Sundance Film Festival
Park City, United States
100
Tier AOscarScreenings
Festival dossier
NFFTY Screenplay Competition: Story Starts Here
Seattle, United States · Est. 2018 · Multiple structural red flags — exercise caution before submitting
WarningWatchlist
Seattle, United States
26
Legitimacy ScoreShould I submit?
Pause before you pay
Warning-tier means structural red flags in our data — not a confirmed scam, but submit only with eyes open.
- Listed as 'competition' not 'festival' - likely online-only awards
- No physical screenings
- 1 documented risk signal
Overview
The NFFTY Screenplay Competition: Story Starts Here is the screenwriting program of the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) in Seattle, a festival founded by Seattle teenagers in 2007 that has grown into the world’s largest film festival for emerging directors and filmmakers 24 and under. The competition is notable for giving young writers constructive script feedback and for culminating at NFFTY’s annual festival, where finalists are featured and cash prizes are awarded.
Last updated Aug 27, 2026
Legitimacy Analysis
Positive Indicators (+12 pts)
- 8 years of verifiable history
- 1 verified pro signal
Red Flags (-36 pts)
- Listed as 'competition' not 'festival' - likely online-only awards
- No physical screenings
- 1 documented risk signal
- On watchlist — negative reputation signals detected
Trust Signals
Risk Flags
- COMPETITION_NOT_FESTIVAL
Positive Signals
- FilmFreeway Gold festival
Festival Details
Founded
2018
FilmFreeway communityGold festival
Avg. rating
3.8/ 5
Reviews
5
Synced 19 days ago
Rating synced from FilmFreeway; individual review text not pulled yet for this festival.
View on FilmFreewayFilmFreeway reviews are filmmaker opinions, not our score. Cross-check red flags before paying fees.
Related Festivals in United States
Tribeca Film Festival
New York, United States
100
Tier AOscarScreenings
Vegas Movie Awards
Las Vegas, United States
0
Warning35 categories
Hollywood Gold Awards
Los Angeles, United States
0
Warning55 categories
Animation Nights New York
New York, United States
79
Tier BScreenings
Atlanta Horror Film Fest
Atlanta, United States
79
Tier BScreenings
Research
Live web research is off to control API cost. This shows cached scheduled research when available, plus analysis from our database.
Hard research (cheap model + thorough prompt) runs on a cron for suspicious festivals; a biweekly job refreshes others. No live API calls from the site.
At a glance
How scoring works
Scores are calculated from structural indicators: accreditations, physical screenings, award category count, submission frequency, and acceptance rate. Higher scores reflect more verifiable legitimacy signals.
Filmmaker reviews
No community reviews yet. If you submitted here, your experience helps others avoid award mills.
Write a reviewOr report a problem →Write a review
Get Alerts
Get notified when NFFTY Screenplay Competition: Story Starts Here's tier changes or new reports are filed.
See something wrong?
Filmmakers and festival teams can propose listing corrections or submit verified evidence. Verified evidence can change a tier, but it is weighed alongside every other flag on this listing.
Request a correction