I just submitted a copy of a screenplay I wrote called THE LIBRARIAN to my favorite screenwriting contest. I must say that during the years since I left film school (1992.) Screenwriting contests have been sprouting like dandelions on an untended lawn. There used to be only 1 or 2 big contests. Now, there’s a contest you can enter any month of the year, though the big contests remain the most popular. I quote what one contest says they look for to qualify a winner:

“Writing criteria for judging will be based on a 1-10 point grid system developed to analyze a screenplay. This will include:
A. Mechanical Execution – format, page count, font and general presentation. B. Character Development – Character arc, motivational implementation, and dramatic interactions. C. Conceptual Integration – understanding of the script’s genre and market compatibility. D. Story Structure – Implementation of standard story structure, proper use of transitions, story reveals, and plot reversals.”

Now that all seems like development voodoo-speak garnered from a bevy of “how-to” books. I am sorely chagrined to note as absent things like “a good story” and “would be fun to watch” but—hey, what do I know, I’m just a writer.