$6,000 in Cash + Table Read + Consideration for Development
An Unparalleled Table Read Experience
With a professional table read, the Grand Prize Winner will receive $1000 and gain insight into their script from a working director and trained actors as it is rehearsed and performed, then showcased for an audience online. This is how Oscar-winning writers tighten their story, sharpen their dialogue and fine-tune pacing, character and other important elements of their latest projects. Past winners have been staffed, premiered at Cannes and been nominated for an Oscar among other successes.
The Top 10 Finalists will receive $500 cash each and have a meeting with an agent, manager or executive mentor.
General Meetings with Industry Pros
Each of the Top 10 Finalists will meet with an agent, manager or exec from one of our industry partnerships. These mentors are looking for clients to represent and material to produce. This season's mentors will include:
Tom Zaleski - Junior Development Executive
Tom is a Junior Development Executive for film and television at Intrigue Entertainment. Originally from Boston, Tom attended Kenyon College in Ohio and graduated with a bachelor’s in history. He has a passion for all things film and history related.
Intrigue’s projects: GAME OF SILENCE/NBC, PLAYING DEAD/CW, MARMADUKE(2010)/FOX
Waheed AlQawasmi - Director/Producer
AlQawasmi is a multiple Emmy® award-winning director and producer. He spent over five years with Fox Television serving as Creative Director where he undertook the promotional launch for TV shows such as THE FOLLOWING and NEW GIRL. He has created content for a long list of notable clients including GoDaddy, Cheerios, and Reba McEntire, through his company WAFilms. He directed a documentary entitled LIVES RESTARTED which can be found on Amazon Prime. Born in Amman, Jordan, AlQawasmi immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 13. www.wafilms.com
Ria Pavia - Director, Writer
Ria Pavia is a director, writer and acting/dialogue coach. Her film directorial debut, Second Team, nabbed 16 awards at various prestigious festivals, wrapping up at the American Pavilion’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes this year. Pavia was selected as one of 15 helmers for Sony’s Diverse Directing Program - Class of 2022.
In the theatre world, Pavia has collaborated with Noah Wyle, Jennifer Aniston and Mark Ruffalo; directing over 45 plays and musicals. She recently wrapped her 5th season as acting coach on Freeform’s Grownish and directed her first music video starring Trevor Jackson in partnership with TikTok and Apple. The comedic sketches she directed for The Tam & Kevin Show are now viewable on Second City’s streaming platform.
More mentor meetings to be announced.
Past Seasons Have Included Execs From:
Prizes
1 Grand Prize
Winner
(Selected From Top 10)
$1000 Cash
In addition to the Top 10 Prize Money
Table Read
Experience a virtual table read of your script workshopped by a professional director and actors
Roundtable with Industry Executives
Participate in a roundtable Q&A discussion with the director, actors and industry execs following your table read. Learn More
Pitch Practice & Guidance
This includes revision notes on the winning script and advice on pitch deck creation.
Meeting with an Executive from Legion M
Learn more about Legion M
Two 1-Hour Sessions with Suzanne Gundersen of ScreenwriteNOW
Suzanne mentors screenwriters and industry creatives to clear the path that lets their writing flow. Learn More
Industry Insight
Receive access to our industry contacts' current mandates plus development of a personalized producer outreach plan.
16-Year Copyright
Provided by Creators Vault
12-Month ISAConnect Membership
Connect with industry pros, submit to paid writing gigs and more.
Script Studio
Receive Script Studio's Hollywood Hits Volume 1
Plus Top 10 Prizes
Top 10
Finalists
(Features / TV Pilots)
$500 Cash Each
General Meeting with an Agent, Manager or Executive
ISA Development Slate Consideration
Development Slate writers are championed to top agents, managers and producing contacts. Learn More
Consideration by Legion M
Learn more about Legion M
1-Hour session with Suzanne Gundersen of ScreenwriteNOW
Suzanne mentors screenwriters and industry creatives to clear the path that lets their writing flow. Learn More
Script Studio
Copy of the ultimate writer's toolbox, Script Studio
10-Year Copyright
Provided by Creators Vault
Consideration for Grand Prize
1 of the 10 Finalists will be selected as the Grand Prize Winner
1-Year WrapPro Membership
$150 value provided by The Wrap
The Director: David Mahmoudieh
Iranian-made, UK-raised, US-based and Korean-owned; writer/director David Mahmoudieh likens his family gatherings to a summit at the UN!
