Savannah Screenplay Awards — Terms & Conditions
Effective date: August 24, 2025
Welcome to the Savannah Screenplay Awards (“SSA,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). By submitting a screenplay, teleplay, or related work (collectively, a “Submission”) to SSA, the submitting writer(s) (“Entrant,” “you,” or “your”) agree to the following Terms & Conditions. Please read carefully. These Terms govern all Submissions made directly through our website or any authorized submission portal. Where permitted by law, these Terms form a binding agreement between you and SSA.
 
Note: SSA is not a law firm and nothing herein constitutes legal advice. You should consult your own attorney for advice tailored to your situation.
1. Eligibility
1.1 Age & Capacity. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age, or the age of majority in their jurisdiction, or submit with the written consent of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to these Terms on the Entrant’s behalf.
1.2 Location. The competition is open worldwide except where prohibited by law or where participation would conflict with local regulations or sanctions.
1.3 Original Work. Submissions must be the Entrant’s original work and may not infringe any third‑party rights. Co‑authored projects must list all writers and include authorization from each to submit and accept these Terms.
1.4 Prior Options/Agreements. Submissions under active option, purchase, or attachment agreements that restrict contest entry or award acceptance are not eligible unless such restrictions are disclosed to SSA in writing and do not prevent judging or publicity.
1.5 Professional Status. Both emerging and professional writers may enter. Representation by an agent/manager, or prior option/sale, does not disqualify a Submission unless exclusive commitments prohibit entry.
1.6 AI‑Assisted Writing. Use of AI tools is permitted only where: (a) the Entrant is the sole author and owner of the resulting work; (b) all text in the Submission is meaningfully curated, edited, and arranged by the Entrant; (c) no third‑party copyrights or trademarks are infringed; and (d) upon SSA request, the Entrant can provide proof of authorship (e.g., notes/drafts/revisions). Fully generated or plagiarized works are prohibited and will be disqualified without refund.

2. Submission Materials
2.1 Formats. PDF files only. Watermarks are discouraged; if used, they must not impede readability.
2.2 Categories & Length.

• Feature Screenplay: 70–130 pages (recommended).

• Teleplay — Pilot (1‑hour): 45–70 pages (recommended).

• Teleplay — Pilot (1/2‑hour): 25–45 pages (recommended).

• Short Screenplay: 1–30 pages (recommended).
  SSA may accept small deviations at its discretion but may penalize excessive length.

2.3 Formatting. Standard industry screenplay formatting strongly recommended (12‑pt Courier or equivalent, standard margins, character/dialogue conventions). Pages must be numbered.
2.4 Title Page & Blind Reading. Include the title on the title page. To support blind judging, do not include writer name(s) within the script pages. Credits and personal info should be confined to the submission form.
2.5 Logline & Summary. You grant SSA a non‑exclusive license to display your title, logline, and up to a 150‑word synopsis for promotional and results purposes.
2.6 Revisions. New drafts may be submitted as a new entry (standard fees apply). We cannot swap files after an entry deadline has passed.
2.7 Multiple Entries. Multiple Submissions are permitted; each requires a separate entry and fee.

3. Deadlines, Fees & Refunds
3.1 Deadlines & Tiers. SSA publishes Early, Regular, Late, and Final deadlines. Entries must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. in the time zone stated on the submission page.
3.2 Fees. Entry fees are listed per category and deadline tier on the submission page. Add‑on services (e.g., paid feedback) are optional.
3.3 Discounts. Promotional codes, if offered, are limited‑time and non‑transferable. Misuse voids the discount and may disqualify the entry.
3.4 Refund Policy. All fees are non‑refundable once a Submission is completed, except in cases of duplicate charges or verifiable technical errors on SSA’s part.

4. Judging & Selection
4.1 Process. SSA uses a multi‑round review process conducted by readers and judges selected for their industry, academic, and/or professional experience. Where practicable, scripts are read blind (without author identification on the pages).
4.2 Criteria. Submissions are evaluated on originality, story craft, characters, dialogue, structure/pacing, market potential, and overall impact. Category‑specific considerations may apply.
4.3 Conflicts of Interest. Judges must recuse themselves from entries where conflicts exist (e.g., personal relationship, business partnership).
4.4 Decisions. Judges’ decisions are final and not subject to appeal. SSA may withhold awards in any category that does not meet quality or minimum‑entry thresholds.
4.5 Disqualification. SSA may disqualify entries for rule violations, hate speech or illegal content, plagiarism, harassment, fraudulent identity, or failure to meet eligibility requirements. Disqualified entries are not refunded.
4.6 AI‑Assisted Coverage. SSA may use AI‑enabled tools to assist readers with coverage, rubrics, summaries, or administrative checks. These tools are used in support of human readers; advancement decisions and awards are determined by human judgment. SSA requires confidentiality safeguards with any vendor and will not authorize your Submission to be used to train publicly available AI models. If you purchase optional written feedback, portions may be drafted with AI assistance and then edited and approved by a human. By entering, you acknowledge the use of such tools and agree that minor machine‑generated phrasing in feedback does not affect contest outcomes.

