THE FIRST HUNDRED SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

[firsthundred]

Each month, The First Hundred will be offering the screenwriting community a whole new writing challenge. We may supply you with a logline, one page synopsis, or just the characters and locations.

If you enter THE FIRST HUNDRED SCREENPLAY COMPETITION you will be included as one of one hundred scripts to possibly win $1,000!

Only the first one hundred script entries will be eligible to win the $1,000 cash prize.

The purpose of The First Hundred is to limit the number of entries and increase each contestant's odds of winning!

All entries must be previously unproduced and written in proper industry format.

www.thefirsthundredscripts.moonfruit.com

 

[directorik]

There is an error here I think:

you will be included as one of one hundred possible winners of $1,000!

This leads me to believe that there are one hundred possible
winners.

I don’t quite understand your competition. Unless this is just
paying $30 to have some fun. Paying $35 to the Nicholl Fellowship
can result in a sale to a major studio. Sure the numbers are huge,
but so is the reward. I personally know over a dozen writers who
got paid writing jobs because they were in the top 100 finalists.

Paying $30 to you gives a writer a one in one hundred chance of
getting $1,000.

It seems you are making $2,000 on this deal. That is very little
money assuming you get 100 entries so it’s clearly not a money
making business for you. You’re paying at least $10 a month to
moonfruit for your website - maybe more. What do you do if you
only get 30 entries?

Who reads the scripts? Who decides which one is the winner?

 

[firsthundred]

There is an error here I think:


This leads me to believe that there are one hundred possible
winners.

I don’t quite understand your competition. Unless this is just
paying $30 to have some fun. Paying $35 to the Nicholl Fellowship
can result in a sale to a major studio. Sure the numbers are huge,
but so is the reward. I personally know over a dozen writers who
got paid writing jobs because they were in the top 100 finalists.

Paying $30 to you gives a writer a one in one hundred chance of
getting $1,000.

It seems you are making $2,000 on this deal. That is very little
money assuming you get 100 entries so it’s clearly not a money
making business for you. You’re paying at least $10 a month to
moonfruit for your website - maybe more. What do you do if you
only get 30 entries?

Who reads the scripts? Who decides which one is the winner?

$30 to enter. We accept the first 100 entries before closing the contest. Like you said, the number of entries in a typical contest is huge and it is unlikely to place in the top 100 or 200 for that matter. A lot of writers simply aren't at that level of quality and, in most cases, will have their script lost in the shuffle. The odds of winning First Hundred are exponentially greater. No one is charged before the first one hundred entries come in. Only after. Once one hundred entries have been submitted, we will post the names of the writers and officially close the contest.

If I were to charge anyone and not make good on the prize money, I would be opening myself up to a lawsuit. Yes, I will make money from this contest. No, it's not much. But anyone who enters will have one out of a hundred chances of taking $1,000 cash prize.

BTW, I used to work for The Radmin Company and remember, along with the interns and Story Editor, tossing many a Nicholls winner in the recycler bin. This is a pure cash prize contest to help encourage the everyday screenwriter who would, most likely, not place in the top 100 at Nicholls.

 

[directorik]

No one is charged before the first one hundred entries come in. Only after. Once one hundred entries have been submitted, we will post the names of the writers and officially close the contest.

I still don’t quite understand.

When I click on the “Buy Now” button it take me to PayPal. They
will charge me. On your page you say you have 26 entries. Why am I
being charged $30 before you get the first hundred? If you get
only 50 submissions will you refund my $30? If you get only 99
will my $30 be refunded? When do you refund the money if you do
not reach your goal of 100 submissions?

Please do not take my questions as negative. I'm interested in this
and there are things I do not understand.

So you will be reading all the scripts and making the final decision?

I used to work for The Radmin Company and remember, along with the interns and Story Editor, tossing many a Nicholls winner in the recycler bin.

No offense intended, but just like you will toss the other 99 scripts in
this contest in the recycler bin. Not all of them are winners and 99
writers will get nothing for their $30.

Or will they?

 

[firsthundred]

I still don’t quite understand.

When I click on the “Buy Now” button it take me to PayPal. They
will charge me. On your page you say you have 26 entries. Why am I
being charged $30 before you get the first hundred? If you get
only 50 submissions will you refund my $30? If you get only 99
will my $30 be refunded? When do you refund the money if you do
not reach your goal of 100 submissions?

