The Baltimore Film Office at the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) is accepting entries for the 19th annual Baltimore Screenwriters Competition. This is anopportunity to craft a winning screenplay that highlights Baltimore. The competition awards prizes in both the feature and shorts categories for scripts that are set or able to be filmed in Baltimore. The Baltimore Screenwriters Competition is a project of the Baltimore Film Office in conjunction with film programs at Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University.
The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, January 17, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. The application and full
guidelines are available online at promotionandarts.org/baltimore-screenwriters-competition/. Submitted
scripts receive coverage from students in the Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University
screenwriting programs and by local screenwriters and producers. The final screenplays are judged by
industry professionals in film and television, including producers and writers working on projects for HBO
and other studios.
All screenwriters are encouraged to apply. “The Baltimore Screenwriters Competition nurtures writers of
all levels by providing opportunities for screenwriters to have their scripts read, receive valuable feedback,
and gain confidence in their storytelling,” says Debbie Donaldson Dorsey, Director of the Baltimore Film
Office. The top entries in each category will win cash prizes and are scheduled to be announced during the
2024 Maryland Film Festival in May 2024.
In 2023, the 18th annual Baltimore Screenwriter Competition judges — Nina Noble, Ken LaZebink, David
Talbert, and Annette Porter — awarded “Premium Economy” by Michael Harris, “Under the Moon” by Ari
Silver, and “Running Out of Time” by Taja Copeland in the features category, and “Reconstruction” by
Treasure McCorkle, “Beyond Breath and Time” by Mecca Verdell, and “Carpiercer” by Lee Connah in the
shorts category.
Previous Baltimore Screenwriters Competition winners have also received Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund
Fellowships, including 2020 Baltimore Screenwriter Competition winners Stephen Schuyler for "Like You
Think You Know Me," and Chung-Wei Huang for "Squeegee Boys," who both shot their films in Baltimore.