David began as a director of commercials and music videos before founding his production company, AlphaWolves, through which he directs and produces for clients including Google, Yahoo & Porsche. David won the ECU Screenwriting Contest with his spec script RAIN — the story of a young girl with an allergy to water — now in development as a six-part mini-series. Selected for Sony Television’s Diverse Directors Program, David recently directed his first episode of network television for Warner Bros/The CW’s hit show, Superman & Lois. His short-film Snake Dick played at multiple Oscar-qualifying film festivals worldwide winning numerous awards, and is currently being developed into a feature. David is also attached to direct the feature Worth, based on his adaptation of the graphic novel, for Star Trek creators Roddenberry Entertainment.
Closest to his heart, David is a proud Industry Ambassador for Kids In The Spotlight, a charity which helps foster kids write their own short films and pairs them up with directors. David’s latest film for the program, Bully, stars Ariel Winter and Terry Crews and will be hitting major festivals later this year.
Meet with an Exec from Legion M
The Grand Prize Winner will meet with an executive from Legion M, the fan-owned entertainment company whose projects include:
Table Read Winner Success
Shopping Agreement
Recent winner Emily Wahlund's project TWO IN A MILLION was put on a shopping agreement with Creative Screenwriter Productions, leading to further development meetings with Academy Award winning producer Lisa Bruce.
ISA Development Slate Invitation
Kirk Weddell was discovered by the ISA after being selected as the Table Read Horror/Sci-Fi Genre Winner and was invited onto the ISA Development Slate.
Staffed By Major Networks
After winning TRMS, Elaine Loh was announced as one of ISA's Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch. She has since been accepted into the HBO Access Writers Program, and staffed on the reboot of Gossip Girl for HBO Max. She was recently promoted to Story Editor on Dynasty for the CW.
TRMS Winner Gains Representation
Since winning TRMS, Derek Asaff has been signed by Lee Stobby Entertainment and was accepted into the Universal Writers Program. His competition-winning script THE WHEELMAN was optioned to Sony and Original FiIm.
TRMS Winning Short Premieres at Cannes
Denise Meyers Table Read-Winning script, The Dark of Night, directed by Robin Wright and starring Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb, is now a film and had its red carpet premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Meyers also optioned three projects with actor and producer Jay Ellis, who stars as Lawrence on HBO’S Insecure, and his producing partner, Aaron Bergman.
TRMS Winner Hired After Table Read Event
After attending her winning table read, ROTU Entertainment hired Shane Elizabeth to write a script for their VR game and serve as a Script Supervisor during production. She was also hired by Datura Studios to write a biopic feature.
ISA Development Slate Invitation
Writing partners and Table Read Grand Prize Winners Adelita E. Lopez and Amanda Lopez were invited onto the ISA Development Slate following their win.
Unparalleled Career Development
The Top 10 Finalists will be considered for acceptance onto the ISA Development Slate where our team will get them and their scripts in front of producers, agents and managers.
Over 80 scripts from ISA Development Slate writers have been produced, optioned or sold.
Our industry partners include:
“Winning Table Read…changed the trajectory of my career and amplified my hard work in ways both wonderful and unexpected. I’ve pushed deep into the space where my writing goals have been – I found some amazing representation at Magnet Management and been hired to write two TV movies.”
~R.B. RIPLEY (TRMS NEW ORLEANS)
Deadlines
Early: December 20th
Features/Pilots - $39
Regular: January 10th
Features/Pilots - $49
Final: February 23rd
Features/Pilots - $69
Extended: March 8th
Features/Pilots - $69
Announcements
Quarter-Finalists
March 23rd
Semi-Finalists
April 6th
Top 10 Finalists
May 25th
Grand Prize Winner
June 8th
- This contest is open to anyone except all employees, judges, directors, associates, and immediate families of the TABLE READ MY SCREENPLAY (TRMS) Competition.
- The writer is under no obligation to participate in the contest and understands that it is not a guarantee or expectation of employment.
- We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, or disability. It is our intention that all qualified submissions be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions are based on script-related factors alone.
- Up to two scripts may be entered on one entry form. Additional scripts can be entered through an additional entry form.
- Promotional discounts offered may only be utilized at the time of submission, and no partial refund for a promotional code may be issued after an entry has been officially submitted.
- Once material has been entered, no substitutions of new drafts or corrections will be considered after 24 hours from original submission time and date have passed. After this time the writer may complete a new entry form and pay the appropriate entry fee to submit a revised version of their script.
- Loglines may be changed once during the competition by e-mailing info@tablereadmyscreenplay.com with a revised logline; the writer must include the Title and Date of the original submission in the body of the e-mail along with the logline.
- Feedback is a separate service with an additional fee, and unless specifically part of a promotion, is not an expected part of any entry. Feedback is in no way tied to contest placement.
- The writer understands that feedback, whether paid or received as part of a promotion, can take 90 days or more to be returned, and may not be received before the end of the contest. TRMS will make all attempts to return feedback as soon as possible.
