2nd Annual
Screenplay Competition
$1,500 Grand Prize
Closed for Submissions
Objective
The Creative Lexington Screenplay Competition was founded to give an opportunity for screenwriters, particularly up and coming ones, to submit their work in a competition where the winner not only gets a cash prize, but has a very good chance of getting their screenplay produced by us.
Introduction
Creative Lexington started its Film Project Division in 2016 in order to produce feature length films in the great state of Kentucky. A major component of this division is to host an annual feature screenplay competition to give the opportunity to not only the up and coming screenwriter, but also the seasoned veterans, to write an independent feature film screenplay on a topic and genre of their choosing that Creative Lexington will likely produce.
The winner of the 2016 competition, "Ghost in the Family" is currently being produced by Creative Lexington and is in post-production for a 2018 release. The screenwriter, William David Glenn IV, also is a talented director and got to make his feature film directorial debut on this production. We are looking for screenwriters that have wicked creativity and are open and willing to collaborate with other creative film talents as CL produces their film. We will pick a producible screenplay and work with the writer and other great film creatives in order to create a high-quality, low-budget ($500K), independent film.
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"Winning the 2016 Creative Lexington Screenplay Competition is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life thus far. I always felt that being from Lexington, I wouldn't have a chance to get my work produced, but thanks to Creative Lexington I no longer feel that way. This is a great opportunity for up and coming and seasoned screenwriters to have their work seen by professionals and possibly turned into a film. I was lucky enough to direct the film that was produced from my winning screenplay. I consider Ghost in the Family an important milestone in my career as both a writer and director, as it is my first feature film. This was all thanks to Creative Lexington who were extremely professional and helpful throughout the entire process."
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William David Glenn IV | Writer & Director "Ghost in the Family"
General Guidelines
CL wants a screenplay that centers on 2 or 3 girls, 15-16 years old, in 9th or 10th grade of high school. The film can be any genre, but adventure, comedy or horror (not gory like Saw or Hostel) is preferred, must be rated R or below, and must be set in present time. The screenplay will highlight the best friends dynamics that helps them overcome their obstacle in the film. Movies/Shows that serve as good examples, other than this screenplay will be set in the present, are "The Goonies", "Stranger Things", "It" (2017), and "Stand by Me".
CL requests a 5 page synopsis of the screenplay for the initial stage, in which, 3 finalists will be chosen from those entries. The 3 finalists will submit their finished screenplay for judging, in which, a Grand Prize Winner will be chosen. We prefer that the screenplays be lower-budget ($500K or below), producible films, but all screenplays will be considered no matter the production cost. Also, the screenplay must be written so that it can be filmed in Kentucky. For information on the geography, climate, locations and such, please visit http://filmoffice.ky.gov/why/default.aspx .
Important Dates
Launch:
November 15, 2017
5-Pg Synopsis Deadlines:
Early Bird: November 30, 2017 $15
Regular: December 31, 2017 $25
Late: January 5, 2018 $35
Very Late: January 8, 2018 $45
3 Finalists Announced
January 15, 2018
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Finalist Completed Screenplays Due
February 9, 2018
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Grand Prize Winner Announced
February 18, 2018
Terms and Conditions
By making one or more submissions in Creative Lexington’s 2nd Annual Screenplay Competition (hereafter “Competition”), you agree unconditionally to the following terms and conditions established by Creative Good LLC (hereafter “Creative Lexington”).
Five-page synopsis round
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Entrants must submit a five-page synopsis at or before 11:59 PM ET on January 8, 2018 (very late entry deadline), along with the required entry fee. Submissions and payment of the entry fee will be handled through WithoutaBox.com.
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All submissions must be made in PDF file format, in 12-point font, and be no more than five pages in length. All pages of the submission must be numbered, not including the title page.
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Creative Lexington will consider only the five-page synopsis. No other materials will be considered in any way.
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All submissions are final upon submission. No revisions will be accepted.
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The Competition is open to persons of any nationality and from any country. All entries, however, must be in the English language.
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Any genre will be accepted, but adventure, comedy or (non-gory) horror is preferred.
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Entrants may make as many submissions as desired, but each submission must be accompanied by a separate entry fee.
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Each submission must contain the entrant’s name, email address, and telephone number.
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Creative Lexington reserves the right in its sole discretion to reject or disqualify any submissions that do not comply with these Terms and Conditions, without refund of any entry fees.
Screenplay Finalist Round
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All screenplays must conform to current ethical standards of amateur or professional writing.
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All screenplays must be 70 – 120 pages in length and be formatted in standard industry format. Non-complying screenplays will be disqualified.
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All screenplays must be provided to Creative Lexington in both Microsoft Word and Final Draft formats.
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The screenplay must be written so that it can be filmed in Kentucky. For information on the geography, climate, locations, and related matters, please visit http://filmoffice.ky.gov/why/default.aspx
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All screenplays must be written to have a MPAA film rating of R or below.
General Terms & Conditions
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By submitting any materials to Creative Lexington in connection with the Competition, you represent and warrant that you are, at the time of submission, eighteen years or older and legally capable of entering a binding contract with Creative Lexington.
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If selected as the Grand Prize Winner of the Competition, you agree to accept $1,500.00 from Creative Lexington as consideration in exchange for your grant to Creative Lexington of an exclusive option (but no obligation) to produce the winning screenplay. The complete terms of such exclusive option will be memorialized in a formal option agreement to be provided by Creative Lexington after selection of the Grand Prize Winner. Creative Lexington will select the winner of the Competition in its sole and unfettered discretion and may select an alternate Grand Prize Winner and recipient of the $1,500.00 prize in the event the parties do not agree on the terms of the exclusive option agreement presented by Creative Lexington or if Creative Lexington determines, in its sole discretion, that you have breached the terms or representations of this Agreement.
