Golden Anvil Screenplay Competition

The Golden Anvil is open internationally to non-professional writers aged 18 or over, except where prohibited by local law. All co-writers must meet the same requirements.

You are eligible only if all three statements apply: • You do not earn your primary income from screenwriting. • You have no WGA or equivalent professional screenwriting credits. • You are not employed as a writer in film, television, games or streaming.

You must be a named writer of the screenplay, own its rights and have secured the rights to any underlying material. Producers, agents, managers, companies and other third parties may not enter on a writer’s behalf. Script Forge may process an entry submitted by its writer through FilmFreeway.

Previously optioned, sold or professionally produced screenplays are not eligible. Scripts created with AI tools are permitted, provided the entrant owns the rights and accepts responsibility for copyright.

Feature screenplays, short scripts and television pilots are accepted in English, across all genres. Submit one complete screenplay per entry as a PDF. Include its title and all writers’ names; a title page alone is not a complete submission.

Use standard screenplay formatting, with numbered pages and 12-point Courier or equivalent. Anthologies and multiple screenplays bundled into one PDF are not permitted.

A writer may submit no more than ten entries per calendar month across Script Forge and FilmFreeway combined. Each revised screenplay or further submission is a new entry.

The same eligibility, scoring, prize and repeat-win rules apply to both entry routes. Enter each submission through one route only.

FilmFreeway: upload the complete screenplay with your entry. Standard and student entry cost US$9.99 per submission; FilmFreeway Gold members pay the displayed discounted fee, currently US$8.99. This is a one-time entry fee, not a subscription. Script Forge handles entry into its competition system and runs the Coverage Report. No second Script Forge entry fee or report credit is required for the same FilmFreeway submission.

Script Forge: create an account and enter through the Golden Anvil page in your dashboard. Subscribers use the normal Coverage Report credit amount shown at submission. Free users pay $9.99, £9.99 or €9.99 per submission through the dashboard checkout. The paid entry includes its Coverage Report.

Every eligible entry receives screenplay feedback and a full Script Forge Coverage Report. A revised screenplay or further submission requires a new FilmFreeway entry fee, dashboard payment or Coverage Report credit, depending on the chosen route.

The competition runs continuously. Entries are processed as they arrive, and awards are confirmed once the coverage score and eligibility checks are complete. You do not have to wait for the end of a month. A screenplay submitted today could qualify for an award tomorrow, but next-day processing and an award are not guaranteed.

The FilmFreeway annual call for entries runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. The final notification and event date of 7 October 2027 marks the season wrap-up. Individual results are communicated as entries are processed. The Script Forge dashboard entry route continues throughout the year.

Each completed submission is assessed once. Judging uses Script Forge’s AI-powered coverage system rather than a human judging panel. The Coverage Score determines award eligibility: • Golden Anvil: 9.0 to 10.0. • Silver Anvil: 8.0 to below 9.0. • Bronze Anvil: 7.0 to below 8.0.

Awards depend on reaching the qualifying score and meeting these rules. They are not based on a ranking or a fixed number of winners. A tier may have multiple qualifying entries or none. Entry does not guarantee an award.

Golden Anvil: • US$1,000 cash prize. • Six months of Script Forge Pro. • Shopping agreement offer from About It Films, a New York-based film company. • Physical Golden Anvil award and winner laurel. • Optional Writer Showcase interview and social media spotlight.

Silver Anvil: • One month of Script Forge Pro. • Reports and evaluations included with the prize plan. • Shareable Silver Anvil winner badge. • Optional Writer Showcase interview and social media spotlight.

Bronze Anvil: • One month of the Script Forge Writer Plan. • Access to the report tools included with the prize plan. • Shareable Bronze Anvil winner badge. • Optional social media spotlight.

The About It Films prize is an offer of a shopping agreement, subject to separate terms agreed with the writer. It does not guarantee a screenplay sale, financing, production or representation.

At the end of each calendar year, we publish an annual roundup of Golden, Silver and Bronze Anvil winners who choose to take part. Winners may also opt into a listing on our Top Scripts page when it becomes available. Publicity is optional and does not affect an award or its prizes.

These limits apply across Script Forge and FilmFreeway entries combined: • One Golden Anvil per writer per calendar year. • Two Silver Anvils per writer per calendar year, with at least six months between awards. • One Bronze Anvil per writer every three months.

The same screenplay may win once in each score tier per calendar year. After winning a tier, a revised screenplay can qualify for another prize that year only by reaching a higher tier, subject to the writer’s prize limits. Entering through another account or submission route does not reset these limits.

Hidden or invisible text, blank-page padding, nonsense filler, malformed PDFs and any attempt to manipulate the score or disrupt the analysis system are prohibited. Do not submit work you do not own, use automated mass submissions or create multiple accounts to evade entry or prize limits.

Breaches may result in disqualification, account suspension or a competition ban. Submissions through different accounts or entry routes remain subject to the same writer and screenplay limits.

All co-writers must be named on the entry and meet the eligibility requirements. One prize package is awarded per qualifying screenplay. Cash prizes are shared equally between the listed co-writers; subscription prizes are one subscription period for the team.

Writers retain copyright and ownership of their work. Entry authorises Script Forge to process the screenplay through its coverage system for judging and feedback. Script Forge does not acquire screenplay rights through entry.

Publication of a writer’s name, screenplay title, logline, score or feedback excerpt requires the writer’s consent. A separate shopping agreement requires the writer’s agreement to its own terms.

Results are communicated through the entrant’s supplied contact details and, for FilmFreeway entries, through FilmFreeway. Individual results are not held until the annual roundup or season wrap-up.

Winners must provide the information needed to deliver their prizes. Cash payments can be made through PayPal, Wise, UK bank transfer or international transfer where supported. Winners are responsible for applicable taxes.

The Script Forge Coverage Score is final. There are no appeals, manual score adjustments or rescores of the same entry. A revised screenplay requires a new submission.

Entry fees and report credits are not refundable once the submitted screenplay has been processed, except where required by law.

For help with an entry, contact goldenanvil@scriptforge.art. These rules apply to both the Script Forge dashboard and FilmFreeway entry routes.