Competition Categories
Each year the SeriesFest community of emerging talent, established artists, and industry professionals gather to celebrate the innovative work of independent content creators. SeriesFest: Season 10 submissions are open NOW!
INDEPENDENT PILOT COMPETITION
18–60 minutes
The pilot program that started it all! Headed into its tenth season, SeriesFest’s Independent Pilot Competition provides a platform for the most innovative drama, comedy, and animated pilots out there.
DIGITAL SHORT SERIES COMPETITION
15 minutes or less
This category is for the rule-breakers! Each year, the Digital Short Series Competition exhibits creatives who are telling episodic stories without the restriction of traditional run times. SeriesFest is looking to find and honor exciting new digital series.
COLORADO PILOTS IN PROGRESS
10–60 minutes
Colorado has so much to offer storytellers from mountains and cityscape to a stand-out creative community. For Season 10, SeriesFest is excited to focus the signature Pilots in Progress program to support our home state creatives. Colorado Pilots in Progress offers an opportunity for Colorado creators to securely screen a rough cut of their pilot for constructive feedback from fellow creators and industry to help fine-tune and finalize their project.
UNSCRIPTED SERIES COMPETITION
Under 45 minutes
Do you have a nonfiction story to tell? SeriesFest’s Unscripted Series Competition celebrates and showcases the remarkable impact of unscripted storytelling. Submissions from all formats of unscripted will be considered including limited series and reality series under 45 minutes in length.
INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
18–60 minutes
Storytelling is universal. Presented in partnership with Liberty Global, SeriesFest’s annual International Spotlight invites viewers to discover some of today’s best television shows from around the world.
PITCH-A-THON!
Independent content creators will have the opportunity to participate in an exclusive live pitch session with top television, new media, and digital execs in hopes of moving their projects – and careers – forward. Pitched projects must be strictly in the script phase (unproduced).
WRITERS LAB WITH CALL TO ADVENTURE MEDIA
This is Your Call to Adventure! SeriesFest has partnered with Call To Adventure Media on an exciting professional development opportunity for emerging writers in independent episodic television. SeriesFest will invite writers to participate in a three-day workshop led by Call to Adventure Media with the goal of honing their pilot script and getting it pitch-ready.
SeriesFest: Season 10 Official Selections
Once submissions are closed, our team of experienced producers, writers, programmers, and filmmakers carefully reviews each application and pilot to narrow it down to a select group of comedies, dramas, and unscripted series representing the highest reviewed submissions in each category.
Official Selections to be screened at SeriesFest: Season 10 (May 1-5, 2024)
Official Selections are determined on the basis of the following elements:
- Originality and creativity
- Overall quality of all elements & aspects of the production of each entry, including, without limitation, writing, acting, directing, editing, etc.
- Adherence to and appropriateness for a particular format or type of program
- The ability to develop story through a first season and thorough drafting of the arc.
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