$6,000 in Cash + Table Read + Consideration for Development
A professional table read is one of the most important tools to gain insight into your script. 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. As the Grand Prize Winner of TRMS you will meet with and discuss your feature or pilot with an experienced director, then trained actors will perform excerpts of your award-winning script for a live audience online.
Plus, you'll receive $1,000 cash and other prizes including having your project presented to agents, managers and producers through the ISA Development Team. 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 be considered for Grand Prize.
Director Announced
The table read will be directed by Meg Swertlow (No Overnight Parking, Blumhouse Lab) and performed by professional actors.
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 an industry exec following your table read.
Script Shared with Our Industry Contacts
Such as Max, Disney+, LuckyChap, CAA, ABC Signature, MGM and more.
Meeting with an ISA Development Executive
Learn more about the ISA
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
Designed Movie Poster for Your Script
Featured Interview on Film Inquiry
Learn more about Film Inquiry
Plus Top 10 Prizes
Top 10
Finalists
(Features / TV Pilots)
$500 Cash Each
ISA Development Slate Consideration
Development Slate writers are championed to top agents, managers and producing contacts. Learn More
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 to be Shared with Industry Contacts
Such as Max, Disney+, LuckyChap, CAA, ABC Signature, MGM and more. Learn More
Film Inquiry 1-Year Membership
Consideration for Grand Prize
1 of the 10 Finalists will be selected as the Grand Prize Winner
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:
Table Read Winner Success
Script Produced
After winning Table Read My Screenplay, Annika Pampel was invited onto the ISA Development Slate and named a Top 25 Screenwriter to Watch. Annika's film ODIUM is slated to shoot in 2024, produced by Markeba Media Group and Ardvella Entertainment. Annika will also be directing and making her directorial feature debut.
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.
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.
“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
Mega-Early: December 21st
$19
Early: January 11th
$39
Regular: February 22nd
$49
Final: March 28th
$69
Announcements
Quarter-Finalists: April 24th
Semi-Finalists: May 9th
Top 10: May 16th
Grand Prize: May 23rd
- 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.
- All entries are judged by real, live people who have been trained to do so. No AI is used in the judging process.
- 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).
- 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 – (20 – 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.