The Drexel University 2010 High School Ten-Page Screenplay Contest & Ten-Page Playwriting Contest Are Over!

And We Have Winners!

Dozens of high school juniors and seniors submitted 10-page screenplays-- comedy, fantasy, mystery, history, you name it, we got it. The best of the bunch displayed a firm understanding of how screenwriting differs from other kinds of writing, a good sense of story, and a knack for creating interesting characters.

Here are the top ten screenwriters, and their teachers. (You can find a complete list of past year's winners here)

2010 Screenwriting Contest Winners
Author	Title	Home Town	High School	Teacher(s)
1st Place: $5,000 Drexel University Scholarship
Kristine Wolbrink	Story Costs	Elborn, IL	St. Charles North High School	Brian Callahan & Jennifer Shoaf
2nd Place: $3,000 Drexel University Scholarship
Elena Georgopoulous	Orlovan Accent	Princeton Walk, NJ	South Brunswick High School	Catherine LaMoreaux
3rd Place: $1,000 Drexel University Scholarship
Stephanie DeVito	On a Tuesday	Kendall Park, NJ	South Brunswick High School	Catherine LaMoreaux
Honorable Mention (In Alphabetical Order, by Author)
Kevin Braverman	Somewhere Else Entirely	Chatsworth, CA
Luke Durett	Vapid Transit	Scotch Plains, NJ	Scotch Plains Fanwood High School	James Mason
Keni Herman	Derek Versus the Law	Edwards, CO	Battle Mountain High School	Saundra Borel
Shanine Huggins	Criminal Heirarchy	Rahway, NJ	Rahway High School	Sonia Saadeh
Matthew Mamie	Son of a Supervillain	Westhampton, NJ	Rancocas Valley Regional	Charlotte Chait
Ian Monohan	Night of the Hallowed Dead	Yardley, PA	Pennsbury High School	Robin Karp
Brett Shinn	A Last Kiss Goodnight	Springfield, PA	Springfield High School	Melissa Butler

2010 Playwriting Contest Winners
Author	Title	Home Town	High School	Teacher(s)
1st Place: $5,000 Drexel University Scholarship
Dominic Pescosolido	Red	Vernon, CT	Rockville High School	Victoria Nordland
2nd Place: $3,000 Drexel University Scholarship
Eric Looney	The More Things Change	Middletown, MD		Marcia Nicklas
Tie for 3rd Place: $1,000 Drexel University Scholarship
Erin Salavka Michelle Telford	Stereotypes Carpool	Vernon, CT	Rockville High School	Victoria Nordland
Honorable Mention
Jennifer Johnson	The Do-Gooders Society	Vernon, CT	Rockville High School	Victoria Nordland

WRITE A TEN PAGE SCREENPLAY or STAGE PLAY—

WIN A FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR SCHOLARSHIP!

Rules for The Drexel University 2010 High School

Ten-Page Screenplay Contest

& 

Ten-Page Stage Play Contest

How much can you do in ten pages?

Can you give us characters? A situation? A time? A place? A moment? Can you give us comedy? Tragedy? Drama? Farce? Can you give us a joke come to life? Can you do anger? Love? Hunger? Delight? Can you make us laugh, cry, sigh, think?

Can you do this in either a stage play or a screenplay?

The Screenwriting & Playwriting Program of Drexel University's Department of Cinema & Television wants to find out.

Write short script, for either a movie or a play, any subject, any tone. No more than ten pages. Yes, it has to be typed. No, the cover doesn't count as a page. Try to make it conform to standard play or screenplay format. Make it interesting Make it fun.

What can I win?

1st Prize in each contest:

$5,000 Drexel University Scholarship*

2nd Prize in each contest:

$3,000 Drexel University Scholarship*

3rd Prize in each contest::

$1,000 Drexel University Scholarship*

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE OR WIN.

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW

 

DOES IT COST ANYTHING TO APPLY? Not a cent. Well, postage.

WHO'S ELIGIBLE? Any student enrolled as a Junior or Senior in an American high school during the 2009-2010 school year.

WHAT'S THE DEADLINE? All entries must be postmarked no later than December 1, 2009.

WHAT IF MY ENTRY RUNS MORE THAN TEN PAGES? We won't even read it. No more than ten pages, no fewer than three scenes, proper screenplay format. That's the law. No excerpts-- make it a complete story (And no fair submitting on legal-size paper, or in little teeny fonts, either.)

CAN I DO AN ADAPTATION? Nope. We want something original.

WHAT'S THIS "FORMAT" YOU KEEP TALKING ABOUT? Stage play format is pretty simple. Screenplay format isn't. For screenplay format, check out our web demo. Or call us at 215-895-2408, and we'll send you a free booklet explaining the basics.

DO I NEED A COVER PAGE? Of course you do, and it better have your name, phone number, email address and any other way we can contact you. Not to mention the screenplay's title.

CAN I SUBMIT MORE THAN ONCE, OR TO BOTH CONTESTS? Nope. Take your best shot and hold your breath.

WHEN DO I FIND OUT IF I WON? We'll try let you know by January 30, 2010, but sometimes the judging runs late.

DO I GET MY ENTRY BACK? Alas, no. Please don't send your only copy!

WHO ARE THE JUDGES? First-round judges: junior- and senior-level students in Drexel's Screenwriting & Playwriting Program. Finalists: Faculty of Drexel's Screenwriting & Playwriting Program.

WHAT WILL I BE JUDGED ON? How well you can hold our attention in ten pages. Whether we think you have something interesting to say. How well you succeed at being funny, dramatic, suspenseful—whatever. How good it all is. Whether it feels like you know how movies or plays work. That kind of stuff. By the way, all judges' decisions are final.

WHAT IS THE SCREENWRITING & PLAYWRITING PROGRAM, ANYWAY? Glad you asked. We're a comprehensive four-year undergraduate program aimed at teaching everything we can about writing for the stage or screen, along with providing a good grounding in the basics of show business and film and video production, while simultaneously giving students a first-class liberal arts education. Whew. Our faculty is made up of pros-- people who write movies and TV for a living. We're here to teach what we know about the way things really work. You can find out a lot more about our program and our courses by taking a look around our website.

OKAY, SO HOW DO I APPLY?

Two ways to do it:

VIA SNAIL MAIL:

Send us the following:

1. Your screenplay (don't forget the title page)
2. A copy of the completed entry form.
3. Mail it to:
   1. 2010 TEN-PAGE SCREENPLAY CONTEST
      DREXEL UNIVERSITY - 89-051
      MARKET & 32ND STREETS
      PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104

ELECTRONICALLY:

1. Go here and fill out the on-line entry form
2. Send your script as a .PDF file to ScreenPlay@drexel.edu

 

 

(1/14/10)

*All scholarship awards are conditioned upon the winners applying and being admitted to Drexel University during the normal application cycle. Scholarship awards must be redeemed within 3 years of receiving the scholarship award. Winners are solely responsible for all federal, state, local or other applicable taxes with respect to prizes awarded by Drexel.