General Formatting
Scripts for Films, Plays, & TV
Formatting How-To Video
Gearing up to enter your manuscript into the writing contest? Check out all of the formatting guides available to make sure your entry is polished and ready for submission! While entries will not be disqualified for incorrect formatting, they may lose scoring points that could affect placement. Proper formatting gives your submissions a professional look and makes them easier for the judges to read.
— General Formatting Guidelines —
Use 1 inch (3 cm) margins all around on 8.5” x 11” letter page size.
Stick with 12-point standard fonts for all text. (Times New Roman or Courier)
Include a proper heading in the upper right-hand corner of the first page of your entry:
First Line (First Page) — Category number
Second Line (First Page) — Category name
Third Line (First Page) — Note the word count, # of pages, or # of lines entered (see specific category requirements.
Indicate the page number and title on the top right-hand corner of each page, sta rting at page 2.
Titles, chapter numbers, and chapter titles should be centered and should be in regular Times New Roman or Courier 12-point font. They should not be bold. New chapters should start on a new page.
Text should be double-spaced (exceptions include poetry, scripts, synopses, outlines, and table of contents.)
Text should be left justified (exceptions include poetry and scripts.)
There should not be extra spaces between paragraphs (exceptions include poetry submissions between stanzas.)
A synopsis (3 pages or less) must be included with all unpublished book and script categories. It may be placed either before or after (but not on the same page as) the text of the manuscript. The synopsis should be identified, centered on its first page (e.g. Title Synopsis). The page count of the synopsis is included in the category page limit.
No pictures should be inluded in unpublished categories, including Picture Book.
Script entries should follow script formatting guidelines.
When saving files, they should be named: cat#title (For example, cat31mysfstory.doc)
Submit all unpublished category entries as .doc or .docx (Word) files.
Submit all published category entries as .pdf (Adobe) files with the book cover included. The entry should look like an e-book version that would be published online. If you do not have a .pdf version of your book, here is a free site that can convert your file into a .pdf or if you need to combine your book pdf with your cover file, this free site can help!
— Script Formatting Guidelines —
Submissions for film, play, and TV scripts have special formatting considerations. While there are no across-the-board “industry standards” to keep things uniform, it’s important to establish acceptable guidelines to make things easier for the judges and keep that professional vibe. For this reason, you may see slight variations when hunting for script formatting rules. For recommended guidelines and examples of accepted formats, please see the following resources:
General Scriptwriting
Film
Plays
TV
Script Formatting in Microsoft Word for the OWFI Contest
Start at Title: Ignore instructions for cast and production lists in the examples. You do not need to include that information in your submission.
Include a proper heading in the upper right-hand corner of the first page of your entry:
First Line (First Page) — Category number
Second Line (First Page) — Category name
Third Line (First Page) — Note the # of pages
Indicate the page number and title on the top right-hand corner of each page, starting at page 2.
Don’t forget your synopsis!
