Q: My one-page script is two pages, is that OK?

A: When we say ‘one-page script’, we mean that the writer is describing a single page of art. The script itself can be any length (typically 2-3 pages, no more that 5) but the artwork that is being described must fit on one standard comic book page.

Q: Does my script have to be in English?

A: This year, yes, all projects must be submitted in English. Since Steelkilt has representatives from Canada, Mexico, and the USA, we envision that we will quickly expand to include Spanish and French.

Q: Can I submit Manga scripts and comics?

A: Unfortunately, no. We are based the USA, Canada, and Mexico, and so we are sticking to our roots. As of now, we are focusing on the American comic book format reading from left to right. Page sizes and ratios should approximate the current standard comic book format. But this is just the first year!

Q: Is a comic book script like a movie script?

A: Yes and no. A comic book script and a feature film or TV script share many similar elements in terms of how dialog is expressed and how plot and story unfolds, yet the two types of documents differ greatly in how the writer describes the information to the reader. When we compare these two types of scrips, we must know that there are many different types of film scripts (and different types of comic book scripts), and we can make a simple comparison to help illustrate how a comic book script most closely aligns with a film script. The best analogy would be that a comic book script is much more like a shooting script and less like a spec script. A comic book script is a set of instructions from the writer to the art team, telling others exactly what needs to be done and what the finished product should look like. A shooting script does much the same thing (unlike a spec script, where camera and stage direction is typically frowned upon). A comic book script is a written description of each panel, accompanied by what will be in the dialogue balloons, the sound effects, color notes, and any other important information for everyone else on the team. An artist should be able to read a comic book script and have all the information needed to draw the pages, much the same way that a shooting script tells the film production team exactly what needs to be done. The script has enough detail for the artist to work on the project, often outlining the panel layout, the ‘camera’ angles, and elements of composition in the foreground and background. The format differs from a feature screenplay, however, but unlike in the film industry, there are no ‘hard and fast’ rules for exactly what a comic book script should look like. 

Q: How should my script be formatted?

A: While there is no comic book industry script standard, you may have heard of the DC method (full panel description and dialogue) vs. the Marvel method (panel descriptions with no dialogue). We definitely want full panel descriptions and dialogue, which is sometimes called the DC method. How you format it is up to you, but if you are new to writing comics, we suggest you follow the Dark Horse Comics formatting guide that was posted on their submission guidelines and can now be found on a great blog about how to format comic scripts (see link to Kenny Porter’s blog or use this direct link to the PDF. Note, do not include your name in the submission). A number of people use the Dark Horse guidelines because they are one of the few major publishers who posted formatting guidelines many years ago, and a lot of independent creators used it as a guide. They also have a sample script on their FAQ’s.  You are free to use some other format, but their formula is simple and it works. There are many comic book scripts you can read online as well, like at the comic book script database. Remember that the readers are not artists- they are not going to be drawing your script. So while it is important to stick with the industry standards, extraordinarily long panel descriptions are not recommended as they may slow down the flow of the story and turn off the judges. Moore is less. 

Q: Can I include artwork with my scripts?

A: In the script category, no, absolutely not. We understand that in the real comic book production process, writers sometimes send sketches and panel layouts over to the artist. But as we want to make this writing competition fair and pure, it is not allowed here. Do not include layouts, character sketches, or drawings of any kind with your scripts. Upload a PDF of your script into FilmFreeway without any art of any kind. Even a stick figure or sketch of the panel layouts will cause your script to be disqualified. Also, please do not include written character descriptions or a synopsis. Only the pitch category accepts sample artwork, and even there, art is not required. If you are an artist, submit your work to the one-page comic or short comic category.

Q: How/when do I describe my characters?

A: We suggest you include a brief character description when each character first appears. As these are instructions for the artist, the description should focus on the visuals. 

Q: What do you mean by ‘unpublished’ work? I posted my work through Comixology Submit and Facebook. Is it eligible?

A: Work published on your personal social media pages, blogs (Substack, WordPress, Facebooke etc) or a personal blog or website is considered unpublished. That includes Deviantart, Flickr, etc, which are essentially hosting sites for your own work. However, if you post to Webtoon, Comixology Submit, Global Comix or another similar professional comic site that has an editorial review process and requires approval to host content, the work is considered published and cannot be submitted to the competition. If you have submitted your work somewhere else and it is published while your work is being judged, you will need to go to FilmFreeway and withdraw your submission. If you submitted work to a publisher and it was published, it cannot be withdrawn or unpublished and is considered a published work, even if the work is taken down from the internet. 

