Call for 34th HUMANITAS Prize Submissions

Esteemed Honor for Television, Film Writers — Entry Deadline: April 1

Los Angeles, CA – Prestigious television and feature film writers honor HUMANITAS Prize is now accepting submissions.  The deadline for entry is April 1, 2008.

To qualify, submitted teleplays must have been aired, or feature films released, between April 2, 2007 and April 1, 2008.  There is no submission fee and no limit to the number of scripts one can submit.

During the past three decades, the HUMANITAS Prize has bestowed more than $2.8 million in cash awards to writers.

Its founder, Father Ellwood Kieser, C.S.P., said he believed that television and film contribute greatly to our humanizing process by communicating values, forming consciences and motivating human behavior. Thus, the organization strives to honor stories that affirm the dignity of humans and explore the complexity of life, it says.

Among past honorees are such writers as John Wells, The West Wing; Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues; Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, Crash; Keir Pearson and Terry George, Hotel Rwanda; Tony Kushner, Angels in America; Steven Bochco, Hill Street Blues; Greg Garcia, My Name is Earl, and many more.

This year's recipients stand to receive more than $145,000 across areas including: prime time (90/60/30 minutes), children's live action, children's animation, feature film and Sundance feature film. 

The slate of honors also includes the $10,000 Angell Comedy Fellowship, created to honor David and Lynn Angell, who perished aboard one of the hijacked planes that hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Producer-writer David, launched his career on the staff of Cheers, then went on to co-create Wings and Frasier. Submissions for the Angell fellowship may only be made via universities.

For more information about the fellowship and all of the HUMANITAS Prize honors, visit www.humanitasprize.org/submissions.htm.