Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION ONLY

Submissions are accepted via electronic submission only, between March 2, 2026 and December 31, 2026.

AGE REQUIREMENT

Writers under the age of 18 years old must have parent or legal guardian’s permission to participate.

ENTRY FEES & DEADLINES

All deadlines close at 11:59 PM Pacific Time on the specified dates. Entry fees vary by submission category and deadline:

1-Page Screenplay Category:

Standard Deadline (Anytime up to December 4, 2026): $10
Extended Deadline (December 5, 2026 – December 31, 2026): $15

Short Screenplay & Short Story (Prose) Categories:

First Wave Deadline (June 5, 2026): $20
Early Deadline (August 7, 2026): $25
Regular Deadline (October 31, 2026): $30
Final Deadline (December 4, 2026): $35
Extended Deadline (December 31, 2026): $40

Feature Screenplay Category:

Early Bird Deadline (August 7, 2026): $45
Regular Deadline (October 31, 2026): $55
Final Deadline (December 4, 2026): $65
Extended Deadline (December 31, 2026): $75

Submission fee payment must be made in full at the time of submission. All entry fees are strictly non-refundable.

OPTIONAL FEEDBACK & THE SCREAM LIST

Optional feedback from a professional reader may be requested at the time of entry. Requests for feedback can be done through the Killer Shorts site or FilmFreeway. If your screenplay receives a “Recommend” rating it may qualify for inclusion on The Scream List. Feedback is delivered on the quarterfinalist announcement date.

SCREENWRITING EARNINGS LIMIT

Entrant’s total earnings for screenwriting for either film or TV, produced or unproduced, must not exceed $10,000 in the past 12 months. This excludes any prize money from competitions or fellowships and only applies to funds or money transferred in exchange for an option or sale of a script, treatment, idea, intellectual property, or other writing for filming. Money earned from acting, directing, producing, or any other film work outside of writing is not included.

PRIOR SALES & PRODUCTION

Screenplays submitted must not have been previously sold or produced unless said sale or production was completed with no financial gain to the writer.

SCREENPLAY PAGE LENGTH REQUIREMENTS

Page length requirements vary strictly by submission category.

Note: The title page does not count toward your total page count, and screenwriters are fully permitted to include their name and contact information on the title page.

1-Page Category: Submissions must not exceed exactly 1 page.
Short Screenplay Category: Submissions must be a minimum of 1 page and a maximum of 20 pages.
Feature Screenplay Category: Submissions must be a minimum of 70 pages and a maximum of 120 pages.

Any submission that falls under the minimum requirement or exceeds the maximum page limit for its respective category will be automatically disqualified from advancing in the competition.

Note on Paid Feedback: If an entrant has purchased additional feedback with their entry but exceeds the category page limit, the script will still receive the feedback evaluation they paid for, and remains eligible for inclusion on The Scream List based on its score. However, it will be disqualified from advancing to further rounds of the competition.

SHORT STORIES (PROSE) GUIDELINES

Short Stories (Prose) should be 6,000 words or less, PDF and modern manuscript format. Remove all identifying information from all pages. Only original short stories that have not been previously published (at the time of submission) in print, digital or online publications will be considered. This includes all forms of digital self-publishing. Short stories should be submitted individually and not as part of a collection. If a collection is submitted, only the first story will be considered. Multiple submissions allowed. Simultaneous Submissions allowed. Feedback is not available for Short Stories (Prose) at this time.

PROMOTIONAL RIGHTS

Any winners may have their name, script title, and picture used for any Killer Shorts promotions or promotions of our sponsors or affiliates.

NUMBER OF ENTRIES

There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit.

PAYMENT & DEADLINES

Entries must be received on or before the deadline dates by 11:59PM Pacific Time, and submission fee payment must be made in full at time of the submission. All entry fees are non-refundable.

ORIGINALITY & OWNERSHIP

All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s).

