are on special offer until 31st August – and you get free entry to our next contest as a bonus!

Alternatively, check out our Elite Mentoring service: invaluable one-to-one advice from actual Hollywood producers and studio execs!

See the full list of Semi-Finalists below… but first, we’re announcing the best of those movie scripts that aimed themselves firmly at either a HIGH or a LOW budget which we felt could be the most desirable to producers at the budget it set… and, working to a different kind of constraint, we’re also announcing the Best Short Script! Writing a short film demands a particular skill: the ability to tell a complete, poignant story in the space of only a few short minutes – normally less than 15 pages instead of the usual 120.

Next week: we name our top ten and our Overall Winner! Who will take the big prize for the very best entry in our latest major contest?

Best Studio Script Best Indie Script Best Short Script
DESERT RUN, by Christopher Thomas!
With Honorable Mentions to: CHARMER, David Kurtz, and KLONDIKE MIKE, Thomas Zmiarovich.		 FIRE ON THE ISLAND, by Timothy Jay Smith!
With Honorable Mentions to: LOVERS IN PARIS, Andy Conway, and THE UNDERTAKER’S CHILDREN, Natasha Le Petit.		 ROLL WITH IT, by Rosie Byrnes!

A big congratulations to the latest winners; we’ll be in touch with them soon about their winnings! Meanwhile, these are all of the other SEMI-FINALISTS who are still in the running for the big one… congratulations to all of them!

Semi-Finalists
BLUT WIRD FLIEßEN, Urs Aebersold REMOTELY WORKING, William Baber ROLL WITH IT, Rosie Byrnes
PARDON MY GENDER: SUCH A FARCE!, Bob Canning LOVERS IN PARIS, Andy Conway UNE CHANCE POUR GUÉRIR, Christine de Chauvelin
LES NIOCKS, Edith Devillet THE GOOD CITIZEN, Joel Doty OPERATION BROTHER SAM, Gustavo Freitas
ON THE SPARROW, RW Hahn THE LAST KING OF AMERICA, Richard Guimond SOUL OF AN EMPIRE, Ryan Jaroncyk
THE SAX, Pascal Kulcsar HOLLYWOOD’S MOST WANTED: I’M READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP, ESE, Manny Jimenez Sr. SHOOTING ANGELS, RW Hahn
HOBBY AND FITZ, James Milton CHARMER, David Kurtz WINDSPIRIT, Paul Penley
MAUDITE ÉQUATION, Joel Prost THE UNDERTAKER’S CHILDREN, Natasha Le Petit THE MYTHICAL GOLDEN TROUT, Craig Peters
DESERT RUN, Christopher Thomas WHEN I WAS A CHILD, T. L. Needham FIRE ON THE ISLAND, Timothy Smith
THE LOST OPERA, Rachel, Thomas-Medwid THE ARIZONA BALLOON BUSTER, Mark Perlick and Steven Pripps THE ELECTRIC WAR, Arthur Tiersky
THE CRACK IN PEGGY SUE’S FLOOR, John Woodard CHILDREN OF EDEN, Raymond Just KLONDIKE MIKE, Thomas Zmiarovich
MANHATTAN MARILYN (book), Philippe Laguerre MASON, Andrew Marshall