Q: What do you mean by ‘amateur/unpublished/self-published vs. professional writers and creators?’ I created my own comic and published it through Kickstarter. Am I considered amateur?

A: We are judging amateurs and professionals separately to make the competition fair. Those who publish their own comics, even funded through Kickstarter, are considered to fall into the amateur/self-published category. Even if you created your own comic book company, you would still fall into the amateur/self-published category if you yourself are submitting work that you published through your own company, save for a few exceptions when. We consider you a professional if you have submitted your work to another company (even a small one) that has the right to accept or reject the pitch, and then pays you for the work either outright or through royalties. Anyone who has been paid by a professional company in the last 10 years is considered a professional and your work will compete in that category.

Q: I work for a major publisher. Can I submit a script or comic?

A: Yes, please submit to the professional cateogory. Please make sure that the work being submitted is an unseen, unpublished work, and that the characters are your own creations. You will be competing against other professionals. 

Q: Can I submit a story about a character that’s not mine, like Batman or Spider-man?

A: No. All work must be original. Do not use any IP that does not belong to you, including but not limited to published comic book characters, movie or TV characters etc. You may of course use public domain works, but your visualization of the characters must be original (for example, your version of the Frankenstein monster cannot resemble the iconic green-skinned Universal monster. That would be infringement of copyright). You may continue using characters that you yourself created and submit new, unpublished works in that universe, even if you have used those characters in the past in a published work.

Q: Do I need to include art with my pitch?

A: No, art is not required for a pitch. A pitch must include a tagline (one sentence), a logline (1-2 sentences), a synopsis (1 page) and 1 paragraph descriptions of the main characters. This whole document is not expected to exceed 4 pages, and 2-3 pages is ideal. You may submit concept art, character sketches, drawings of the settings, vehicles, and other things to help the team visualize the project. Pages of sequential art are not required and not recommended, although you can submit them if you feel it essential. If you have finished lettered pages, you should submit those in another category. A finished cover and logo are also not required and not recommended. Our goal is to make the pitch competition accessible to writers with no drawing ability. Likewise, we do not want writers or creative teams to feel obligated to invest money on creating a pitch – do not hire professional illustrators to draw sketches or pages of sequential art. The pitch will be judged primarily on the strength of the written concept and synopsis. All art submitted must be your own, or you must have the right to submit it through a work-for-hire or other contract. 

Q: My one-page script is two pages, is that OK?

A: When we say ‘one-page script’, we mean that the writer is describing a single page of art. The script itself can be any length (typically 2-3 pages, no more that 5) but the artwork that is being described must fit on one standard comic book page. 

Q: Does my script have to be in English?

A: This year, yes, all projects must be submitted in English. Since Steelkilt has representatives from Canada, Mexico, and the USA, we envision that we will quickly expand to include Spanish and French. 

Q: Can I submit Manga scripts and comics?

A: Unfortunately, no. We are based the USA, Canada, and Mexico, and so we are sticking to our roots. As of now, we are focusing on the American comic book format reading from left to right. Page sizes and ratios should approximate the current standard comic book format. But this is just the first year!

Q: Is a comic book script like a movie script?

A: Yes and no. A comic book script and a feature film or TV script share many similar elements in terms of how dialog is expressed and how plot and story unfolds, yet the two types of documents differ greatly in how the writer describes the information to the reader. When we compare these two types of scrips, we must know that there are many different types of film scripts (and different types of comic book scripts), and we can make a simple comparison to help illustrate how a comic book script most closely aligns with a film script. The best analogy would be that a comic book script is much more like a shooting script and less like a spec script. A comic book script is a set of instructions from the writer to the art team, telling others exactly what needs to be done and what the finished product should look like. A shooting script does much the same thing (unlike a spec script, where camera and stage direction is typically frowned upon). A comic book script is a written description of each panel, accompanied by what will be in the dialogue balloons, the sound effects, color notes, and any other important information for everyone else on the team. An artist should be able to read a comic book script and have all the information needed to draw the pages, much the same way that a shooting script tells the film production team exactly what needs to be done. The script has enough detail for the artist to work on the project, often outlining the panel layout, the ‘camera’ angles, and elements of composition in the foreground and background. The format differs from a feature screenplay, however, but unlike in the film industry, there are no ‘hard and fast’ rules for exactly what a comic book script should look like. 

Q: How should my script be formatted?

