The top screenwriting contests are one way to get NOTICED and when you get noticed, this can often parlay itself into representation by either an agent or manager. A lot of agents and managers want to meet with top screenwriting competition finalists.
Here's the bad news however...
Most of these finalists NEVER sell a script or get produced. Sad but true. Why? Because in the end? Making movies is a BUSINESS and most of what Hollywood wants are high concept screenplays. If you're not writing high concept specs, your chances of actually breaking into the business go way down unless you go the DO IT YOURSELF route i.e., write your spec the way you want to write it and then finance and make it yourself. If you go this route? You can OBVIOUSLY do it any way you want.
Will you be successful? Who knows. We can only HOPE that you will.
I probably know at least a couple handfuls of writers who have become finalists of major screenwriting competitions... None of them except ONE (of everyone I know personally) ever sold that screenplay and the one that did, had written a high concept spec that got noticed. Unfortunately, nobody liked his rewrite (because the competition finalist version simply wasn't ready to be made into a movie) and after he got paid for the rewrite, he was promptly fired.
Now he's back to working the same job he had that he quit when he sold the script... He's decided the business is way too temperamental for his liking and so he's gone back to doing what he did before he started writing screenplays. I should also mention that this same individual wrote several other specs while he had very good representation that never sold either... In the end? Clearly, it was his CONCEPT that Hollywood LIKED and NOT his writing but they kind of
had to give him the opportunity to write the rewrite.
Now? The spec he wrote YEARS ago has now been rewritten a couple of times. I have no idea what it now looks like but if I know professional screenwriters? I'm sure it's changed quite a bit because of the WGA system i.e., you have to change the script right around 35% in order to get a "Screenplay by" credit. In Hollywood? You're really only as good as your last credit unless you have some REALLY good friends who can
help pave the way for you.
But back to competitions...
You can obviously write whatever you want to write but know up front that unless you have a really good high concept spec -- even if you become a finalist -- it's gonna be a hard spec to sell. You'll get a lot of general meetings from having become a finalist but in the end when your prospective representation sees that they can't sell your spec that turned you into a finalist? They'll be asking the same old question everyone eventually hears...
"What else ya got?"
If you have more, small, character driven screenplays? They may be too difficult for your prospective represetation to sell. It is getting a little easier with Internet streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime but it hasn't changed too drastically YET. It might. Time will tell.
Hollywood studios however, are all about the concept -- percentage-wise. High concept is KING whether anyone wants to admit it or not.
I only mention all this because Hollywood is LITTERED with screenwriting competition finalists who STILL refuse to understand what Hollywood wants YET they want to become professional Hollywood screenwriters. The majority of these finalists continue to write specs that Hollywood is never going to be interested in.
Your mileage may vary... Anyone can get lucky. I'm talking strictly percentages and numbers here.
Having said all that?
These are the best screenwriting competitions that I know of...
1)
Academy Nicholl Fellowships
2)
Austin Film Festival Screenplay & Teleplay Competition
3)
Page International Screenwriting Awards
4)
Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest
5)
Tracking Board Launch Pad Screenwriting Competition
6)
Script Pipeline Screenwriting Contest
7)
Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition
We're talking feature length screenplays here... There may be some short script competitions available from a few of these sites... I have no idea. Most short script competitions that I know of will never get you any representation.
Again... I'm talking percentages and numbers. Anyone's mileage can and may vary when combined with a little LUCK.
Good luck!