N2m Up for Grabs as Nollywood Screenwriting Contest Kicks-off

Mary Nnah

A new contest christened, Nollywood Screen Writing Contest (NSWC), a brainchild of Lawrence Onuzulike, a Nollywood actor, publisher, and activist has birthed and N2million is up for grabs.

The winner goes home with the star prize of N1million and the winning script will be made into a blockbuster Nollywood movie including a one-year scriptwriting contract with Aforevo.

For the first runner up, it is N500,000 while the second runner up goes home with N300,000. Other consolation prizes include 100 Afrorevo T-Shirts and caps.

To qualify, participants must submit the first twenty scenes from their scripts after which judges shall choose the best 20 submissions.

The owners of the selected submissions shall be required to submit between100 to 135 scenes of their works after which the judges shall choose the three best scripts. Submission opened on February 7th and will close on March 4 while prizes shall be presented to winners on March 8.

Judges include veteran actress, Clarion Chukwura, Segun Arinze, Victor Okhai, president DGN, and Yinka Ogun, President SWGN. For interested participants, they are to visit Nollywoodscreenwritingcontest.com for more info on how to submit.

Speaking during a press parley in Lagos, Onuzulike said, the Nollywood screenwriting contest was created to reward hardworking screenwriters and highlight the vital roles they play in filmmaking.

“In Nollywood, there’s this overall feeling that screenwriters despite playing very important roles in film making are not being well recognised and rewarded in the Nigerian film industry”, he said.

Consequently, NSWC, he said, is geared towards correcting that by bringing to the fore the vital roles played by screenwriters in movie production and in the film industry as a whole.

The media campaign and the razzmatazz that will surround the contest, Onuzulike noted further, will not only shed light on screenwriters but will also make them the point of focus for once in an industry often dominated by actors, directors, and producers.

The initiative is put together by Aforevo and proudly endorsed by the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Screen Writers Guild of Nigeria (SWGN), Directors Guild Of Nigeria (DGN), and Association Of Movie Producers (AMP).

The contest is open to all Nigerians except the staff of Murphy Ben International Limited.