Short Film Competition Agreement and Guidelines

Short Film Competition Submission Agreement:

This Submission Agreement relates to Stowe Story Labs, Inc.’s (“the Labs”) Short Film $50,000.00 Production Grant Program (the “Competition” "Grant” or “Program”) and sets forth the terms of agreement for any submissions to the Competition. The Competition will evaluate industry standard formatted short film scripts of no more than fifteen (15) pages (the “Project” “Work” “Script” “Submission” or “Screenplay”). The Competition is open to entrants by individuals from any country (the “Applicant”, “I”, or “We”). Applicants to this Competition must agree to all of the terms set for below.

I/We are the sole author(s) of the submitted work (the “Work” “Project” “Script” “Submission” or “Screenplay”).

I/We certify the Work is my (or our) original work, and that I/We hold all rights to the Work.

The Applicant assumes responsibility for complying with the rules of submission and assumes responsibility for any errors or omissions in this Competition’s application process (i.e., attaching wrong files, including identifying material on submitted scripts, typos, or other errors in answering application questions).

The Applicant will indemnify the Labs, its respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, members, managers, employees, agents, licensees, successors and assigns, from and against any and all obligations, liabilities, claims, losses, costs, expenses, penalties, fines and other judgments (of equity or at law) and damages whenever arising or incurred (including, without limitation, amounts paid in settlement, costs of investigation and attorneys' fees and expenses) arising from or related to Applicant’s submission to or participation or involvement in the Competition, Applicant's breach of this Submission Agreement, or a breach or an alleged breach of any representation or warranty of Applicant hereunder.

The Applicant understands that the Labs’ judges, directors, officers, employees or agents may be exposed to or may develop materials and ideas that may be similar to those of the Work. 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.

The Applicant agrees that I/We will never assert against the Labs (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, and hereby releases all such claims against the Labs.

The Applicant understands that individual feedback on submissions is not provided except when offered by the Labs. Further, I/We understand that decisions by the Labs on the winner of the Competition is final and binding.

The Applicant has read, understands, and agrees to comply with all guidelines and rules herein and in the application document through which the Applicant has applied, and failure to comply may result in disqualification. 

The submitted Work must have a CLEAN COVER PAGE. This means the title only on the cover, no author’s name/contact information. The Work may be submitted electronically only. Hard copies of submitted Work mailed to the Labs will be placed in the recycling bin at the post office, unread and unloved!

The author's name must not appear anywhere within the body of the Work.

If submitting via Coverfly, you authorize Coverfly to use any trusted third-party online and cloud-based services and databases for hosting, managing and/or transmitting your submission file(s).

Body pages of the Work must be numbered.

For each application, the Applicant shall submit one copy of a properly formatted, polished draft of a short film script of fifteen (15) pages or less. Attach only PDF Files.

If you are based in the U.S., please strongly consider registering the script with the US Copyright office, and if you are international based, please strongly consider registering your work locally. You may include U.S. Copyright, or other international registration numbers on the cover page.

We will not accept later drafts of the Work as part of the application process.

Applicant acknowledges and agrees that no refunds of entry fees will be issued for entries that do not comply with Competition rules and guidelines.

If a Work has been sold, is currently under option, is being produced, or is in any other way encumbered by a third party on the date of submission, the script is not eligible for this Competition.

No additional materials, artwork, illustrations etc. should be submitted to the Labs unless requested.

The Work must be properly formatted. Consult commonly used and available screenwriting texts or format guides for guidance on appropriate screenplay formatting. 

The Work must be in English. (International submissions are welcome, however, all scripts must be submitted in English, and application fees must be paid in U.S. dollars.)

Screenplays from any genre will be considered, and the scripts must in all cases contain notes of hope and uplift (as subtle as those might be).

Multiple entries are accepted, provided a signed entry form and appropriate entry fee is attached to each submission.

Once a Work has been entered in the Competition, we will not accept substitutions of new drafts or corrected pages. If you wish to submit a revised draft of your screenplay, you must enter it as a new submission and pay the appropriate entry fee.

Collaborative work by (1) two writers who share equally in the Screenplay’s creation, (2) a screenwriter and a director; and/or (3) a screenwriter and a producer are eligible to apply.

When/if asked by the Labs, the Applicant will provide the names and roles of all people attached to the project.

Scripts where the Applicant hired another writer to write their screenplay or to collaborate on their screenplay and the writer/collaborator is not listed as a team member with a delineated role are not eligible for the Competition.

Screenplays must be either the original work of the author or, 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 the Applicant, 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 this Competition.

No adaptations of other written work will be accepted unless the Applicant owns the rights to the original material.

There must be no dispute about the ownership of submitted Works or the Applicant's right to submit a Work. Failure to disclose a dispute, whether it arises before or during the application process, shall disqualify the Application. 

If ownership is disputed the project will be disqualified from the Competition until the dispute is resolved.

In no instance will the Labs weigh in on a rights /ownership dispute.

Entries that fail to follow Competition rules and guidelines will be disqualified.

All entries must be submitted by the appropriate deadline.

The Labs reserves the right to extend the final deadline for the Competition, however an extended deadline is not guaranteed.

The Applicant(s) certify they are eligible for the Competition, and that they will notify the Labs if they become ineligible prior to the conclusion of the Competition.

The Labs will retain the Applicant’s personal data for a reasonable period to enable it to send that Applicant any notifications about the Competition, to verify that this Submission Agreement has been complied with, and for accounting purposes. This data may be passed to a third party to enable such third party to fulfill any necessary requirements relating to the award of a prize.

Applicant’s name and email address will be added to the Labs’ subscription list, which is used only for notices to subscribers by the Labs or Labs’ partners. The list is never sold. Emails to subscribers are kept to a minimum.

Specific Process of Administration of Grant. The winning Applicant will be awarded a curated grant of $50,000.00 USD to make the short film screenplay entered into the Competition (“the Grant”). Grant proceeds will be maintained by the Labs in a segregated account and will only be disbursed by the Labs for qualified expenses, subject to an agreement entered into between the Labs and the winning Applicant prior to issuing the Grant.

As set forth above, if successful in winning the Competition, the Applicant acknowledges and agrees they will enter into an agreement with the Labs regarding the administration of the Grant to produce the winning Work. The Grant shall be held in a specific fiscal agency account and shall be distributed to fund allowed costs for the project as per the fiscal agency agreement to be negotiated with the winning Applicant.

As part of the Grant Agreement, the Labs will appoint an Executive Producer/Mentor to oversee the project, provide guidance, and approve disbursements from the grant account.

Winners will be solely responsible for any taxes which may arise related to accepting this Grant.

Entering a project into this Competition constitutes permission to use Applicant names and likenesses for publicity and promotions with no additional compensation.

Applicant agrees and acknowledges that if awarded this Grant they will agree to credit appropriately the Labs, in keeping with industry standards for above-the-line personnel. The credits shall in all cases include, onscreen in opening or end titles and in marketing materials associated with the project, a “Stowe Story Labs presents” onscreen main title credit and similar mention in all marketing materials. Logos will be provided by Stowe Story Labs.

Applicant agrees and acknowledges that if awarded this Grant they will agree to credit appropriately the Labs and Program Sponsors and Partners with a “thank you” credit, provided in keeping with industry standards for such credits. Logos will be provided by Stowe Story Labs.

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