The Colorado Film Institute announces the winning screenplays of the 2025 Vail Screenplay Competition, a signature program now entering its 21st year.
VAIL, CO, UNITED STATES, January 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Vail Screenplay Competition Announces 2025 Winning Screenplays
The Colorado Film Institute, producer of the annual Vail Film Festival, has announced the winning screenplays of the 2025 Vail Screenplay Competition, a signature program now entering its 21st year.
Celebrating emerging and established screenwriting voices across Feature Screenplay, Short Screenplay, and Television Pilot categories, the competition once again highlights bold, original storytelling from writers around the world. Winners were selected from a highly competitive pool of submissions and were officially announced this week by the Colorado Film Institute.
The Vail Screenplay Competition is a cornerstone initiative of the Colorado Film Institute, the nonprofit organization behind the Vail Film Festival, which has screened thousands of films and hosted thousands of filmmakers over more than two decades. The festival has honored and showcased acclaimed talent including Olivia Wilde, Aaron Paul, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Smith, Michelle Monaghan, Harold Ramis, Zach Braff, Julie Delpy, Jane Seymour, Christina Ricci, Tim Daly, Jesse Eisenberg, Luke Wilson, Allison Janney, Tate Taylor, Josh Lucas, Aya Cash, Michael Imperioli, Sophia Bush, and Krysten Ritter, among many others.
“Each year, the Vail Screenplay Competition reminds us why new voices matter,” said Scott Cross, executive director of the Colorado Film Institute. “The winning scripts reflect originality, emotional depth, and cinematic ambition—exactly the kind of storytelling the Vail Film Festival was created to champion.”
2025 Vail Screenplay Competition Winners
FEATURE SCREENPLAY RESULTS
1st Place: Age of War by Peter Bloomquist
2nd Place: The Farm by Craig Urquhart
3rd Place: Schmoolie The Deathwatcher by Theresa Burkhart Gallagher
SHORT SCREENPLAY RESULTS
1st Place: Free Martin by Scott Thompson & Hayes Hart-Thompson
2nd Place: Meeting Your Maker by Gregory JM Kasunich
3rd Place: Hook ’em Horns by Tyler Totten
TELEVISION PILOT RESULTS
1st Place: Sly by Jesse Dorian
2nd Place: Happy Landing by Dianne Lee Blomberg & Joseph Alexander Carabello
3rd Place: Knights of Wisdom: Killswitch Engineer by Brad Cooper
The complete list of 2025 winners and finalists can be found at the links below:
• 2025 Feature Screenplay Winners
https://www.vailfilmfestival.com/screenplay-results-2025
• 2025 Short Screenplay Winners
https://www.vailfilmfestival.com/short-screenplay-results-2025
• 2025 Television Pilot Winners
https://www.vailfilmfestival.com/television-pilot-results-2025
For more information about the Vail Screenplay Competition, the Colorado Film Institute, or the upcoming Vail Film Festival, visit www.vailfilmfestival.com
Press Contact:
Colorado Film Institute
Email: info@vailfilmfestival.org
Web: www.vailfilmfestival.com
Press Team
Colorado Film Institute
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