• The overall winning script will be given a public reading by professional actors as part of the Stranger With My Face Horror Film Festival in Hobart in February 2012. The festival will invite prospective directors and producers to attend and there will be an opportunity for audience feedback and discussion.
• The top 6 scripts will be given in-depth feedback from our judges.
• All entries will receive some feedback from the judges.
• The overall winning scriptwriter will receive a copy of Final Draft screenwriting software and a selection of other prizes, including horror books and DVDs.
• All winners will receive a certificate.
• Tasmanian winners will receive support (if requested) in terms of setting them up with potential producers and/or directors for their project.

GUIDELINES

• Interested participants have until midnight on 31 January 2024 to register for the 10 By 10 Horror Challenge. Email us with your name and address and ’10 By 10 registration’ in the subject line. Entry is FREE.
• Registration is free and open to anyone (although only Tasmanians will be eligible for the overall prize). Only one script per entrant.
• Upon registering, participants will be emailed a (randomly) drawn secret code word, which may be an object, character or setting. The participant will be expected to incorporate this into their short horror script (in the on-screen story, not just in the big print).
• The script must be completed within 10 days. It must be emailed to the festival (in PDF format) by 6 pm on 10 February 2024.
• The script must be accompanied by a logline (a 1-2 sentence plot summary).
• Scripts must be no longer than 10 pages (roughly 10 minutes of screen time). Don’t try to pack a 20-minute script into 10 pages by using really small font. We will know.
• Scripts must be correctly formatted in script style (contact us if you need advice).
• All scripts will receive feedback from the judges.
• All entrants will have the OPTION of having their script listed in an online database on this website, so that prospective directors and/or producers may request the script to read.
• You MUST own the copyright to your script (and to any story you have adapted—unless you are confident that the original material is out of copyright. It’s up to you to ascertain this. By entering the competition you are certifying to the organisers that you have done so).
• Stranger With My Face will not retain copyright to entries. Once the competition is over, you’re free to do anything you like with your script.
• ‘Tasmanian Gothic’ means a script more towards the art house end of the spectrum. For ‘Tasploitation,’ think B-grade or beyond (Troma, grindhouse etc).
• Tasmanians who are not currently living in the state will only be considered ‘Tasmanian’ if they so identify, and if they do come here reasonably often. Some of the major prizes will require being in Tasmania to use them (eg. vouchers).
• The idea of the challenge is that you write something in 10 days… Still, if you’re desperate to sneak in something you’ve already written, we’re not going to know or care - so long as the secret code word features and your script meets the guidelines. But you CANNOT enter a script that’s already been produced or that has been optioned for production.

TIPS

Keep in mind the ideals of the festival. It might be worth considering the Bechdel Test. Of course, there are situations where that doesn’t really apply, such as if you only have one character in your story!

The judges will be looking for fresh and well-told stories in the horror genre, and particularly the use of horror to express ideas that are meaningful to the writer.

According to Wikipedia…”Horror films are unsettling movies that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, disgust and horror from viewers.” The judges will interpret this fairly broadly, and ‘horror’ may include anything from gore to ghost stories, from art house to exploitation, from monster movies to Gothic melodrama. Don’t limit yourself - think body horror, ‘giallo’ films, zombies, witches, historical horror, comedy horror, musicals, weird tales, mummies…whatever strikes your fancy!

We suggest you spent the first week writing and then spend a few days re-writing and getting feedback. To help, we’re organising two ‘write-in’ sessions (Hobart-based, but you can always organise your own wherever you are). Come along and write with like-minded horror geeks (or newbie horrorphiles)!

WRITE-IN #1: 5 pm - 7 pm, Wednesday 1 Feb, Hobart

WRITE-IN #2: 5 pm - 7 pm, Wednesday 8 Feb, Hobart

The location for the write-ins will be revealed to you upon registration for 10 By 10.

Stranger With My Face Horror Film Festival, 17-19 February 2012