Skip to main content

Coverfly Partner Contest Criteria

By July 3, 2018March 16th, 2020Uncategorized

At Coverfly we believe that screenwriting competitions can be effective and valuable avenues to early career success for emerging writers. To help writers wade through the hundreds of competitions, festivals, labs, and grants available to them, Coverfly maintains robust partnerships with some of the most respected programs in the industry. 

As a service to writers, Coverfly is always evaluating new partners for inclusion on the platform. We carefully consider a competition’s merits before allowing it to be listed on Coverfly. 

How We Evaluate Partners

Professionalism

Writers often look to a program’s website to determine whether or not the organization behind it has their best interests in mind. They look for clean design, easy navigation, and clear information regarding contest fees, rules, and prize packages. 

Transparency

Writers want to feel confident that their submission will be read and that when they submit their work to a competition they’ll have an understanding of when they will hear back. Transparently communicating information and sticking to the deadlines and announcement dates you set are an essential part of maintaining writer trust. We also look for competitions that are mindful of publicly maintaining lists of past winners and finalists. 

Unique Value to Writers

Writers have nearly unlimited choices but limited budgets when it comes to submitting to competitions, and we look to curate a list of partners who each provide distinct offerings to writers, which may include a unique jury, an opportunity to share work with an untapped market of industry professionals or audiences, or anything else that might set a competition apart from others. 

Industry Network

We also love to partner with programs that understand the importance of securing professional juries and mentors who are actively working in the industry in order to provide winners and finalists with tangible benefits as they build their careers as writers. 

Track Record of Helping Writers

The best endorsement of a competition or festival is one that comes directly from writers. If your past winners and finalists are satisfied with the process of working with you, it’s a great sign. We also look for competitions that keep accurate data on past competition results and success stories because it shows us you care about the ongoing development of the writers you’ve selected. 

“A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats”

Ultimately, our goal is to build a community of like-minded programs all working together to level the playing field for new and emerging writers. We actively promote and support our partners and expect that support to be reciprocated. This means we look for partners who are passionate about their mission and who believe in and support ours.

How We Maintain Quality

In our initial evaluation, we take a holistic approach and meet internally to discuss the merits of a potential partner’s offerings. Our process also involves periodic reviews of all programs featured on Coverfly and a commitment to evaluating individual programs even if we’ve already worked with a partner in the past on another program, festival, or competition.

If you’re ready to work with us, fill out an application with details about your program. 

If you have any questions or concerns about the quality of any competition that is listed on Coverfly, please feel free to email us directly: support@coverfly.com. We will respond to you promptly.