ABFF has announced the launch of the very first American Black Film Festival Turner TV Writing Contest that’s designed to shine a spotlight on new diverse writers who are invited to submit an original pilot script in comedy or drama categories.

A division of Time Warner, Turner’s TV properties include TBS & TNT.

Together, Turner and ABFF will select five TBS/comedy finalists and five TNT/drama finalists, and one winner in each category will receive a trip to the 2017 American Black Film Festival in Miami from June 14-18, 2017, where they will receive an award before the festival audience, which will include a cash prize of $500, and the opportunity to meet with Turner Original Programming executives.

The submission period is February 22, 2017 to April 5, 2017. Only the first 200 submissions will be accepted for review, so the sooner you get yours in, the better.

General submission guidelines follow below.

Entrants must:

— Be members of a diverse or underrepresented community
— Not have had any prior professional TV writing experience
— Submit an original pilot script (drama or comedy) suitable for adaptation into a television program, and a plot summary
— Submit headshot photo and bio
— Read, complete, and sign the submission agreement
— Submit all materials as outlined in the official rules to [email protected]
— Submit within the submission period: February 22, 2017 to April 5, 2017

Click here for the official contest rules.

Click here for the submission agreement.