5. Awards, Prizes & Recognition
5.1 Prizes. SSA will publish current prizes on the competition page (e.g., cash awards, mentorship meetings, industry introductions, services/discounts, laurels, certificates). Prizes are subject to change and may be substituted with items of equal or greater value at SSA’s discretion.
5.2 Taxes. Winners are solely responsible for any taxes or reporting requirements associated with prizes.
5.3 Publicity. By accepting a prize, winners consent to SSA’s use of their name, likeness, city/state/country, logline, project title, and related details for promotional purposes without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.
5.4 Good Standing Requirement. SSA may require winners to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability and Publicity Release as a condition of receiving prizes.

6. Rights & Ownership
6.1 You Retain Rights. Entrants retain all rights and ownership in their Submissions. Entry does not constitute a transfer of copyright.
6.2 Limited License to SSA. You grant SSA a non‑exclusive, worldwide, royalty‑free license to: (a) reproduce, store, and display your Submission for the purposes of administering the competition; and (b) use the project title, logline, and excerpted text (up to 200 words) for promotional purposes, crediting you as the author.
6.3 No Encumbrance. By entering, you represent that your Submission does not violate or encumber any agreements, liens, or rights of third parties, and that you have full authority to grant the above license.
6.4 Independent Development. SSA, its judges, mentors, partners, or sponsors may be developing projects that are similar to your Submission. You waive any claim that SSA or its affiliates infringed your rights based on coincidental similarity.

7. Communication & Results
7.1 Notifications. SSA will notify Quarterfinalists/Semifinalists/Finalists/Winners via the email associated with the entry and/or by posting results on the official site and marketing channels.
7.2 Updates. You agree to maintain a valid email address and to whitelist official SSA emails. SSA is not responsible for missed notifications due to spam filters or outdated contact information.
8. Code of Conduct
8.1 Professionalism. Entrants agree to communicate with SSA staff and community professionally. Harassment, abusive behavior, or bad‑faith conduct may result in disqualification.
8.2 Integrity. Misrepresentation of identity, credits, or authorship may result in disqualification and forfeiture of any prize.

9. Limitation of Liability & Indemnity
9.1 Assumption of Risk. You submit at your own risk. SSA is not responsible for lost, late, corrupted, unreadable, misdirected, or incomplete entries, or for technical malfunctions beyond our reasonable control.
9.2 Limitation. To the maximum extent permitted by law, SSA, its directors, officers, employees, contractors, sponsors, and partners shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages arising from or related to the competition, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall SSA’s total liability exceed the amount of your entry fee for the affected Submission.
9.3 Indemnification. You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless SSA and its affiliates against any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to your Submission, your breach of these Terms, or your violation of any third‑party rights.

10. Privacy
10.1 Data Use. SSA collects and processes personal information necessary to operate the competition, communicate results, and deliver prizes. See our Privacy Policy for details.
10.2 Third‑Party Services. If you submit through a third‑party platform (e.g., a submission portal), your data will be processed according to that platform’s policies in addition to ours.

11. Cancellations & Force Majeure
11.1 Cancellation or Modification. SSA may cancel, modify, or suspend the competition if fraud, technical failures, legal restrictions, or any factor beyond SSA’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the competition.
11.2 Force Majeure. SSA is not responsible for delays or failure to perform due to events beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, labor disputes, government action, epidemics/pandemics, power/internet failures, or similar events.

12. Governing Law & Disputes
12.1 Governing Law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Georgia, without regard to its conflict of laws rules.
12.2 Venue. Exclusive venue for any dispute shall lie in the state or federal courts located in Chatham County, Georgia, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there.
12.3 Informal Resolution; Arbitration (Optional). Before filing any action, the parties agree to attempt good‑faith informal resolution. SSA may elect binding arbitration before a neutral arbitrator in Georgia under commercial arbitration rules; if arbitration is elected, the decision shall be final and enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction.

13. Miscellaneous
13.1 Severability. If any provision is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.
13.2 No Waiver. Failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of that provision.
13.3 Assignment. You may not assign your rights or obligations without SSA’s prior written consent. SSA may assign its rights and obligations in connection with a merger, acquisition, or similar transaction.
13.4 Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with any posted rules on the SSA submission page and any Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and SSA regarding the competition.

14. Contact
Savannah Screenplay Awards LLC
Savannah, Georgia, USA
Email: savscreenplayawards@gmail.com
Website: www.ssawards.org
Acknowledgment
By submitting, you affirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms & Conditions and that all information provided is accurate and complete.