Killer Shorts
Founded in 2019, Killer Shorts has established itself as a premier industry launchpad. The competition connects screenwriters and prose authors directly with the executives, managers, and producers who actively greenlight and option dark genre cinema. Enter the premier writing competition for horror short scripts, feature screenplays, and short stories. Writers of all ages and locations are welcome. Anyone under 18 must have permission from a parent or legal guardian to participate.
Prizes:
- Finalists receive industry circulation and recommendation to our network of Hollywood managers and producers.
- Top 3 Winners in the main category receive a 60-minute one-on-one Career Development call with a Stage 32 industry executive.
- Each of the Grand Prize winners in the Feature and 1-Page categories will receive cash prizes to help fund their productions.
- Top 3 Feature Screenplay Winners receive guaranteed script review by literary manager John Zaozirny.
- Winners receive essential industry-standard writing software, including licenses for Final Draft 13 and Scrivener.
Short Stories (Prose) Guidelines:
- Short Stories (Prose) should be 6 000 words or less, PDF and modern manuscript format. Remove all identifying information from all pages. Only original short stories that have not been previously published (at the time of submission) in print, digital or online publications will be considered. This includes all forms of digital self-publishing. Short stories should be submitted individually and not as part of a collection. If a collection is submitted, only the first story will be considered. Multiple submissions allowed. Simultaneous Submissions allowed. Feedback is not available for Short Stories (Prose) at this time.
Screenplay Page Length Requirements:
- Page length requirements vary strictly by submission category. **Note:** The title page does not count toward your total page count, and screenwriters are fully permitted to include their name and contact information on the title page.
- 1-Page Category: Submissions must not exceed exactly 1 page.
- Short Screenplay Category: Submissions must be a minimum of 1 page and a maximum of 20 pages.
- Feature Screenplay Category: Submissions must be a minimum of 70 pages and a maximum of 120 pages.
Entry fees vary by submission category:
- 1-Page Screenplay Category: $10
- Short Screenplay & Short Story (Prose) Categories: $40
- Feature Screenplay Category: $75
All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s). All material must be submitted directly by the author(s). Material written by a writing team must be submitted by one designated member of the team with the full consent of all co-writers. All writers must be properly credited on the script’s title page.
Submission Deadline: 31 December 2026