If you've been sitting on a screenplay, you have six days.
The Austin Film Festival Script Competition early bird deadline is March 27, 2026 — and missing it means paying $30 more per entry. That's not the end of the world, but for a writer grinding on a budget, it's beer money. More importantly, early entry means you're not scrambling in April.
What You Can Enter
AFF runs one of the most respected script competitions in the country. This is the festival that takes writers seriously — they give them their own tracks, panels, and access to working writers' rooms. The competition has launched careers. It's legit.
Feature Screenplay (Drama or Comedy — both eligible for Horror and Sci-Fi genre awards)
- Early Bird: $60 (by March 27)
- Regular: $70 (by April 24)
- Late: $90 (by May 27)
Short Screenplay, Teleplay (Spec & Pilot), Playwriting, Digital Series, Fiction Podcast — all have the same March 27 early bird deadline.
What You Win
Feature screenplay winners in Drama and Comedy each receive $5,000 cash plus up to $500 in airfare reimbursement and $500 in hotel reimbursement to attend AFF in Austin (October 29 – November 5, 2026).
Genre award winners (Horror, Sci-Fi) get $2,500 cash — but you have to enter the Drama or Comedy feature categories to be considered. There's no separate horror track; you compete in the main lane and the genre award is layered on top.
Short screenplay winner: $1,000 cash + travel + hotel.
TV competition winners (Comedy Spec, Drama Spec, Comedy Pilot, Drama Pilot): $1,000 cash each.
Semifinalists get a discounted Producer's Badge ($300 vs. $775 regular). Finalists get a complimentary Producer's Badge. Both levels are included in the Producers Book — distributed to competition judges and industry professionals. That matters.
The Festival Context
AFF runs October 29 – November 5, 2026 in Austin. It's not just a film festival — the conference component is arguably the main event for writers. Panels, workshops, pitch sessions with working professionals. Writers who've advanced in the competition get access to exclusive panelist sessions.
It's a good use of Austin in late October. Weather's right. The city's in that post-summer, pre-holiday groove.
Just Submit
The screenplay competition is open to all writers, not just Texans. But if you're a Texas-based writer and you haven't entered AFF, the question is why not. This is your home festival. The network you build here is the one that actually matters for your career in Texas film.
Submit at austinfilmfestival.com or FilmFreeway.
Early Bird Deadline: March 27, 2026 Regular Deadline: April 24, 2026 Late Deadline: May 27, 2026
Texas Film Festival Calendar: texas.film/festivals