WeScreenplay’s Diverse Voices Competition

In our regular Spotlight roundups, we talk to the people behind film competitions and festivals.

This week, we spoke to Mark Stasenko from WeScreenplay about their Diverse Voices Competition screenplay contest.

WeScreenplay is a boutique script-reading service and agency dedicated to providing skilled summaries with a speedy turnaround time to writers. They also support emerging talent with their four screenwriting contests.

Film Daily: How long have WeScreenplay’s competitions been running?

Mark: We have been running screenplay competitions for about three years and have seen a lot of success in that time. Writers have been signed by management companies and have optioned their scripts to production companies. The Diverse Voices Competition launched in 2016 and supports the Books for Kids foundation. The winners spend 3 months developing their projects before we send them out around town, and it's gotten press from IndieWire and now Film Daily!

What was the inspiration behind setting up the competition?

According to the WGA diversity report:

• Women writers earn 68 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn.
• Only 13% of TV writers are minorities (underrepresented by a factor of 3 to 1, adjusted for population).
• In film, minority filmmakers are under represented by a factor of 5 to 1.
• Older writers make up only 19% of TV writers.

These numbers go on and on. We certainly don't expect Diverse Voices to change Hollywood on its own, but we definitely wanted to be one of the millions of efforts in the right direction. Diversity in entertainment is important; it's how we get to see the world from new and incredible perspectives. It's how we can grow and learn as humans.

What synergy do the competitions have with your core business model?

We originally operated as a script coverage company – the contests grew out of a desire to connect the best writers with managers and producers who were looking for great scripts.

Any tips for potential entrants?

The only real piece of advice is to write a great screenplay! The truth is that it is very hard to write 100+ pages of a story. We're so honored to receive thousands of scripts every year to read and sometimes help improve. Writers pour their heart and soul into those pages and so to have that hard work shared with us is really special – we read with that in mind.

Because so many writers submit, it is important for all entrants to put their best foot forward. It is extremely competitive, so we encourage writers to submit work that is beyond its first draft. Make sure you've proofread the script and tightened everything before submitting. If you're getting coverage, feel free to submit a first draft, but for the contest, it's got to be polished if you want it to win.

Do you receive any grants or funds which make the competition possible?

We don't receive any grants for the contests. In fact, the Diverse Voices contest operates the other way around. While we do have considerable reading fees as all scripts are read twice by paid, professional readers, we do send proceeds from Diverse Voices to the Books for Kids Foundation.

They're an incredible organization that we've had the privilege of working with to promote literacy, reading, and storytelling for children from every start in life. Just last year we were at the opening of one of their libraries in Los Angeles. (They've since opened 2 more!) We also have a short film production fund, which is a grant we give away annually for one of our great writers to turn his or her short film into a completed, produced work.

Current Status of WeScreenplay Contests

Feature and Shorts contests have sustained longer timelines than the original interview captured. The Feature contest now sits at eleven-plus years with an attached virtual lab format. Shorts has run eight years and continues to accept entries through established platforms. Diverse Voices listings on major aggregators appear closed or archival, which signals that its standalone contest cycle has quieted while other WeScreenplay programs remain active.

Evolution of the Diverse Voices Program

Recent references point to a shift toward a Diverse Voices Lab model that pairs writers with industry partners. 2024 social mentions highlight lab wins and collaborations, including work with Erika Alexander and Color Farm Media. The change moves the initiative from open-call competition deadlines to smaller, targeted development sessions that still serve the original goal of spotlighting wescreenplay diverse voices.

Impact on Past Winners and Industry Placement

Early cohorts secured management attachments and option deals within the first three years. Public tracking of those placements has stayed limited since the initial coverage. Without updated outcome lists from WeScreenplay, later entrants lack a clear view of how contest wins translate into long-term credits, though the original signings remain the clearest documented results.

Broader Landscape of Diversity-Focused Screenwriting Opportunities

Other programs keep the field active for 2026 cycles. Palm Springs Diversity, the Big Break diversity category, Humanitas New Voices, and Creative Screenwriting Unique Voices each run dedicated tracks. These efforts sit alongside WeScreenplay’s remaining contests and labs, giving writers multiple entry points that continue the push for wider representation first noted in the 2016 launch.

The original conversation still holds on core advice: polish the draft, meet deadlines, and treat every submission as a professional calling card. Current WGA numbers show gains in some areas yet underscore that representation work remains ongoing. WeScreenplay’s move toward lab formats and its continued feature and shorts contests keep the door open even as the original Diverse Voices cycle has stepped back. Writers looking for the next step can still find active opportunities that grew out of that early mission.