A: While there is no comic book industry script standard, you may have heard of the DC method (full panel description and dialogue) vs. the Marvel method (panel descriptions with no dialogue). We definitely want full panel descriptions and dialogue, which is sometimes called the DC method. How you format it is up to you, but if you are new to writing comics, we suggest you follow the Dark Horse Comics formatting guide that was posted on their submission guidelines and can now be found on a great blog about how to format comic scripts (see link to Kenny Porter’s blog or use this direct link to the PDF. Note, do not include your name in the submission). A number of people use the Dark Horse guidelines because they are one of the few major publishers who posted formatting guidelines many years ago, and a lot of independent creators used it as a guide. They also have a sample script on their FAQ’s.  You are free to use some other format, but their formula is simple and it works. There are many comic book scripts you can read online as well, like at the comic book script database. Remember that the readers are not artists- they are not going to be drawing your script. So while it is important to stick with the industry standards, extraordinarily long panel descriptions are not recommended as they may slow down the flow of the story and turn off the judges. Moore is less. 

Q: Can I include artwork with my scripts?

A: In the script category, no, absolutely not. We understand that in the real comic book production process, writers sometimes send sketches and panel layouts over to the artist. But as we want to make this writing competition fair and pure, it is not allowed here. Do not include layouts, character sketches, or drawings of any kind with your scripts. Upload a PDF of your script into FilmFreeway without any art of any kind. Even a stick figure or sketch of the panel layouts will cause your script to be disqualified. Also, please do not include written character descriptions or a synopsis. Only the pitch category accepts sample artwork, and even there, art is not required. If you are an artist, submit your work to the one-page comic or short comic category.  

Q: How/when do I describe my characters?

A: We suggest you include a brief character description when each character first appears. As these are instructions for the artist, the description should focus on the visuals. 

Q: What do you mean by ‘unpublished’ work? I posted my work through Comixology Submit and Facebook. Is it eligible?

A: Work published on your personal social media pages, blogs (Substack, WordPress, Facebooke etc) or a personal blog or website is considered unpublished. That includes Deviantart, Flickr, etc, which are essentially hosting sites for your own work. However, if you post to Webtoon, Comixology Submit, Global Comix or another similar professional comic site that has an editorial review process and requires approval to host content, the work is considered published and cannot be submitted to the competition. If you have submitted your work somewhere else and it is published while your work is being judged, you will need to go to FilmFreeway and withdraw your submission. If you submitted work to a publisher and it was published, it cannot be withdrawn or unpublished and is considered a published work, even if the work is taken down from the internet. 

Q: What do you mean by ‘amateur/unpublished/self-published vs. professional writers and creators?’ I created my own comic and published it through Kickstarter. Am I considered amateur?

A: We are judging amateurs and professionals separately to make the competition fair. Those who publish their own comics, even funded through Kickstarter, are considered to fall into the amateur/self-published category. Even if you created your own comic book company, you would still fall into the amateur/self-published category if you yourself are submitting work that you published through your own company, save for a few exceptions when. We consider you a professional if you have submitted your work to another company (even a small one) that has the right to accept or reject the pitch, and then pays you for the work either outright or through royalties. Anyone who has been paid by a professional company in the last 10 years is considered a professional and your work will compete in that category.

Q: I work for a major publisher. Can I submit a script or comic?

A: Yes, please submit to the professional cateogory. Please make sure that the work being submitted is an unseen, unpublished work, and that the characters are your own creations. You will be competing against other professionals. 

Q: Can I submit a story about a character that’s not mine, like Batman or Spider-man?

A: No. All work must be original. Do not use any IP that does not belong to you, including but not limited to published comic book characters, movie or TV characters etc. You may of course use public domain works, but your visualization of the characters must be original (for example, your version of the Frankenstein monster cannot resemble the iconic green-skinned Universal monster. That would be infringement of copyright). You may continue using characters that you yourself created and submit new, unpublished works in that universe, even if you have used those characters in the past in a published work.

Q: Do I need to include art with my pitch?

A: No, art is not required for a pitch. A pitch must include a tagline (one sentence), a logline (1-2 sentences), a synopsis (1 page) and 1 paragraph descriptions of the main characters. This whole document is not expected to exceed 4 pages, and 2-3 pages is ideal. You may submit concept art, character sketches, drawings of the settings, vehicles, and other things to help the team visualize the project. Pages of sequential art are not required and not recommended, although you can submit them if you feel it essential. If you have finished lettered pages, you should submit those in another category. A finished cover and logo are also not required and not recommended. Our goal is to make the pitch competition accessible to writers with no drawing ability. Likewise, we do not want writers or creative teams to feel obligated to invest money on creating a pitch – do not hire professional illustrators to draw sketches or pages of sequential art. The pitch will be judged primarily on the strength of the written concept and synopsis. All art submitted must be your own, or you must have the right to submit it through a work-for-hire or other contract.