The 2026 Virginia Screenwriting Competition is open for submissions from Virginia residents and students attending Virginia schools, from April 6 through May 25.

The Virginia Screenwriting Competition was established in 1988 as an opportunity for Virginia writers to have their work read and evaluated. Three prize-winners are selected each year. Since that time, the competition has received more than 1,500 entries from all parts of the state.

The competition accepts both feature-length screenplays, and screenplays for episodic pilots.

The first round of judging is by screenwriting professionals from within the state who each select one or two scripts to be finalists in the competition. These are then sent to working professionals in the industry who read all of the final screenplays and select the three winners. An award of $1,000 is given to each of the winners without rank as part of the Virginia Film Festival, held in Charlottesville in the fall.

The Virginia Screenwriting Competition is unique in that all qualifying entries receive a written evaluation from the first-round judges, often giving writers valuable insight into ways to improve their work. In addition, the competition is one of the few in the nation that does not require an entrance fee.

For a complete list of rules and to submit, visit: Virginia Screenwriting Competition