WRITING TEAMS & MATERIAL SUBMISSIONS

All material must be submitted directly by the author(s). Material written by a writing team must be submitted by one designated member of the team with the full consent of all co-writers. All writers must be properly credited on the script's title page.

DISTRIBUTION OF TEAM PRIZES

If a writing team is chosen as a winner, prizes will be given to the person who submits the project. Each team is responsible for dividing or sharing the prize money.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

To ensure total transparency and a level playing field, Killer Shorts prohibits entries from individuals, including any co-writers, with a direct or indirect connection to the competition’s operations. This includes all current staff, readers, and sponsors, as well as current and former members of the jury. Furthermore, this restriction extends to the immediate family members (spouses, parents, children, and siblings) of these parties. Any submission found to be in violation of this conflict-of-interest policy will be subject to immediate disqualification without a refund.

FINALITY OF JUDGING DECISIONS

The decision of the judges will be final and cannot be contested in any manner. There is no score on a scorecard that guarantees advancement to the next level as advancement will be based on all scores in the competition.

ANNOUNCEMENT SCHEDULES

Killer Shorts reserves the right to delay announcements for any reason. Delay may last up to but never more than 90 days. While we never anticipate any delays, such delays will not alter the standing of any screenplay entry and will qualify no script for a refund under any circumstance.

TERMS AGREEMENT

By entering the Killer Shorts contest every entrant is agreeing to all Killer Shorts Terms and Conditions listed and available before checkout. If you disagree with any terms you may not submit to the contest.

MATERIAL REGISTRATION

It is recommended that original material be registered with the WGA or The Library of Congress before submitting to any competition, however we do not require registration.

SUBSTITUTIONS & DRAFT REVISIONS

Substitutions of either corrected pages or new drafts of the entered material will be allowed with a $5 admin fee through the Killer Shorts site. FilmFreeway users can update their file at any time for no charge. Please proofread your script carefully before submitting. Project updates will not be read for the current round if your original draft was already read. To check if your project was already read, you can email [email protected]. The $5 is an administrative fee and non-refundable.

ELIGIBILITY OF PRIOR WINNERS

Former Grand Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize Winners of the contest may enter so long as it is NOT the same script that won in a previous year. Any other placement in former years does not disqualify the script from being entered this year.

JURISDICTION

Void where prohibited.

PUBLICITY CONSENT

Except where prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes each entrant’s consent to Killer Shorts and its agents’ and contest sponsor’s use of entrants’ names, likenesses, photographs, and/or personal information for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration. All uses of entrants’ information are in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

LIABILITY RELEASE & INDEMNITY

BY ENTERING THE CONTEST YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO THESE CONDITIONS. You agree to release and hold harmless Killer Shorts and its subsidiary, parent and affiliated companies, prize contributors, judges, screenplay readers, sponsors, and any other organizations responsible for administering, advertising or promoting the Contest, and every one of their respective members, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) past and present from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to damages and negligence to property and persons, including but not limited to invasion of privacy, defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, copyright, infringement of trademark or other intellectual property rights relating to a participant’s entry, participation in the Contest and/or acceptance or use or misuse of Prize.

RIGHTS RETENTION

All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this contest remains with the original rights holders.

COMMUNICATIONS NOTICE

By entering this competition, you agree to receive periodic emails from Killer Shorts. You may unsubscribe to these at any time.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) PROHIBITION

Submissions must not use AI. Any entries that are found to be using AI will be automatically disqualified and the author banned from all future competitions.

UNADVANCED SCRIPT FEEDBACK

Due to the volume of entries we receive, we’re not able to provide individual feedback on scripts that do not advance. Our judging process is competitive and subjective, and many strong pieces simply can’t move forward each round. If you’re looking for detailed notes, we do offer our Short Script Coverage service, where you can receive structured feedback from our readers.

Questions regarding these guidelines can be directed to the Killer Shorts administration.