1. Since your primary objective should always be EXPOSURE insure that you have a clear understanding and accurate grasp of when and how the winner’s list is publicized. Ideally, the list is published in a reputable industry publication.

2. Be certain that you are not paying simply to post your logline as an entrant. Only the winners list should be publicized not all entrants.

3. Insure that the Sponsors of the competition are legitimate entities. If no information is easily available about the sponsors, be cautious of submitting entry fees.

4. Don’t bother with any competition that does not guaranteed that a winner will be chosen and an official winners list published and publicized.

5. Review guidelines to determine how work will be selected and, specifically, by who. Keep in mind that your chances of winning may be reduced significantly if Judges are allowed to vote for those writers they may know socially.

6. Use the internet to review the list of previous winners. Do your own version of “where are they now?”. This may provide you tremendous insights into the scope and reach of the competition.

7. If a cash reward is offered, assess the ratio of the entry fee to the value of the top prize.

Winning screenplay competitions is a very positive boost to the ego, but in the end that takes second position to the primary purpose: the EXPOSURE you deserve for winning. If done right, the competition is judging you on your talent from a level playing field.

Below is a link to an online source that may be of assistance to you in your search for the right type of screenplay competition:

http://www.moviebytes.com/

I recently hosted a tele-seminar which afforded aspiring screenwriters, from all over the world, the opportunity to listen to an insightful and stimulating discussion about screenwriting as a professional and the opportunity to ask questions, that pertained to their personal challenges, directly to the various guests whom participated on the call – it should be noted that all the guests are successful, established veterans with at least 20 years plus of professional expertise.

Among the copious number of questions presented and addressed in this forum, the following question prompted me to share my thoughts here.

“I’ve emailed a number of managers and agents seeking representation, but have not heard back from anyone. What’s the trick to securing a good agent or manager to represent me and my screenplays?”

The trick?

There is no trick. The answer lies in your introduction, your very first writing sample, and most importantly (drum roll please)your logline.

As an aspiring writer there is a vast number of tools which can aid you in the pursuit of representation, I will focus your attention here on one — the query letter.

Most representatives delegate the trifling task of reading incoming queries to an assistant or intern. But, truth is most representatives do read queries. Even more importantly, representatives actually respond to ones that HOOK their interest.

If you are not generating any interest from query letters it simply means that you need to redraft your letter and specifically your logline.

Here are three basic guidelines to consider when crafting your next query letter:

1 – Know Your Market

Targeting CAA’s or any of the top tier literary representatives is simply the wrong strategy. They are shaping careers, not inventing them. They are elevating a career, not commencing one. Targeting boutique entities that will likely always develop new talent is a more appropriate and useful strategy. New blood is welcomed.

Do some due diligence on the target. This affords you the opportunity to personalize the letter. Hear me: I’m not suggesting that you make this some rambling saga. Keep it simple.

2 – The Right Hook

The industry is changing and will continue to evolve but, what will not change is this… Representatives are seeking material they can sell in a competitive marketplace!

Your logline is the essential ingredient to this query letter. I recommend that you always introduce your most commercial big idea. Your logline should evoke the imagination to see the movie poster, the video box.

If it doesn’t, rework your, one to two sentences, logline until it does. The goal is to entice the reader to request the script just as a trailer’s purpose is to sell tickets. This is the coming attraction moment.

3 – The First Impression

Absolutely never neglect the basics of spelling, grammar, clear and vivid writing. This is your first impression… it matters! Your query letter itself functions partly as a writing sample.

Everyone this is your sales tool, not sales pitch. Don’t make the mistake of confusing the two. This is not the place to ramble on about how great your screenplay is or how engaging your characters are… that’s for the reader to decide.

So write a professional, intelligent, concise, intriguing query that includes a compelling and commercially viable logline and not only will you entice representatives to ask for more, but you’ll be one step closer to a sale.