- TRMS does not provide notes and/or scoring with every entry.
- Grand Prize Winners from previous TRMS seasons may submit again, provided the contest city is not the same for which they previously won, and they must submit a new screenplay to be eligible.
- Those who have placed as a Top 10 or Category Winner three times with three separate screenplays are ineligible to submit in any future contest season.
- If two or more of a writers scripts place in the same prize category, they will be eligible for only one set of those prizes.
- International writers are eligible to participate in the contest, as long as their participation is not prevented by law in either country.
- Adaptations from other works are permissible provided the writer has written permission to adapt the work from the original source.
- Adaptations of works in the public domain are permissible, however the writer assumes all responsibility assuring copyright status.
- Collaborative work is eligible; the writers are responsible for the distribution of the contest prize(s). Only one pass and airfare & hotel for a single writer will be awarded to the Grand Prize Winner.
- Writers under the age of 18 years old must have parent or legal guardian’s permission to participate.
- The script and any related materials must not be in a current option agreement, and/or may not have been previously sold or produced for profit.
- The writer understands and accepts without reservation that they are an independent contractor and that the contest administrators and sponsors are not responsible for withholding any taxes or payments on prize money to any government agency, at any level, be it local, state, or federal.
- The writer understands that it is their sole responsibility to register material with the U.S. Copyright Office and/or with the Writers Guild of America West or the appropriate agency in his/her country.
- The writer must retain at least one copy of the submitted material and understands that any material we receive cannot and will not be returned under any circumstances.
- Script Length Guidelines: Feature – (70 – 120 pages), TV Pilots – (10 – 70 pages)
- Scripts longer than recommended length will still be considered for the contest and will not be disqualified.
- If a screenplay is submitted for feedback and is over 120 pages, an additional service fee of $1 per page will apply; the writer will be invoiced separately for the fee. If the writer does not wish to pay an additional fee, the Feedback Reader will be instructed to read the first 120 pages only.
- All entries must be received by Final Deadline. TRMS reserves the right to extend the contest deadline up to 90 days.
- TRMS is not responsible for late, lost, unacceptably formatted, corrupt, or incorrect submissions, and may not be able to honor such entries.
- The writer may submit their screenplay to any other person, contest, producer, agent, publisher, and/or organization.
- The writer retains all rights to their screenplay, subject to the terms and agreements contained herein.
- The writer assures that to the best of their knowledge they have the legal right to submit it for judging to TRMS.
- The writer understands that their logline and/or screenplay will be reviewed by ISA and TRMS employees and/or our panel of Industry Judges for evaluation. The writer also understands that any one of these employees or judges may have been or may be exploring ideas similar to those contained in scripts they read, and hereby waives any claim that TRMS, its employees or judges may have misappropriated any ideas or portions of their submission logline or script.
- No agreement for compensation, other than the TRMS prizes listed, has been implied.
- Confirmation of entry will be received once a script is submitted with an entry form and completed with an entry fee through our payment vendor. The writer must provide a valid e-mail address with entry; if an email address should change after submission, it is the writer’s responsibility to let us know.
- The writer understands that the ISA and TRMS will be free to use their name, likeness and voice for advertising or promotional purposes without additional consideration, should the writer make it past the first round.
- All winners agree to give permission to the ISA, TRMS and other sponsors for associated contest audio and video recordings of the Table Read and other events to be used on websites and social media platforms.
- TRMS reserves the right to award a cash prize at its discretion. The Winner is under no obligation to accept the associated prizes but will not be awarded or owed a cash replacement upon electing not to move forward with prizes offered.
- TRMS may develop a series or documentary style program based on the inner workings of the contest and the production resulting there from. TRMS reserves the right to contact the writer with offers to participate in any such production. The writer is under no obligation to participate therein.
- All Grand Prize, Top 10 and Semifinalist choices are made at the express decision of TRMS, and once made are considered final. The writer agrees to accept without reservation the decisions rendered by the judges.
- There are no refunds for submissions at any time for any reason.
- TRMS has the right to change or add to the prizes at any time, without notice, and/or substitute prizes of equal or lesser value.
- Additional rules may be amended at the sole discretion of TRMS.
- By submitting to this contest, the writer's email address will be added to the contest database as well as the International Screenwriters' Association newsletter for weekly updates, contest promotions and other notifications. The writer may unsubscribe at any time.
- It is our full intention to fulfill all prizes as posted. However, due to any unlikely “force majeure” event (whether an act of God or otherwise), we reserve the right to update or edit prizes in our sole and absolute discretion, including, without limitation, the right to move any prizes and/or packages to an online format.
- By selecting ‘I have Read and Understand the Contest Rules’ on the entry page and submitting, the writer agrees to all of these rules.