Do you have a nonfiction story to tell? SeriesFest’s Unscripted Series Competition celebrates and showcases the remarkable impact of unscripted storytelling. Submissions in the following formats of unscripted will be considered including limited series and reality series under 45 minutes in length.
- Limited Series
- Premium Documentary
- Reality Series
- Competition Series
- Branded Content
KEY DATES & FEES
| Early-Bird Deadline OCT 01, 2023 | Regular Deadline DEC 01, 2023 | Final Deadline JAN 11, 2024 | |
| Standard | $60 | $80 | $110 |
| FilmFreeway Gold Member | $40 | $60 | $90 |
| Student | $35 | $45 | $55 |
AWARDS & PRIZES
Pilots and Series are in competition are up for awards, along with cash prizes.
- Best Director
- Best Unscripted Series **
- Audience Award
Winners will be determined by a jury of high-profile industry and talent during the annual festival. Awards are announced at our Awards Ceremony and will be included in our website and media announcements.
**As an official partner of the Independent Pilot Competition, Company 3 is awarding the winners of the Best Comedy, Drama, and Unscripted series $25K in post-production in-kind services.
INCLUSIVITY INITIATIVE AWARDS
This category is eligible for Inclusivity Initiative Awards including the Level Forward Impact Award, the Caz Matthews Fund, and the Inclusive Creator Fund presented by the Anna & John J. Sie and the Global Down Syndrome Foundations. Awards will be given to the episodic projects and teams who demonstrate a thoughtful, thorough, and deliberate approach to using storytelling as a means of leveling the playing field for underrepresented people including women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA and alternatively abled voices.
OUTSTANDING SERIES FORMAT DECK AWARD PRESENTED BY CANVA
SeriesFest is partnering with Canva, our Preferred Design Platform, to acknowledge the creativity and skill necessary to build the perfect series format deck. SeriesFest: Season 10 Official Selections who choose to create their series format decks on Canva will have the opportunity to win the inaugural Outstanding Series Format Deck Award, a $5,000 cash prize, for the best series format deck submission created in Canva
ENTRY MATERIALS
Produced Pilot
Submitted via FilmFreeway’s Secure Online Screener system. All entries must be between 18 and 60 minutes in length.
Series Format Deck
All submissions must include a Series Format Deck which can either be submitted using a Canva file URL hyper linked under “Project Links” or as a PDF under “Files & Attachments” . An effective Series Format Deck introduces your project in a visually exciting and emotionally powerful way. It captures the reader’s imagination, allowing them to see the full scope of the series and embrace the characters.
The Series Format Deck should be no longer than 15 pages, must be in English, and include the following:
- Log Line
- Pilot Synopsis
- Season One Outline
- Main Character Descriptions (Up to 5)
- Tone of your series (can include no more than 2 comparisons)
- Producing Team
- Key Creatives
- Goals for your Series
- A Creator Statement that includes Why This Idea, Why Me, and Why Now?
Not sure where to get started on your Series Format Deck? You don’t have to start from a blank page. Check out the SERIESFEST – APPROVED TEMPLATE created in Canva. Personalize it, and make it your own!
Press Kit Material
Any available press kit material.
FilmFreeway Entry Fee
Please note, entry materials will not be returned
SeriesFest will consider short films in this category however this must be accompanied by proof of a series concept in the Series Format Deck.
INCLUSION INITIATIVE WAIVER APPLICATION
SeriesFest, in partnership with the Royal Bank of Canada, is launching a sequence of opportunities to make our festival more accessible for all content creators and to celebrate a commitment to diversity and equity, including a waiver for submissions. Pilots applying for the Independent Pilot, Digital Short Series, Late Night, and Unscripted Series competitions have the opportunity to apply for a submission waiver.
Have more questions?
