Participant Agreement and Guidelines
This “Submission Guidelines and Submission and Participation Agreement” between Stowe Story Labs, Inc. (“Stowe”) and participants submitting material to a program run by Stowe (“the Agreement”) is entered into by all people applying or enrolling in Stowe programs (“applicants” and/or “participants. Applicants and/or Participants agree as follows:
I/We are the owners and/or authors of the submitted material. My/Our submission attests to the following:
To the accuracy of all information I/we have entered herein.
That I/we are 18 years old or older.
That the submitted material is my/our original work or we have acquired the rights to the material, all all rights to said work are held by me/us.
That I/we will indemnify Stowe and hold it harmless and defend it against all claims, demands, losses, costs, damages, judgments, liabilities, and expenses arising out of or in connection with any and all claims of third parties, whether or not groundless, based on any stories submitted to Stowe or on any screenplay developed out of such stories.
That I/we understand that Stowe, its judges, directors, officers, employees and/or agents may be exposed to or may develop materials and ideas that may be similar to those of the submitted material. I/we understand and acknowledge that I/we will not be entitled to any compensation from such similar material that is independently conceived and created.
That I/we agree that I/we will never assert against Stowe (or any of its judges, directors, officers, employees or agents) any claim based on an assertion of plagiarism, idea theft, confidential or fiduciary relationship or any other theory relating to the submitted material.
That I/we understand that individual feedback on submissions is not provided except when expressly offered by Stowe as a separate service. Further, I/we understand that decisions by Stowe on admission to Stowe programs are final.
That I/we have read, understood and are or will comply with all guidelines and rules herein, and failure to do so may result in disqualification.
Script Submission Guidelines
If screenplay submissions are required for the application to program you are applying for, the screenplay must have a CLEAN COVER PAGE. This means the title only on the cover, no author’s name/contact information. Scripts may be submitted electronically only. Hard copies of scripts mailed to Stowe will be placed in the recycling bin at the post office, unread and unloved!
Submit one copy of a script (feature or TV Pilot), treatment or story. Note that for the narrative labs or producers’ labs you do not need a polished script to be admitted; you need a good story and the ability to turn it into a great script. You should of course submit the best version of the script you can, and must comply with standard industry formatting requirements. Attach only PDF Files. Please make sure you have protected your script by taking such steps as registered the script with the WGA and/or US Copyright office. You may include WGA or US Copyright registration numbers on the cover page.
We will not accept later drafts as part of the application process.
Note Specific For Irish Writers: In Ireland, copyright automatically belongs to the writer. So if you are an Irish writer applying to the program with work you wrote, your acknowledgement of this participation and submission agreement on your application will serve as certification that you are the author of the submitted project.
The author's name must not appear anywhere within the body of the script.
Body pages must be numbered.
No additional materials, artwork, illustrations etc. should be submitted unless requested.
Again, scripts must be properly formatted (both theatrical and TV). Consult any screenwriting text or format guide.
Screenplays must be in English.
Official Rules & Guidelines
Entrants must be 18 or older.
Any screenplay from any genre will be considered.
Multiple entries are accepted, provided a signed entry form and appropriate entry fee is attached to each submission.
Admission is for the applicant only. Teams of two may attend a program, but each member of the team should complete an application. The terms of enrollment for teams will be outlined during each application process, as they may differ by program.
Teams of more than two require individual application and, if admitted, separate registrations.
Screenplays must be the original work of the author. If based on another person's life story or work, a statement attesting to the rights obtained must be attached. Submitting content generated by someone other than you, or that was created or assisted by an A.I. generative tool, is in violation with our participation agreement and will not be considered for any placement in our programs.
Regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence, all applicants submitting to Stowe affirm as follows: “Any writing sample, logline and synopsis, treatment, and/or script submitted is entirely my/our own original writing. I/We did not use AI tools to generate or draft the work, and any revisions or edits were completed by me/us without AI assistance. I/We further affirm I/we will not use AI tools to generate or draft the work I/we plan to bring to this program, and any revisions or edits will be completed by me/us without AI assistance. I/we understand that misrepresentation may result in disqualification or removal from the program. (Limited use of tools such as spellcheck or grammar correction does not constitute content generation.)
No adaptations of other written work will be accepted unless the writer owns the rights to the original material.
There must be no dispute about the ownership of submitted screenplays or the writer's right to submit a screenplay.
The Stowe Story Labs review team (“Judges”) decisions on projects/submissions are final and no correspondence will be entered into. We do not use AI in reviewing applications or scripts.
Sorry, we cannot provide individual feedback from the reviews except when offered as a specific service.
Entrants acknowledge that Stowe, its judges, readers, mentors, and officers may be exposed to or may develop materials and ideas that may be similar to those of the submitted material. Entrants acknowledge they will not be entitled to any compensation related to the development of such similar material which is independently conceived and created.
Entrants agree to never assert against Stowe (or any of its judges, readers, mentors, directors, officers, employees or agents) any claim based on an assertion of plagiarism, idea theft, confidential or fiduciary relationship or any other theory relating to the submitted material.
Entries that fail to follow competition rules and guidelines will be disqualified.
No refunds for entries that do not comply with competition rules and guidelines.
Winners of grants or monetary awards will be responsible for any taxes owed and for compliance with tax agency disclosures in their domain.
Entering a project into a Stowe Story Labs’ program constitutes permission to use the applicant's/admittees/participants names and likenesses for publicity and promotions with no additional compensation.
(Specific note regarding programs run in conjunction with the New Mexico Film Office (NMFO)): Participating in a NMFO training program constitutes permission to use the applicant's/admittee’s/participant’s names and likenesses for publicity and promotions with no additional compensation.)
All entries must be submitted by the appropriate deadline to be considered.
Stowe reserves the right to extend the final deadline, however an extended deadline is not guaranteed.
Participants at programs run by Stowe Story Labs, Inc. acknowledge and agree that they will use a 'Stowe Story Labs Accepted Project' tag and a 'thank you' or 'developed with support from' credit on completed work on a single opening or end credit title card, along with Stowe’s logo, provided as part of the admission process. Stowe may receive higher value credit in certain circumstances as agreed between Stowe and participants(s).
Cancellation & Refund Policy
If admitted to any Stowe program, deposits to secure a spot are required upon acceptance and are wholly non-refundable and non-transferrable. All participant fees are then due 30 days prior to the commencement of the event. Cancellations made up to 30 days in advance of the start of the program will receive a refund of all fees paid minus the non-refundable deposit. Cancellations made within 30 and 14 days of the start of the program will receive a 50% refund of fees paid minus the non-refundable deposit. Cancellations made within 14 days of the start of the program are wholly non-refundable and non-transferrable. This policy can be amended on a case-by-case basis for good cause.
How to Contact Stowe Story Labs
Mailing address is: Stowe Story Labs, Inc. P.O. Box 513 Stowe, Vermont 05672
The email address is: info@stowestorylabs.org
TERMS & CONDITIONS