Second Skye Takes On the NYC Midnight Screenwriting Challenge

The annual NYC Midnight Screenwriting Challenge kicked off on March 25th, 2023, with approximately 1600 eager writers ready to showcase their screenwriting chops (Ian and Keegan included!). The challenge consists of three rounds:

• Round 1: Participants are separated into groups, this year containing roughly ~30 contestants per group. Each group was given three pieces of information to base their screenplay on: (1) genre, (2) subject, and (3) a character. Writers had 8 days to write a self-contained, 12-page screenplay incorporating their assigned genre, subject and character. The writers of the top five screenplays for each group will move on to the next round.

• Round 2: Participants who qualified for this round (around 300 writers at this point) will again be separated into groups, with each group assigned a fresh genre/subject/character designation. Writers will have 3 days to write another self-contained, 8-page screenplay incorporating their assignment. The top three writers of each group will advance to the third and final round.

• Round 3: Participants who qualified for the final round (maximum of 90 writers) will compete in one group assigned the same genre/subject/character to be incorporated into their screenplay. Writers will have 24 hours to write a self-contained, 5-page screenplay.

Most importantly, all writers will receive specific feedback on their screenplays (regardless of advancement).

In the spirit of friendly competition (and maximizing potential feedback opportunities), Ian and Keegan decided to participate individually, officially completing their first round submissions in time for the April 1st, 2023 deadline. Take a look at their first round category assignments below:

• Ian’s Group Assignment:

  • Genre: Ghost Story

  • Subject: An admission

  • Character: A ventriloquist

• Keegan’s Group Assignment:

  • Genre: Sci-Fi

  • Subject: Adoption

  • Character: A forest ranger

Interested to see how they pulled those off in 12 pages? Check out their first round screenplays here and let them know what you think! First round results will be announced by 9PM PDT on May 16th, 2023.

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NYC Midnight was established in 2002, creating “inspiring challenges for storytellers around the world.” Their next competition, the 100-Word Microfiction Challenge, begins on April 28th. If you’re interested in participating, we’d highly recommend stopping by their website linked above or giving them a like/follow on their Twitter or Instagram to stay up-to-date on all current and upcoming challenges.