2026 Shorts Competition - Top 10

2,500+ scripts came through our doors. The community voted, and 10 finalists made the cut. Now it's time for the judges to weigh in.

Our judging panel is currently reading through the 10 semifinalists, diving deep into structure, dialogue, voice, and the intangible thing that makes a script sing on the page. By October 26, they'll have narrowed it down to 3 finalists.

And here's the part that matters: the final vote comes back to you. You helped narrow it to 10. You get to choose which 3 scripts deserve the spotlight and the recognition and opportunity that comes with it.

Mark your calendars. October 26 is when you decide.

The Physics of Bungee Jumping

Logline: A blue door upends Ted’s life sending him into a downward spiral.

TOURISTEN

Logline: Whilst their vacation in Colombia, the unspoken differences of a German tourist couple sharpen into a moral conflict, as they get involved in a potentially violent nightly manhunt.

The Tannest Man on the South Side of Chicago

Logline: Across four decades on the same Chicago porch, an Italian American patriarch smokes, tans, and grouses his way through life, becoming a neighborhood legend to everyone but for the family that has to deal with him.

The Duel and the Dye

Logline: When their terminally ill father decrees that a fencing duel will decide the family inheritance, two estranged professional fencer siblings – one biological, one adopted – must confront whether fighting for his approval is worth the cost of their relationship.

A Dream of Headlights

Logline: A man who has spent years secretly medicating away a masquerade spirit only he can see finally embraces it — and becomes it.

Vicious Dogs in Marietta

Logline: On a sweltering midnight in suburban Georgia, an estranged daughter sneaks home to say a goodbye she's been dodging for two years, only to find her high school drug dealer in her backyard, cleaning the pool and refusing to leave.

Our Daily Bread

Logline: The story of life, with its milestones and turning points, told through the arch of a meal, each course centering around a different group of diners at the same dinner table.

Citizen's Arrest

Logline: A proactive vigilante sets the stage for himself to make a citizen's arrest.

LAKE

Logline: Climate change is even turning the daily lives of hitmen upside down.

7 PM

Logline: A grieving daughter can't explain why her 
late father's TV turns on every evening at 7 pm. 
Going back to find out means finally saying everything she never said to him - and to herself.

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