Creatives have a new opportunity to break into the entertainment industry with the Black Screenwriters Matter Screenwriting Competition.

The competition wants “to bridge the gap between emerging black screenwriters and producers who want to make films that represent the black experience.”

“By shining a light on the culture and historical perspective that has shaped–and continues to shape–the lives of the black population in both the United States and abroad, we hope that the scripts and films generated will bring about a greater representation of black talent and a greater assimilation of black stories into the film industry,” states the team behind the competition, a group of artists, directors, writers and producers, via the contest’s website.

The competition accepts short scripts, pilots and feature-length scripts about African-Americans and the African diaspora, and is open to all screenwriters of any background.

“We look for storytellers who are passionate about creating narratives about our communities in the U.S. and abroad – from inner city Atlanta, LA, New York, Oakland, Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee to Wall Street and the NBA; and from Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean to the streets of London,” states the site. “Because we believe that these stories are part of the incredible tapestry of our world culture, we welcome submissions from artists from around the world of any sex, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, white, black, Latin, Asian, and everything in between in order to create diversity in the film industry…As long as your script is about the black community or issues affecting the black community, where ever that black community might be, be it in the U.S., Africa, or outer space. We just want to see more stories about our communities.”

The first place winner receives $250 in cash and prizes as well as having their logline and script distributed to the contest’s database of agents and producers. First place winners will also receive an InkTip Script listing. Second place winners receive recognition as a finalist as well as script and logline distribution and an InkTip Script listing. Third place winners receive access and exposure through script and logline distribution and one third place winner will receive an InkTip script listing. Learn more about the contest and submit your script at blackscreenplaysmatter.com.

Black Screenplays Matter

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