The Moonless International Screenwriters & Playwrights Competition proudly accepts original scripts or stage plays of any genre.

Screenplays & stage plays may be submitted through FilmFreeway.

No. All screenplays and stage plays must be submitted in PDF Form via FilmFreeway.

Feature Film Screenplayscan be 70-130 pages in length. Any submission outside of that page range can be disqualified without refund.

Short Film Screenplays can be between 5-40 pages in length. Any submission outside of that page range will be disqualified without refund. 

Pilot Screenplays can be 10-70 pages in length. Any submission outside of that page range can be disqualified without refund. 

Stage Play / Playwright Submissions can be 10 to 120 pages in length.

One Act Submission is 10 to 40 pages in length.

Full-Length Play is 60 to 120 pages in length.

Both must be in standard stage play format and not screenplay format.

Supplementary materials are not required for Pilot Screenplays, and though the competition cannot guarantee that any supplementary materials will be reviewed, you may include supplementary materials in your submission PDF or email them to screenplay@rmoonlessiff.org.

Supplementary materials include, but are not limited to: concept summaries, character descriptions, and future episode summaries. 

South Carolina screenwriters & playwrights are eligible to receive a 50% off discount code by emailing sc@moonlessiff.org

Please allow up to 7 business days for a response particularly when approaching a submission deadline.

At least one writer must reside in the state of South Carolina during the time of entry. Should an entry use this code without meeting the necessary criteria, it will be disqualified without refund.

We have four deadlines throughout our submission process:

• Early Deadline: October 17th, 2025

• Regular Deadline: December 21, 2026

• Late Deadline: March 28, 2026

• Extended Extended Deadline: May 3, 2026

Please keep track of deadlines closely if you plan on submitting within a certain submission window. All deadlines are set for 11:59pm EDT.   

Any submissions that are incomplete by the final deadline or otherwise impossible to review will be disqualified without refund of submission fees.  

The only difference in deadlines are the associated submission fees. You can find a full list of deadlines and their associated fees at the following link: FilmFreeway.

Of course!

Not at all. Writers of any age are welcome. However, if you are under 18, the laws of your state/country may prohibit you from submitting personally, so you may need an adult to submit on your behalf.

The only guaranteed waivers are for alumni of the Moonless International Film Festival. The competition also provides some waivers, by application, to filmmakers from other countries in which international sanctions prevent them from paying a fee. If either of these terms apply to you, please email screenplay@moonlessiff.org

Yes, of course! The Moonless International Screenwriters & Playwrights Competition never obtains the rights to any submission. You may consider registering your screenplay with the Writers Guild of America and/or copyrighting it through the US Copyright Office (or your country’s equivalent), but neither is required for entry.

No. Once a screenplay is processed and submitted, we do not accept updated drafts.

No. Duplicate submissions are not allowed. Any duplicate submissions of the same screenplay, with or without revisions, will be disqualified without refund. Please be sure to carefully review and edit your screenplay or stage play before submitting. 

Don’t worry. Even professional film screenplays & stage plays contain typos and other errors. Keep in mind that screenplay and stage play assessment is much more focused on finding compelling and original voices!

Check our Rules and Terms on FilmFreeway.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for there, please feel free to email us at

screenplay@moonlessiff.org

We are unable to address inquiries via phone.