Screenplays may be submitted through FilmFreeway

No. All screenplays must be submitted in PDF form via FilmFreeway

Feature Film Screenplayscan be 70-130 pages in length. Any submission outside of that page range can be disqualified without refund.

Pilot Screenplays can be 10-70 pages in length. Any submission outside of that page range can be disqualified without refund. 

Supplementary materials are not required for Pilot Screenplays, and though the competition cannot guarantee that any supplementary materials will be reviewed, you may include supplementary materials in your submission PDF or email them to screenplay@atlantafilmfestival.com. Supplementary materials include, but are not limited to: concept summaries, character descriptions, and future episode summaries. 

Short Film Screenplays can be between 5-40 pages in length. Any submission outside of that page range will be disqualified without refund.

Georgia screenwriters are eligible to receive a 50% off discount code by emailing GA@atlantafilmfestival.com. Please allow up to 7 business days for a response particularly when approaching a submission deadline.

At least one author must reside in the state of Georgia during the time of entry. Should an entry use this code without meeting the necessary criteria, it will be disqualified without refund.

We have five deadlines throughout our submission process:

• Hella Early Deadline: May 29, 2026

• Early Deadline: June 26, 2026

• Regular Deadline: September 11, 2026

• Late Deadline: October 16, 2026

• Extended Deadline: November 6, 2026

Please keep track of deadlines closely if you plan on submitting within a certain submission window. All deadlines are set for 11:59 pm EDT (with the exception of our final deadline on November 6, 2027 at 11:59pm EST).

Any submissions that are incomplete by the final deadline or otherwise impossible to review will be disqualified without refund of submission fees.  

The only difference in deadlines are the associated submission fees. You can find a full list of deadlines and their associated fees at the following link:www.atlantafilmfestival.com/screenplay-submit

Of course! In fact, many past winners are not from the United States. 

Not at all. Writers of any age are welcome. However, if you are under 18, the laws of your state/country may prohibit you from submitting personally, so you may need an adult to submit on your behalf.

The only guaranteed waivers are for alumni of the Atlanta Film Festival. The competition also provides some waivers, by application, to filmmakers from countries in which international sanctions prevent them from paying a fee. If either of these terms apply to you, please email

Yes, of course! The Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition never obtains the rights to any submission. You may consider registering your screenplay with the Writers Guild of America and/or copyrighting it through the US Copyright Office (or your country’s equivalent), but neither is required for entry.

Submissions must be the original work of the entrant, and the use of artificial intelligence (A.I.) tools or software in the creation, development, or writing of the screenplay is strictly prohibited.

Absolutely; however, it is highly recommended that any resubmission undergoes significant rewrites. 

No. Once a screenplay is processed and submitted, we do not accept updated drafts. 

No. Duplicate submissions are not allowed. Any duplicate submissions of the same screenplay, with or without revisions, will be disqualified without refund. Please be sure to carefully review and edit your screenplay before submitting. 

Don’t worry. Even professional film screenplays contain typos and other errors. Keep in mind that screenplay assessment is much more focused on finding compelling and original voices!

By all means, enter every and any competition that appeals to you! Should you advance in and/or win another competition, feel free to reach out to share the good news, but take comfort in knowing that doing so will not affect eligibility for the ATLFF Screenplay Competition.

Unfortunately, no. The Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition does not accept spec scripts for existing programming such as television shows or franchises, novels, short stories, reality tv show concepts, stage plays or treatments. (The only exception to this is if you hold the copyright to the material and/or are the original creator of the property you are adapting.) 

Yes. The ATLFF Screenplay Competition includes the top screenplay submissions in Quarterfinalists, Semifinalists, and Finalists lists. This practice is meant to honor those screenplays of merit that show promise and skill in the medium, but may not advance to the winning round. 

The initial notification date for the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition is January 29, 2027. On this date, all entrants will be notified as to whether or not their submission(s) advanced into the quarterfinals. Following this announcement, the Quarterfinalists will be narrowed down to Semifinalists on February 12, 2027 and then Finalists on March 5, 2027.

We will announce three winners in the feature screenplay competition, one winner in the pilot competition, and one winner in the short film competition on or around March 26, 2027. 

The Atlanta Film Festival prides itself on a commitment to furthering the careers of filmmakers and writers who are selected for the festival and who win the screenplay competition. With that in mind, we prioritize once-in-a-lifetime opportunities!

Short Film Screenplay Winner

One winner will be chosen in the short film category. This winner will receive:

• A cash prize of $250

• Travel stipend and 2 nights of accommodation to the 2027 Atlanta Film Festival

• A mentoring meeting with a short film filmmaker with extensive experience with production and the festival circuit, designed to give our winners the chance to sit down and talk about the next steps for their script and their career, and to develop what’s intended to be a lasting relationship with a like-minded and accomplished filmmaker.

• An All-Access Badge to the 2027 Atlanta Film Festival

Pilot Screenplay Winner

One winner will be chosen in the pilot category. This winner will receive:

• A cash prize of $350

• Travel stipend and 2 nights of accommodation to the 2027 Atlanta Film Festival

• A mentoring meeting with a writer working in either the television or web series industry, designed to give our winners the chance to sit down and talk about the next steps for their script and their career, and to develop what’s intended to be a lasting relationship with a like-minded and accomplished filmmaker.

• An All-Access Badge to the 2027 Atlanta Film Festival

Feature Screenplay Winners

Three winners will be chosen in the feature film category. These winners will receive:

• A cash prize of $500

• Travel stipend and 2 nights of accommodation to the 2027 Atlanta Film Festival

• Exclusive access to our annual Atlanta Film Festival Screenwriters Retreat. This intimate, invitation-only, and all-expenses paid program offers our winners the chance to meet industry professionals and workshop their screenplay in a scenic setting, designed to give our winners an extended opportunity to discuss next steps and to develop what’s intended to be long-lasting relationships with like-minded and accomplished filmmakers.

• An All-Access Badge to the 2027 Atlanta Film Festival

  Previous Mentors include: 
  Kathryn Dean Producer (Winter’s Bone, Hell or High Water, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks) 
  Diane Drake Screenwriter, UCLA professor, and former VP of Creative Affairs at Mirage Enterprises (Only You, What Women Want)
  Robin M. Henry Writer (Meet the Browns, House of Payne, East Los High), Producer (East Los High, Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History)
  Michael Lucker Screenwriter/Emory Professor (Vampire in Brooklyn, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron)
  Kent Osborne Head of Story (Adventure Time), Writer (Spongebob Squarepants), Voice Director (Steven Universe, Adventure Time)
  J.T. Petty Video Game Writer (Outlast, Outlast 2, The Walking Dead: The Game, Splinter Cell, Batman Begins)
  James Ponsoldt Director (Smashed, The Spectacular Now, End of the Tour, The Circle), Writer (Smashed,  The Circle)

All of our winners will also receive an invitation and complimentary an All-Access badge to the 2027 Atlanta Film Festival.

All Screenplay submissions are read by a combination of ATLFF-trained readers and the Screenplay Programming team. 

So long as you’re not submitting to the competition (or have any other conflict of interest) and you love reading screenplays, please apply to be a reader! 

Screenplay readers not only receive invaluable learning experience but are also given Atlanta Film Festival perks based on the number of scripts read.

For more information and to submit an application please visit our Screenplay Reading Committee page

Check our Rules and Terms on FilmFreeway for the nitty gritty.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, please feel free to email us at

screenplay@atlantafilmfestival.com

We are unable to address inquiries via phone.