ABOUT THE HWC

The Harvardwood Writers Competition (HWC) was founded in 2006 with the aim of recognizing superior work by Harvard writers and giving these talented individuals the opportunity to gain industry exposure. View the list of past HWC winners (2023 winners pictured below).

A review committee, with support from the Harvardwood Board of Directors, will evaluate all scripts entered to determine the winner and runner-up (if applicable) from each category. Results are announced on a rolling basis, strategically, in line with industry trends. HWC judges are working executives and creatives, with a balance of gender, race and other diversity and experience across various fields of entertainment. 

HWC submitters can opt to receive judging comments and feedback for each script submitted. The notes are aimed to illuminate judges' reactions to your script (beyond the numerical average of your scores received by semi-finalists and finalists) and may be useful to you for future rewrites.

Winning scripts will be read by a qualified review committee. All winners will receive a mentor and a small cash award.

HOW TO APPLY

Only Full Members of Harvardwood are eligible for the competition (Friends of Harvardwood are ineligible). To become a Full member, non-members can register by clicking here.

2024 Application Link here

Submissions for the contest must be received in PDF format by the submission deadline. Full payment must also be received by the submission deadline.

Neither the applicant's name nor any other identifying information should appear on the title page or any other page of the script — this information should only be included on the entry form.

By applying to the Harvardwood Writers Competition, you affirm that you agree to the terms and conditions of the Harvardwood Writers Competition Release Form.

The entry fees per script will be:

• October 6th, 2023 - early bird $45
• October 27th, 2023- official deadline $55
• November 10th, 2023 - late deadline $75

If you'd like to receive reader feedback and notes, the additional fees (exclusive of the submission fee) are as follows:

• Half-hour pilot / One Act Play: $100
• One-hour pilot: $115
• Feature: $130

Your script must have an anonymous cover sheet in the following format:

Title (if a Pilot, then Title of Show)

"Episode Title" (only applicable for TV Pilots)

Genre: [horror, comedy, drama, suspense, one-hour drama, half-hour comedy, etc.]

Short Logline: [yours here]

State on your cover sheet: "Submitted for evaluation in advance of the Harvardwood Writers Competition and Harvardwood's Most Staffable Writers list. If you have further questions or would like to contact the writer, please email [email protected]."

Each individual may submit no more than TWO SCRIPTS per category.* Repeat entries are allowed, only if the script has been rewritten since it was entered in a previous contest. 

All genres are permitted. Scripts should be submitted in PDF format using standard script margins and conventions, and body pages must be numbered. Submissions must be in English.

Submissions must be the original work of the contestant(s), although they may be based on a true story (historical or contemporary) or on other fictional or nonfictional material; if this is the case, please indicate as such on the title page of the script. Entries may also be adapted from the contestant's (or contestants') original work, which should also be noted on the title page.

Collaborative work, undertaken by no more than two writers, is eligible, provided that at least one writing partner is a dues-current Full Member of Harvardwood. Only one entry fee is required per script. Writing partners selected as winners will divide the prize equally.

Entered scripts may not have been previously optioned, sold, or produced (in the case of plays, non-equity readings/productions will not disqualify work from entry). Scripts must be the original work of the author(s), 18 years of age or older. No substitutions of new drafts or corrected pages for script entries will be accepted under any circumstances.

Paid employees of Harvardwood and their immediate families are ineligible, as are competition judges and their immediate families. Harvardwood recommends registering your scripts with the WGA and/or copyrighting your material with the Library of Congress before submission.

PLEASE NOTE: Competition results may be delayed if the writers strike continues into December. Harvardwood is continuously consulting with the WGA to ensure that our protocols are in line with strike rules.

Submission instructions for the 2024 Harvardwood Writers Competition will be announced this Fall. 

The HWC features three categories:

• Feature screenplays (90-120 pages, all genres)

• Television pilots (half-hour and one-hour, all genres)

• One-Act play* (40 pages maximum)

*Plays must be in stage play format. The competition no longer accepts short films.

In addition, writers who have participated in the HWP - TV Modules during the preceding fall and spring semesters are eligible for the annual Harvardwood Most Staffable TV Writers list.

HWC SUCCESSES

In recent years, participants in the Harvardwood Writers Program and Competition have seen unprecedented success, with pilot sales to ABC, the CW, Disney+, Jim Henson Company, Netflix, Showtime, Sony, Syfy, and TV Land, in addition to blind script deals at ABC Studios and Warner Bros. Harvardwood writers have been staffed on over two dozen shows, and recent shows include: Almost Paradise (WGN), American Dad (Fox), Animaniacs (Hulu), Awkwafina is Nora From Queens (Comedy Central), Billions (Showtime), Bridgerton (Netflix), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (CW), Emergence (ABC), Family Guy (FOX), Fear the Walking Dead (AMC), The Flash (CW), Future Man (Hulu), The Goldbergs (ABC), Gotham (Fox), Grey's Anatomy (ABC), The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), Homeland (Showtime), How To Get Away With Murder (ABC), In The Dark (CW), Jane the Virgin (CW), Manhunt: Deadly Games (CBS), Marvel’s Runaways (Hulu), Power (Starz), Queen Sugar (OWN),The Resident (FOX), Shadowhunters (Freeform), and The Society (Netflix). Among our feature film writers, successes include writing for: Marvel Films, Circle of Confusion, Electric Entertainment, and Netflix.

Participants have secured representation at Apostle, Benderspink, Brant Rose Agency, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, CAA, Circle of Confusion, Echo Lake, Gersh, ICM, Madhouse Entertainment, Management 360, Mosaic, Original Artists, UTA, WME, and others.

Previous HWC winners and Most Staffable List writers have been covered by Deadline. 

If you have any questions about the Writers Competition, please email us.