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The subject of the option agreement will be your Screenplay as submitted in its final form, which will include all literary materials, titles, themes, formats, formulas, incidents, action, story, dialogue, ideas, plots, phrases, slogans, catchwords, art, designs, compositions, sketches, drawings, characters, characterizations, and names, as well as such elements as may at any time be added or incorporated, and all versions of the Screenplay in any form.
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In consideration for the $1,500.00 prize, you will grant an exclusive option to Creative Lexington through December 31, 2020, to all rights in and to the Screenplay, throughout the universe, in perpetuity, in any and all media and by any means now known or hereafter devised, including, without limitation, all forms of theatrical and non-theatrical distribution and exhibition (including without limitation, free broadcast, pay television, cable, subscription, pay-per-view, video-on-demand, DVD and Internet), including without limitation the following: all motion picture rights, including the right to make remakes, new versions or adaptations of the Screenplay or any part thereof; to make series and serials of the Screenplay or any part thereof; the right, for advertising and publicity purposes only, to prepare, broadcast, exhibit and publish in any form or media, any synopses, excerpts, novelizations, serializations, dramatizations, summaries and stories of the Screenplay, or any part thereof; and all rights of every kind and character whatsoever in and to the Screenplay and all the characters and elements contained therein.
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By entering the Competition, you represent and warrant to Creative Lexington that your five-page synopsis and any later screenplay, will be at all times: a) not an adaptation any other literary, dramatic, or other material of any kind (other than material that is in the public domain); b) not contain any elements copied or used from the plot, scenes, sequence, or story of any other literary, dramatic, or other material of any kind; c) not infringe upon any common law or statutory copyright or other intellectual property rights in any other literary, dramatic, or other material of any kind; d) not subject to any option, assignment, license, or other encumbrance to or in favor of any third party; e) not produced or authorized for production as a motion picture, dramatic version, or audio-visual adaptation; and f) not libelous or violative of the right of privacy of any person.
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You agree to execute and deliver such additional documents, instruments, conveyances and assurances and take such further actions as may be required to carry out the provisions and give effect to the terms of this Agreement.
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By making one or more submissions in the Competition, each entrant agrees: (a) to abide by these Terms and Conditions and the decisions of Creative Lexington, which shall be final in all respects relating to this Competition; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless Creative Lexington, and its respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising agencies, and the respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents and representatives of the foregoing (collectively, "Released Parties") from any and all injuries, liability, losses and damages of any kind to persons resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from entrant's participation in the Competition, from the breach of the entrant’s representations or warranties herein, or the acceptance, use or misuse of any awarded prize (or portion thereof); and (c) to the use of his/her name and Competition submissions for promotional and related purposes by Creative Lexington and its designees, without compensation (unless prohibited by law) or additional consents from entrant or any third party and without prior notice, approval, or inspection, and to execute specific consent to such use if asked to do so. Each entrant agrees, for himself or herself, and all of his or her heirs and legal representatives, not to sue the Released Parties or initiate or assist in the prosecution of any claim for damages or cause of action against the Released Parties that Participant or his or her heirs or legal representatives may have as a result of participation or attempted participation in the Competition.
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By making one or more submissions in the Competition, each entrant further agrees that the Released Parties shall not be responsible for: (a) any lost entries, late entries, incomplete entries, or fraudulent entries due to technical failures, including without limitation any client device technical failures or Creative Lexington server technical failures; (b) any unauthorized technical interference which may cause unintended entry modifications; (c) any technical problems, malfunctions of any computer systems, servers, providers, hardware/software, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission or any combination thereof; (d) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Competition; (e) any injury or damage to entrants' or to any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating in this Competition or downloading materials from or use of the Creative Lexington website.
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Creative Lexington may disqualify anyone from participating in the Competition or winning the prize (and void all associated entries) if, in its sole discretion, it determines that such person is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Competition by cheating, deception or other unfair practices, or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrant or Creative Lexington's representatives. Creative Lexington reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, modify or suspend any portion of the Competition for any reason, including should any cause corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Competition and, in the event of termination, to determine the potential winner in a random drawing from among all eligible non-suspect entries received and combined up to such time of impairment.
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IN NO EVENT WILL CREATIVE LEXINGTON, ITS PARENTS, SUBSIDIARIES, LICENSEES, AFFILIATES, OR RELATED COMPANIES, OR ANY OF THE FOREGOING’S RESPECTIVE OWNERS, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES, AND AGENTS (COLLECTIVELY “CREATIVE LEXINGTON GROUP”), BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES. BY SUBMITTING ANY MATERIALS TO CREATIVE LEXINGTON, THE ENTRANT HEREBY AGREES TO INDEMNIFY, HOLD HARMLESS, AND DEFEND THE CREATIVE LEXINGTON GROUP FROM ANY LIABILITY, CLAIMS, AND DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SUBMISSION AND FROM ANY FEES AND EXPENSES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES, THAT ANY OF THEM MAY INCUR IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.
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These Terms and Conditions constitute the sole and entire agreement of each entrant with Creative Lexington with respect to its subject matter and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, both written and oral, with respect to such subject matter.
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Creative Lexington may freely assign any of its rights under this Agreement. This Agreement will be binding upon and will inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and permitted assigns.
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This Agreement and all matters arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement will be instituted solely in the federal courts of the United States of America or the courts of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, in each case located in Lexington, Kentucky, and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding.