By submitting an entry to the Made Screenplay Competition, you agree to be bound by this Submission Agreement in its entirety. Please read it carefully before submitting.
1. Contest Administrator
The Made Screenplay Competition (the "Contest") is administered by Go South Films, LLC, a Los Angeles-based independent production company. All decisions regarding the administration and operation of the Contest are made by Go South Films, LLC and are final and binding.
2. Eligibility
The Contest is open to writers worldwide who are 18 years of age or older at the time of submission. Employees of Go South Films, LLC and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter. The Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by applicable law.
This Contest is a skill-based competition. Winners are selected solely on the artistic and commercial merits of submitted screenplays as judged by the jury described in Section 11. No element of chance determines the outcome.
3. Rights
You retain 100% of the rights to your submitted screenplay at all times. By submitting, you grant Go South Films, LLC a limited, non-exclusive license to read, assess, and share your script with jury members solely for the purpose of this competition. This license terminates automatically upon the announcement of the competition winner for all non-winning scripts, upon the writer's written declination of the Production Agreement for the winning script, or upon execution of the Production Agreement, at which point all rights are governed exclusively by that agreement.
Go South Films, LLC will never option, sell, produce, or otherwise exploit your script without a separate written agreement signed by both parties.
4. Confidentiality, Data & AI Processing
All submitted scripts are read under confidentiality by jury members who have signed non-disclosure agreements. Scripts are not shared with any third party for commercial or editorial purposes outside the jury process. Scripts may be stored with third-party service providers, including cloud storage providers, acting on Go South Films, LLC's behalf under confidentiality obligations. Your personal information is never sold or shared.
Writers may request withdrawal of their submission at any time before the winner is announced. Withdrawals are granted without exception and without refund of any portion of the entry fee.
Following the conclusion of the contest, non-winning scripts will be deleted from Go South Films, LLC's systems upon written request from the submitting writer.
Go South Films, LLC may use artificial intelligence tools to assist in the processing of submissions, including AI-assisted reading, summarization, outlining, and initial feasibility assessment. All final selection decisions are made by human jury members.
Submitted screenplays will not be used to train, fine-tune, or evaluate any artificial intelligence or machine learning model, and will not be included in any AI training dataset. AI processing is performed solely for internal assessment of submissions to this Contest and is governed by contractual confidentiality and no-training terms with our service providers.
By submitting, you acknowledge and consent to your script being processed in this manner. For full details on how your personal information is collected, stored, and used, please refer to the Go South Films, LLC Privacy Policy.
5. Submission Requirements
To be eligible, submissions must meet the following criteria:
- Feature screenplay, 75 to 115 pages, PDF format.
- Original, unproduced work. The script must not have been produced as a feature film in any form, must not be under option, and must not be subject to any exclusive shopping agreement at the time of submission.
- Short films or proof-of-concept productions based on the script are permitted, provided the submitting writer holds full rights to grant Go South Films, LLC the right to produce the feature.
- Adaptations must be in the public domain or the submitter must hold documented rights clearance from all relevant rights holders.
- One submission per entrant. No revisions or substitutions accepted after submission. To submit a revised draft, resubmit as a new entry with a new fee.
- Three project questions required at submission: outline, budget case, and creative notes.
- The writer must own 100% of the rights to the submitted work at time of submission.
- English language submissions only. Open worldwide, except where prohibited by law.
6. Authorship & AI Policy
Submitted scripts must be the original work of the submitting writer. AI tools may be used in a supporting capacity such as research, brainstorming, outlining, or feedback, but the screenplay itself must be written by the submitting author. Scripts where the pages, scenes, dialogue, or structure were generated by an AI tool are ineligible. Go South Films, LLC reserves the right to request a written process declaration from any finalist confirming compliance with this policy.
By submitting, you confirm that you are the author of the written work.
7. Co-Writers
Co-written scripts are eligible. All credited writers must be listed at submission. The Production Agreement requires the signature of all co-writers to be valid. If any co-writer declines to sign, this is treated as a full declination of the prize, and Go South Films, LLC reserves the right to select the next qualifying script from the jury shortlist.
The total creator share of 5% of net profits is divided equally among all credited writers, regardless of the number of co-writers.
8. Entry Fee & Refund Policy
Entry fees are determined by your submission tier at the time of submission. Submission tiers and their corresponding fees are listed on the official Made Screenplay Competition website at the point of entry and are incorporated into this agreement by reference. A $9 non-refundable processing fee applies to all submissions regardless of outcome and covers feasibility review, jury administration, and platform operations.
If a winner is selected and the Production Agreement is signed, all entry fees become part of the production fund for the winning film and are non-refundable.
In the event that Go South Films, LLC determines, in its sole reasonable discretion, that the contest cannot proceed to production, whether due to insufficient prize pool, absence of a qualifying script, cancellation, or any other reason, all entry fees will be refunded within 90 days of Go South Films, LLC's written determination to that effect, minus the $9 non-refundable processing fee. This is a last-resort provision and not an anticipated outcome of the contest.
9. Award Structure
The jury selects three award recipients from the Top 15 Semifinalists: the Gold Winner, the Silver Winner, and the Bronze Winner. All three are contacted privately before any public announcement is made. The public announcement occurs only after the Gold Winner has executed the Production Agreement. At the time of public announcement, Silver and Bronze cash prizes are paid simultaneously.
Gold Winner. The Gold Winner receives a production agreement with Go South Films, LLC. This is the primary prize. Go South Films, LLC commits the full production budget to making the winning film. The production budget is sourced from accumulated entry fees received during the Contest submission window, less the producer fee described in Section 10. The Gold Winner grants Go South Films, LLC the right to produce their screenplay and retains all sequel and spinoff rights. Go South Films, LLC holds final creative approval on all aspects of production including director, key cast, and key department heads.
The Gold Winner is contacted privately within 7 days of internal selection. The Gold Winner must confirm acceptance within 14 days of notification. Failure to respond within 14 days may result in disqualification. Upon written confirmation of acceptance, the Gold Winner has 30 days to review and sign the Production Agreement. The Production Agreement will include, at minimum: the committed production budget, the writer's associate producer credit, the 5% net profit participation described in Section 10, the writer's retention of sequel and spinoff rights, and Go South Films, LLC's final creative approval over all production decisions. Full terms will be provided prior to signing. Declining does not forfeit any rights to the script. The $9 processing fee is not refunded under any circumstance.
Silver Winner. The Silver Winner receives a cash prize of $1,000 USD and a scheduled one-on-one session with a member of the Made jury. The jury member assigned to the session is selected at Go South Films, LLC's discretion based on availability. The Silver Winner also receives official Silver laurel recognition. The cash prize is paid within 14 days of the Gold Winner's execution of the Production Agreement.
Bronze Winner. The Bronze Winner receives a cash prize of $500 USD and a scheduled one-on-one session with a member of the Made jury. The jury member assigned to the session is selected at Go South Films, LLC's discretion based on availability. The Bronze Winner also receives official Bronze laurel recognition. The cash prize is paid within 14 days of the Gold Winner's execution of the Production Agreement.
All three winners also receive official laurel recognition for use in connection with the submitted work. Cash prizes are paid via electronic transfer to the account information provided by the recipient and are non-transferable. Recipients are solely responsible for all federal, state, local, and foreign taxes arising from any prize or profit participation received. Go South Films, LLC will issue tax forms as required by law and may withhold taxes where required by applicable law.
Contingency Production Rights. If the Gold Winner declines the Production Agreement, fails to respond within the notification window, or cannot fulfill the requirements of production, production rights pass to the Silver Winner, who is offered the Production Agreement under the same terms. If the Silver Winner similarly declines or is unable to proceed, production rights pass to the Bronze Winner. Declining does not forfeit any rights to the declined script, and any previously paid cash prizes are not subject to return. The terms of this contingency succession are further described in Section 14.
10. Ownership Waterfall
Go South Films, LLC takes a 10% producer fee from the prize pool before production begins. The remaining balance constitutes the production budget.
"Net profits" means gross revenue received by Go South Films, LLC from all exploitation of the film, less the total production budget expended. Go South Films, LLC recoups its full production spend from gross revenue first. The remaining balance constitutes net profits, against which the following ownership percentages are applied:
- Creator (winning writer): 5%
- Cast: 5%
- Producers: 10%
- Go South Films, LLC: 60%
- Contingency Pool: 20%
The 20% contingency pool is reserved for key production contributors including but not limited to producers, director of photography, editor, sound mixer, name talent, and any crew member whose contribution is material to the production. Allocation is determined by Go South Films, LLC at the time of production and documented in the Production Agreement.
Cast and crew are paid a reduced rate during production, in compliance with all applicable labor laws. All deferred compensation obligations are settled from gross revenue prior to the calculation of net profits. Go South Films, LLC will provide the winning writer with an annual written accounting of revenue and recoupment status. The winning writer may, upon 30 days' written notice, request a review of accounting records related to the film at the writer's own expense, no more than once per calendar year.
11. Jury
The jury is comprised of working filmmakers and industry professionals selected by Go South Films, LLC. Thomas Simon, founder of Go South Films, LLC, participates in the jury selection process and may serve as director or in another creative capacity on the winning production. Submitters acknowledge this as part of the contest structure.
Jury members, including Thomas Simon, will recuse themselves from voting on, and will not have access to the identity of, any submission in which they have a prior creative, financial, personal, or professional relationship with the submitter. All jury decisions are final. No correspondence will be entered into regarding individual submissions or selection decisions.
12. Winner Notification
All three award recipients (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) are contacted privately before any public announcement. Go South Films, LLC contacts each recipient using the contact information provided at the time of submission. No public announcement of any award is made until the Gold Winner has executed the Production Agreement. The public announcement of all three winners occurs simultaneously upon execution of that agreement. Cash prizes for Silver and Bronze are disbursed at the time of public announcement.
The Gold Winner must confirm acceptance within 14 days of private notification. The 30-day Production Agreement review period begins upon the Gold Winner's written confirmation of acceptance. Failure to respond within 14 days may result in disqualification, in which case the contingency succession described in Section 14 applies.
13. Stale Project
If principal photography has not commenced within 18 months of the Production Agreement signing date, all rights to the screenplay revert automatically and in full to the writer. No further action or notice is required. Go South Films, LLC's right to produce the winning screenplay is limited to this 18-month window.
14. Contingency Production Succession
If the Gold Winner declines the Production Agreement, fails to respond within the 14-day notification window, or is unable to fulfill the requirements of production, the right to produce the winning film passes to the Silver Winner, who is offered the Production Agreement under identical terms. If the Silver Winner declines or cannot proceed, the right to produce passes to the Bronze Winner under the same terms. If all three selected recipients decline or are unable to proceed, Go South Films, LLC reserves the right to select the next qualifying script from the jury shortlist.
Declining a Production Agreement at any stage does not forfeit any rights to the declined script. A recipient who has already received a cash prize as Silver or Bronze Winner is not required to return that prize if they subsequently receive and decline an offered Production Agreement under this succession provision.
15. Publicity
By winning, the selected writer consents to Go South Films, LLC's use of their name, project title, and logline for promotional purposes related to the contest and the production, across any media, worldwide, without additional compensation.
16. Guild & Union Compliance
Go South Films, LLC is not a signatory to the Writers Guild of America or any other guild or union. Writers are solely responsible for ensuring their participation in this contest and any resulting production agreement complies with all applicable guild, union, or collective bargaining obligations to which they may be subject.
17. Representations & Warranties
By submitting, you represent and warrant that:
- You are at least 18 years of age.
- You are the sole author, or an authorized co-author, of the submitted script.
- You own or control 100% of the rights necessary to grant the licenses described in this agreement.
- The script does not infringe upon the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party.
- The script is not subject to any existing option, sale, production, or exclusive shopping agreement.
- There are no threatened, pending, or current claims or legal proceedings in connection with the script. You agree to notify Go South Films, LLC immediately upon becoming aware of any such claims.
- Your participation in this contest does not conflict with any other agreement to which you are a party, including any guild or union regulation.
- You are submitting the script voluntarily and on a basis that does not create a confidentiality obligation beyond what is expressly stated in Section 4 of this agreement.
18. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Go South Films, LLC, its parent, subsidiary, and affiliated companies, and their respective officers, directors, employees, jury members, agents, sponsors, and representatives (collectively, the "Released Parties") from and against any and all claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising from: (a) your submission or participation in the contest; (b) any breach of your representations and warranties under this agreement; (c) any claim that your submitted script infringes the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party; or (d) your acceptance, use, or misuse of any prize. This indemnification does not apply to claims arising from Go South Films, LLC's own gross negligence or willful misconduct.
19. Release & Hold Harmless
By entering the contest, you release and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property, including but not limited to invasion of privacy (under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light, or any other legal theory), defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, infringement of trademark, copyright, or any other intellectual property right, arising out of or relating to your entry, your participation in the contest, and/or your acceptance, use, or misuse of any prize.
This release applies to all claims whether known or unknown at the time of submission. You expressly waive any rights you may have under California Civil Code Section 1542, which provides: "A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party."
20. Independent Development & Intellectual Property
Go South Films, LLC receives a large volume of submissions and may independently develop, produce, or distribute creative works that bear similarity to submitted scripts. Submission of a script to this contest does not create any implied agreement, fiduciary duty, or obligation of any kind beyond what is expressly stated in this agreement. The confidentiality protections in Section 4 apply to jury review only and do not restrict Go South Films, LLC's right to develop original creative projects independently.
