Save the Cat! Opens 2027 Screenplay Challenge for Feature and TV Entries
Save the Cat! has opened submissions for the 2027 Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge. The contest invites feature screenplays and original TV pilots from writers at every stage. The announcement states that the challenge supplies every eligible entry with a complete evaluation by experienced Master Cat readers together with a 50-Point Structural Analysis included in the entry fee.
The issuer confirms that each submission undergoes a full read. The accompanying 50-Point Structural Analysis is provided at no additional cost to participants. This report supplies targeted structural notes that writers can apply directly to their next draft.
The Save the Cat! announcement specifies that zero AI is used in judging or analysis. Feedback is grounded exclusively in the Save the Cat! method and approach. The notes focus on what is working in the script and where writers should concentrate their rewrite efforts, using the shared language of beats and spine to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Past winners have secured options and gained attention from representatives, the announcement reports. The 2025 Feature Grand Prize winner, Teddy Cecil, obtained representation and attached producer Juliet Berman of Spiral Stairs Entertainment to his screenplay Sandy Gray as a direct result of the placement. The issuer highlights this outcome as an example of the opportunities available to entrants.
Top five finalists in each category receive meetings with industry judges and a 12-month Story Suite subscription. Grand prize winners additionally receive a live table read at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, flight and hotel support for Los Angeles, and a Producers Badge to Austin Film Festival. These prizes are outlined in the official challenge materials.
Earlybird pricing for the 2027 Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge ends November 16, 2026. Entry details and deadlines are available on the Save the Cat! website, along with the full announcement and Teddy Cecil’s success story.
The Save the Cat! Story Suite is presented as a companion resource. The software applies the Save the Cat! method through built-in prompts and guidance that help writers develop screenplays, novels, and TV pilots beat by beat with emotional precision. No AI is used in the software. Writers can create beat sheets, develop characters, arrange scene cards on a digital writer’s board, and write their script or manuscript in one place while tracking how each scene advances the story and how characters change.
Physical Story Cards are also offered for writers who prefer a tangible board. Beat Cards cover the 15 key plot points, while Scene Cards support detailed development of individual moments. Users can place ideas, move them around, and observe how the pieces connect to shape the overall narrative.
The issuer identifies the 2027 Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge as the primary news item. The Story Suite and Story Cards are positioned as practical resources for writers preparing their next project.
