Sundance Film Festival
Park City, United States
100
Tier AOscarScreenings
Festival dossier
Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition & SHORTS competition
United States · Est. 2001 · Multiple structural red flags — exercise caution before submitting
WarningWatchlist
United States
28
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
Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition & SHORTS is a long-running U.S.-based screenwriting competition founded in 1998 that is known for promoting writers and connecting submissions with industry professionals. It is notable for reading every entry through producers, managers, or agents, awarding more than $50,000 in prizes, and promoting semifinalists and above for a full year, which gives it a stronger career-development focus than many contests.[1][4][6][8]
Last updated Aug 27, 2026
Legitimacy Analysis
Positive Indicators (+14 pts)
- 25 years of verifiable history
- 2 verified pro signals
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
- Documented history with archived programs
Festival Details
Founded
2001
FilmFreeway communityGold festival
Avg. rating
3.9/ 5
Reviews
12
Synced 4 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.
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Research
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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.
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