ONE PAGE SCRIPT COMPETITION

Official Rules & Regulations

The Bay International Film Festival (TBIFF) invites UK-based screenwriters to submit a one-page script to our inaugural script competition. The brief is simple: tell a complete, compelling story on a single page, written to be produced on a modest budget — live action, minimal cast, minimal locations, no visual effects. The Grand Prix winner will see their script produced by TBIFF festival directors.

1. Script Requirements

•   Length: The script must be exactly one (1) page in length. Title and contact details must be submitted on a separate cover page (see Section 3) and do not count towards the page limit.

•   Formatting: Scripts must be formatted to industry standard. PDF submissions only.

•   Locations: A maximum of two (2) locations. One is preferred.

•   Cast: A maximum of two (2) speaking roles. One is preferred. Non-speaking background presence (e.g. a passer-by) is permitted where essential to the story.

•   Live action only: No animation. No CGI, VFX or significant practical SFX. Stories must be achievable with a camera, the cast listed, and the locations described.

•   Language: Scripts must be written in English with English dialogue.

•   Genre: All genres welcome. Genre films are encouraged but not required.

•   Originality: Scripts must be the original work of the entrant(s), free of any third-party rights, and must not be adapted from existing copyrighted material. Scripts previously produced or optioned are not eligible.

2. Eligibility

•   Open to UK residents only (writers must be currently resident in the United Kingdom). Proof of residency may be requested from shortlisted entrants.

•   Entrants must be 18 years or older at the time of submission. Proof of age may be requested from shortlisted entrants.

•   Co-written scripts are accepted (maximum of two co-writers). All co-writers must be UK-resident, 18 years or older and named on the submission.

•   Employees, directors and board members of TBIFF, and their immediate family, are not eligible to enter.

•   Multiple entries are permitted. Each entry requires a separate submission fee.

3. How to Submit

1.   Submit via our FilmFreeway page by 4th of October - https://filmfreeway.com/TheBayFilmFestival.

2.   Submission fees: £8-|£9 per script. 100% of submission fees will be ring-fenced to fund the production of the Grand Prix winning script. Should no Grand Prix be awarded (see Section 5), all fees will be transferred to The Bay International Film Festival Limited — a not-for-profit company (No. 14633897) — to support its charitable and cultural objectives.

3.   Entries must include: (a) the one-page script as a PDF, and (b) a separate cover page stating the script title, writer(s) name(s), contact email, phone number and UK address.

4.   Writer names, contact details or any identifying information must NOT appear on the script page itself. Judging is anonymous.

4. Key Dates

•   Submissions open: 17 April 2026

•   Submissions close: 4 October 2026

•   Shortlist announced: 1 December 2026

•   Winners announced: At the TBIFF 2027 Awards Ceremony

5. Prizes

Three (3) winners will be selected. Each will receive:

•   An honorary TBIFF Script Competition Winner Certificate

•   A full TBIFF 2027 festival pass

•   Free submission of their films to TBIFF for one (1) year following the award

Grand Prix Winner:

•   The Grand Prix winning script will be produced as a short film by TBIFF festival co-founders Darren Henderson and Enni Red, funded by the competition’s submission-fee pool.

Reservation of discretion: TBIFF reserves the right not to award a Grand Prix in any given year if, in the sole judgement of the producers, no submitted script is deemed produceable within available resources. In such a case, the three winners will still receive their certificates, passes and year of free submissions, and the submission-fee pool will be transferred to TBIFF to support festival operations.

6. Rights & Production Terms

•   Ownership: Entrants retain full copyright in their script at all times.

•   Grand Prix script: By accepting the Grand Prix, the winner grants TBIFF exclusive rights to produce the script as a short film, including all associated production, distribution, festival submission and promotional rights in that resulting film, in perpetuity. The writer retains sole screenwriting credit on the produced film.

•   Shortlisted & winning scripts: Entrants grant TBIFF non-exclusive rights to publish script quote, writer names and photographs for the purpose of promoting the competition and the festival.

•   Moral rights: The writer’s moral right to be identified as author will be respected in all uses.

7. Judging

Submissions will be read and scored anonymously by a reading panel appointed by TBIFF. A shortlist will be passed to the final jury, chaired by the festival directors, who will select the three winners and the Grand Prix. Judging criteria: originality of concept, quality of writing and dialogue, produceability within the stated constraints, and the power of a complete story told on a single page. The decision of the jury is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

8. General Terms

•   Submission fees are non-refundable.

•   By submitting, entrants confirm that the script is their original work and that they have the right to grant the licences described in these rules.

•   TBIFF reserves the right to disqualify any entry that does not comply with these rules, or to amend these rules if required by circumstances, giving reasonable notice via the festival website.

•   Personal data submitted will be handled in line with UK GDPR and the TBIFF privacy policy, available at thebayfilmfestival.com.

•   These rules are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

The Bay International Film Festival Limited  ·  Company No. 14633897  ·  thebayfilmfestival.com