You acknowledge that Go South Films, LLC and its affiliates reserve the right to develop creative projects independently, and that no claim may be made against Go South Films, LLC or its affiliates arising from the similarity of any subsequently produced work to a submitted script, provided Go South Films, LLC has not separately agreed in writing to option or produce your specific script.
It is your sole responsibility to register your screenplay with the United States Copyright Office or the Writers Guild of America prior to submission. Go South Films, LLC assumes no responsibility for protecting your intellectual property rights.
21. Limitations of Liability
Go South Films, LLC reserves the right to cancel, suspend, or modify the contest, or any part of it, at any time and for any reason, in its sole discretion, without liability to any entrant beyond the refund of entry fees as described in Section 8.
Go South Films, LLC is not responsible for: (a) lost, late, incomplete, or misdirected submissions; (b) technical failures of any kind, including malfunctions or interruptions to online systems; (c) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry or administration process; (d) errors in the administration of the contest or the processing of entries; or (e) any injury or damage to persons or property arising directly or indirectly from participation in the contest or use of any prize.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Released Parties shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from or related to participation in the contest. In no event shall Go South Films, LLC's total liability to any entrant exceed the entry fee paid by that entrant.
22. Independent Contractors
The relationship between you and Go South Films, LLC is one of independent contractors. Nothing in this agreement creates an employment, partnership, agency, or joint venture relationship between the parties.
23. No Guarantee
Entry does not guarantee advancement, feedback, representation, or production. Go South Films, LLC reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine that the contest cannot proceed to production for any reason. In that event, the refund provisions of Section 8 apply.
24. Governing Law, Arbitration & Class Action Waiver
This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute arising from this agreement or participation in the contest shall be resolved by binding arbitration in Los Angeles County, California, administered under the rules of the American Arbitration Association by a single arbitrator with experience in entertainment industry matters. Each party bears its own costs and attorney's fees. Failure to appear at any arbitration hearing entitles the arbitrator to proceed ex parte.
CLASS ACTION WAIVER. To the fullest extent permitted by law, entrant agrees that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to this agreement or the Contest shall be brought solely in entrant's individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff, claimant, or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims and may not preside over any form of representative or class proceeding. If this class action waiver is found unenforceable, then the entirety of this arbitration clause shall be null and void, but the remainder of this agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
JURY TRIAL WAIVER. To the fullest extent permitted by law, entrant and Go South Films, LLC each waive any right to a trial by jury in any action, proceeding, or counterclaim arising out of or relating to this agreement or the Contest.
25. Force Majeure
Go South Films, LLC shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations under this agreement caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, pandemic, natural disaster, war, civil unrest, government action, or failure of third-party infrastructure. In the event of a force majeure that prevents the contest from proceeding, the refund provisions of Section 8 apply.
26. Notices
Any notice or communication required or permitted under this agreement shall be in writing. Notices to Go South Films, LLC shall be sent to made@gosouthfilms.com. Notices to entrants shall be sent to the email address provided at the time of submission. Notices are deemed received on the date of email transmission, provided no bounce or delivery failure is received.
27. Survival
The following provisions survive the conclusion, expiration, or termination of this agreement and of the Contest: Section 3 (Rights), Section 4 (Confidentiality, Data & AI Processing), Section 17 (Representations & Warranties), Section 18 (Indemnification), Section 19 (Release & Hold Harmless), Section 20 (Independent Development & Intellectual Property), Section 21 (Limitations of Liability), Section 24 (Governing Law, Arbitration & Class Action Waiver), Section 26 (Notices), and any other provision that by its nature is intended to survive.
28. General Conditions
If any provision of this agreement is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. Go South Films, LLC's failure to enforce any provision of this agreement shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Section headings are for convenience only and have no legal effect. This agreement, together with the Privacy Policy and the Production Agreement (if and when executed), constitutes the entire agreement between you and Go South Films, LLC with respect to your entry in the contest and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous understandings.
29. Acknowledgment
By submitting and checking the acceptance box, you confirm that you have read and understood this agreement in full; that you are the author and rights holder of the submitted work (or one of the authors, in which case all co-writers have authorized this submission); that the work is original and meets all eligibility requirements stated above; that your submission does not conflict with any guild or union obligation; that you understand and agree to the class action and jury trial waivers in Section 24; and that you are aged 18 or older.
