THE HUMANITAS PRIZES FAQ
We receive a number of questions throughout the year regarding submissions. If you cannot find the answer to your question on this page, please email us at info@humanitasprize.org.
GENERAL:
When are you accepting submissions?
February 18 - April 1, 2025 at 11:59pm PST.
What type of material does Humanitas look for?
To learn more about what we look for in a script, we encourage you to read this article on on our website about the art of screenwriting and exploring the human condition.
Can I submit a preferred script?
No, please submit your final shooting script.
Do I need to submit a separate entry for each episode?
Yes. Humanitas Prizes recognize individual episodes, not an entire series or season.
What does “redacted” mean? When submitting a script do I only redact the writer’s name or do I also redact the name of the show and network as well? Producer, director?
It means to remove the writer’s name from the script. We ask that writer names be redacted to provide unbiased judging.
The film/episode I am submitting will release or air after the submission window. Will it be kept confidential?
Yes, all of our judges sign confidentiality agreements. If there is a concern about a specific script, please email us at info@humanitasprize.org.
Is there any circumstance in which a judge would view a film/episode?
Outside of documentaries, Humanitas judges only review scripts.
Is submitting a film/episode script something that should be done by the writer or can it be done on behalf of the writer?
Materials may be submitted by either the writer, a representative of the writer, or by companies involved with the creation of the project and their awards campaign teams.
Do you accept film/episode scripts written in foreign languages?
Scripts originally written in a language other than English are eligible for the Humanitas Prizes, but you must submit an English translation of the script.
I’m not sure which category I should submit my script under. Do you have any guidance?
While it is up to individual applicants for the Humanitas Prizes to decide which category their work best falls under, the descriptions below may help them make that determination:
Drama Teleplay: Scripts for television episodes of any length whose tone is predominantly dramatic, though not necessarily exclusively, and is intended for general or adult audiences.
Comedy Teleplay: Scripts for television episodes of any length whose tone is predominantly comedic, though not necessarily exclusively, and is intended for general or adult audiences.
Children’s Teleplay: Scripts for television episodes of any tone and length which are intended for younger viewers (i.e.: children, pre-teens, and teens) and/or their families.
Limited Series Teleplay: Scripts for episodes of an anthology series, miniseries, and limited-run series of any tone or runtime.
Comedy Feature: Scripts for feature-length projects whose tone is predominantly comedic, though not necessarily exclusively, and is intended for general or adult audiences.
Drama Feature: Scripts for feature-length projects whose tone is predominantly dramatic, though not necessarily exclusively, and is intended for general or adult audiences.
Family Feature: Scripts for feature-length projects of any tone intended for families and/or younger viewers (i.e.: teens, toddlers, pre-teens, grade school aged children).
Short Film: Scripts for fiction films with a runtime shorter than 40 minutes and are not part of a television or web series.
Documentary: Feature-length documentaries and individual episodes of docuseries are eligible for consideration.
Feature-length documentaries are defined as standalone units of nonfiction filmmaking that are not part of a series and have a running time that exceeds 40 minutes. Feature-length documentaries may have a release via a festival screening (including screenings/showcases which serve as the culminating event of a professional development program), theatrical distribution, a streaming launch, or broadcast or cable televising of the project.
Docuseries episodes are defined as a unit of narrative nonfiction filmmaking of any length which is part of a series that airs via a broadcast channel, cable channel, or internet-based streaming service. Docuseries may or may not be serialized. There is no minimum number of episodes required to qualify as a docuseries. Two-part docuseries should submit one episode.
ELIGIBILITY
The film/episode I am submitting will release or air after the eligibility window (June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025). Is it eligible?
Scripts for films and television episodes that release or air after May 31, 2025 are not eligible for the 2025 Humanitas Prizes, but will be eligible for 2026.
The film/episode I would like to submit does not have an official confirmed air date. It will, however, be airing before the end of the submission window. Can I put the tentative air date and follow-up if they end up moving it earlier or later in the season?
Yes, please put the tentative air date in the application and update us.
Do you accept a feature-length screenplay that has not been sold or produced? It has, however, been written and registered with the WGA.
No, the Humanitas Prizes program only accepts screenplays that have been produced and released. Unproduced feature-length screenplays and pilots may be eligible for the New Voices Fellowship.
Do applicants for the Humanitas Prizes in the feature film, teleplay, documentary, or short film categories have to be members of a professional guild and/or labor union, or a particular guild or union, in order for their work to be eligible for a Humanitas Prize?
Humanitas recognizes writers may not be able to be members of a union for any number of reasons and does not use the guild status of writers or their projects as an eligibility requirement for the Humanitas Prizes.
What kind of entries qualify for your short film category?
We accept live-action and animated material that is less than 40 minutes long which has either aired as part of a collection or series of shorts or that was screened at a film festival.
This is different from an episode of a television show. For our purposes, a short film that is part of a collection stands on its own as a story, and all the episodes, before and after it, are not necessary to understand its context, nor do they feature the same characters or settings.
DOCUMENTARY
For documentaries that do not have credited writers, should I list the director and/or producer in the writer section?
Please list whoever would receive credit for creating the documentary. If there aren't credited writers, most entrants list the director. Some list a producer or editor if they are involved in the narrative creation process.
Do I have to submit a script for my documentary?
No. Please submit the film via direct file upload or a link to a video hosting service. If the link is password protected, please be sure to list the password in the correct field in the application and ensure the link will be active to August 1, 2025.
FINANCIAL
Can you waive the submission fee?
Humanitas has a limited number of submission fee waivers it can offer annually. Please use this form to request a fee waiver.
Do Humanitas Prize winners receive a cash prize?
Humanitas Prize winners receive a cash prize with the amount varying from year to year based on budgetary considerations. In the event that a Humanitas Prize is awarded to a writing team, prize monies shall be distributed evenly between the writers. The Documentary category’s cash prize is split evenly between a documentary feature and a single episode of a docuseries.
Is a travel stipend available to Humanitas Prize nominees?
Humanitas’s current funding supports cash prizes for winners, but does not include allocations for nominee travel/hotel costs. Humanitas collects video acceptance speeches from nominees who cannot be physically present for the annual Humanitas Prizes event.