Please do not take my questions as negative. I'm interested in this
and there are things I do not understand.

So you will be reading all the scripts and making the final decision?


No offense intended, but just like you will toss the other 99 scripts in
this contest in the recycler bin. Not all of them are winners and 99
writers will get nothing for their $30.

Or will they?

This is a new contest and all suggestions are helpful and appreciated. You are actually being very helpful!

What I would like to do now (to change the rules of the contest) is invite everyone "for free" to email their submissions to the First Hundred account, in which I will list the names of all writers and their submissions on the website to keep everyone updated on how many entries have been submitted.

Once the minimum of 50 entries have been listed on the contest page, you have the option of hitting BUY NOW and becoming eligible for the contest. If you decline, and do not pay by deadline, your name and project name get removed from the site.

What I would like to do is change the guidelines to no more than 100 entries, but at the minimum 50 entries to keep the contest possible and allow full payment of $1,000. Anything less than 50 entries, and the contest and payment of $1,000 will not be possible.

So, I will change the guidelines and make it FREE to submit material for consideration. But after 50 entries, you will have to BUY NOW for $30 to be elibible for the $1,000.

This is a work in progress and you've been very helpful. I'm sure this will change people's incentive to enter the contest.

Thanks!

 

[directorik]

So I enter for free. You get 50 submissions and then I have to pay
$30 to be eligible for the prize but I can decline. So far so
good.

What happens if I, along with 40 others decline? Now you have only
10 paid submissions. And the next writers entering must pay $30.
Let’s say you only get 10 more for a total of 20 submissions.

Now what?

I think it’s great that you are taking suggestions - I must not be
the only person with questions. I understand how this will work if
you get 100 scripts. I’m wary about being one of, say, 20 or 30.

My point about Nicholl’s was that even the writers who do not win,
but end up in the top 10% have gotten paid jobs. The 99 writers
who do not win the $1,000 get nothing. Yes, the odds of winning
$1,000 are one in a hundred. The odds of getting absolutely
nothing at all are 99 to 100.

And you still have not answered my question about who will be
reading the 100 scripts and who will be making the decision on the
winner.

And now I wonder about the 24 writers who already paid you $30.
What happend to their money?

 

[firsthundred]

So I enter for free. You get 50 submissions and then I have to pay
$30 to be eligible for the prize but I can decline. So far so
good.

What happens if I, along with 40 others decline? Now you have only
10 paid submissions. And the next writers entering must pay $30.
Let’s say you only get 10 more for a total of 20 submissions.

Now what?

I think it’s great that you are taking suggestions - I must not be
the only person with questions. I understand how this will work if
you get 100 scripts. I’m wary about being one of, say, 20 or 30.

My point about Nicholl’s was that even the writers who do not win,
but end up in the top 10% have gotten paid jobs. The 99 writers
who do not win the $1,000 get nothing. Yes, the odds of winning
$1,000 are one in a hundred. The odds of getting absolutely
nothing at all are 99 to 100.

And you still have not answered my question about who will be
reading the 100 scripts and who will be making the decision on the
winner.

And now I wonder about the 24 writers who already paid you $30.
What happend to their money?

No one is going to take the time to write a brand new, 30 page script based solely on the contest's unique guidelines, submit those scripts and then later decide NOT to enter.

You have to understand that we are not accepting just any short script submissions. They have to abide by the specific instructions of that month's contest. Certain characters and locations may have to be included. Or the logline or synopsis may already be provided for you. Anyone who takes the time to follow through, then email their submissions will pay the $30 entry fee to stay eligible. It's just not reasonable that anyone would change their mind after putting in the hard work of staying within the contest's guidelines.

I will personally be reading the submissions.

As far as the other contest entries, they have been notified of these changes and will not be charged until the minimum 50 have been submitted and they agree to pay the entry fee. There's some bugs here, but I'm willing to make changes to make this a fair and reasonable writing contest and not rip people off, like I've been so many times before.

Your questions are valid and are helping me see the flaws in the way this is set up. I think when writers submit their work, they should specify their intentions. You should either say "yes" I will pay the entry fee once the minimum 50 scripts have been submitted and names and titles have been posted, or "not sure". I just don't see why anyone would go through the pain staking effort of drafting a new script (following the distinct guidelines of the contest), then submit the material and later decide you will not be entering the contest.