Short Film Scriptwriting Competition
Our annual award with a £1000 prize
Free to enter
Competition Brief
Script should be timed at 5 mins or less.
This year’s brief (like all our previous briefs) has been devised for one reason only - to give you the best opportunity to come up with something creative, memorable and entertaining.
The judge/s will be looking for all these things PLUS originality. Anything (too far) off brief will not be considered. Anything (too far) over the 5 min time limit will not be considered (nb: our judge/s won’t be reading scripts while looking at a stop-watch but WILL be experienced enough to know the difference between 5 mins and 7 mins).
We suggest entrants time scripts (approx) before submitting.
And as far as rules go, that’s…about it.
The Winner 2026
Donal Gaughran
Donal: “I am a Dublin born and based copywriter currently working at TBWA\Ireland. I’ve always wanted to get more into scriptwriting and 2026 was the year I said I’d give it a proper go, starting with the Sharks brief.
I spent much of Dry [and very wet] January coming up with different ideas before using the final 10 days before the deadline to write, rewrite and rewrite some more. The brief was so enticing the biggest challenge I had, as I’m sure was the case for many others, was deciding which of my ideas to run with.
I just tried to focus on enjoying myself as not in a million years did I think I’d be lucky enough to win. This is the real bit of encouragement I probably needed to try my hand at scriptwriting some more. I don’t know where this script goes from here, but I certainly don’t plan on letting it rot in a folder on my laptop. Well done to all of the other finalists and everyone else who took part. I would encourage anyone with even the smallest writing itch to give it a go next time out.
I’m incredibly grateful to Sharks for this opportunity. The programmes they run are a huge creative outlet for so many. I spent many nights answering the Young Shark brief in the increasingly distant past without winning it, so this definitely helps make up for that. Not to mention the almighty hangover I came home from Kinsale with a couple of years ago”.
The Finalists 2026
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'Sorry to bother you' by Stephanie Marie Flynn
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'Golden Luck' by Lauren Rhiannon Fry
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'Fire & Earth' by Sophie Carter
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'Wallbraries' by Donal Gaughran
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'Losing It' by Sarah Lisgo
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'A series of naked events' by Alfie Souter & Carlota Real
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'By Proxy' by Rachel Furlong
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'Old Bag' by Amy Fasey & Nathalie Gordon
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'Sorry to bother you' by Sherice Griffiths
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'Sorry to bother you' by Stephanie Mild Arefinia
Judge Mark O'Sullivan: “The sheer originality within the hundreds of submissions speaks to a vibrant new generation of writers — Absolutely loved the fact that every writer began from the same jumping-off scene, yet delivered something entirely unique.”
This brief has a bit of a twist, in that we have written the first page (or scene) of the story for you (nb: this will not be taken from the 5 mins you have to finish the story).
So… Scene one: You’re walking home late (very late, 2.30 a.m) on a dark, cold, foggy winter’s night.
While walking, something makes you stop in your tracks. Off in the distance, down a quite street you can see two men who appear to be removing bricks from a wall.
You make sure you can’t be seen and you continue to watch. When they have removed about 30 bricks, one of the men opens a car door and takes out a bag. They both look around (you duck down out of sight as they do) then they place the bag in the hole that’s now in the wall.
They then quickly begin to replace the bricks. When they finish, they look at their handy-work, then look up and down the street one more time. When they’re satisfied they haven’t been seen, they get into the car and go.
Your continuation of the story/script starts…now. It’s entirely up to you what your character does next and what happens next and it’s also entirely up to you to decide what’s in the bag (cash, gold bars, body parts, the Koh-i-noor, diamond?) and where the story goes.
Remember, creative, memorable, entertaining and originality.
Good luck!
Judge - Mark O'Sullivan
Mark O’Sullivan is a UK-based producer with decades of international experience across film, television, and high-end commercial production.
He began his career in London producing music videos and commercials before producing his first feature film in Chicago at age 28. He later joined Believe Media, where he established and ran the company’s European headquarters and served as global executive producer, working worldwide with leading directors and producing multiple independent features.
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In 2018, Mark returned from Los Angeles to co-found Dog Eat Dog with producing partner Harvey Ascott. Since launch, the company’s film, TV, and commercial work has won major international awards including Sharks , Cannes Lions, D&AD, Clio, Eurobest, and The One Show.
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In 2022, Mark and Harvey launched a film division DLNQNT, financing and completing the feature JERICHO RIDGE,
filmed in Kosovo, doubling for North Washington State and starring Nikki Amuka-Bird. That same year, Mark co-founded In Plain Sight Group, a global production services company operating in 20+ countries, designed to provide streamlined, reliable international production infrastructure to the motion picture and advertising business.
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Most recently, Mark produced the $30m WWII feature BONHOEFFER, starring Jonas Dassler, August Diehl, and Clarke Peters, directed by Todd Kpmarnicki (Sully, ELF). Shot across Belgium and Ireland, the film was released globally in 2025 through Angel Studios. In Plain Sight has also serviced major studio productions including NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON’T for Lionsgate and has just completed principal photography on FARAWAY HOME, directed by Terry Loane (The Last Rifleman), set during WWII in Austria and Ireland. Mark alongside his partners are now in prep on their next three studio projects.