A big congratulations goes out to all the Nicholl finalists. It looks like two comedies have made their way into the Top 10 (Drunk-Dialing and Nicky Flyn Finally Gets A Life), a genre that traditionally doesn't fare well at Nicholl, so double-congratulations to those guys. Nicholl tends to get a lot of crap these days and while I do think they lean a little too harshly towards the heavier period fare, it's still the biggest contest out there and usually leads to writing careers for its winners. 30 grand is some nice pocket change too. I used to be against contests but what I learned is that they really keep writers focused and working towards a deadline. As we all know, if we're left to our own devices (no ticking time bomb!) we just end up drifting away, working on a script for years. I'd be curious to know if any of these finalists are Scriptshadow readers. If so, please chime in and tell us a little about your script, how long you've been writing, etc. And I wouldn't mind anyone sending me these screenplays either. I'm sure there are a few good ones in the bunch.
The finalists are...
Sage Vanden Heuvel, Ann Arbor, Mich., “Inner Earth”
Tim Macy, Kansas City, Mo., “The Last Queen”
Destin Daniel Cretton, San Diego, Calif., “Short Term 12”
Art Corriveau, Santa Fe, New Mexico, “Nicky Flynn Finally Gets a Life”
Micah Ranum, Beverly Hills, Calif., “A Good Hunter”
Sebastian Davis, Los Angeles, Calif., “Drunk-Dialing”
Logan Steiner, Redondo Beach, Calif., “The Promise of Spring”
Andrew Lanham, Austin, Texas, “The Jumper of Maine”
Marvin Krueger, North Hollywood, Calif., “And Handled with a Chain”
Cinthea Stahl, North Hollywood, Calif., “Identifying Marks”
