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Contact: Lena Bhise | lena@film.org
The Joan Bressler Set in Philadelphia (SIP) 2026 Screenwriting Competition Winners Announced
Greater Philadelphia Film Office Program Fosters Screenwriters Nationwide
(Philadelphia, PA - 5/18/2026) - The Greater Philadelphia Film Office (GPFO) is thrilled to announce the winners of The Joan Bressler Set in Philadelphia (SIP) 2026 Screenwriting Competition. The annual competition seeks feature length screenplays OR original TV pilot length screenplays from all genres. Scripts are judged on their overall quality AND must speak to their “shootability” in the Greater Philadelphia region. Screenwriters from all around the country are welcome to enter. All finalists are given practical and implementable notes from the judging panel to improve the quality of the screenplay AND are invited to an awards reception in September. Winners are additionally awarded a cash prize ranging from $1,500 to $10,000 respectively.
Nicole Shiner, Co-Executive Director:
We’re incredibly proud to support such a talented community of storytellers. The level of submissions was truly impressive and we’re grateful to every writer who shared their work with us and helped make this year’s competition so inspiring.
This is the first year that the competition has been renamed for one of its long-standing stewards – Joan Bressler – who retired from GPFO in August 2025.
Erin Wagner, Co-Executive Director:
The competition reflects the lasting legacy of Joan Bressler, whose more than three decades of leadership helped build a program that fosters writers and their stories, while highlighting the Greater Philadelphia area as a fantastic place to film. Her care, consistency, and belief in emerging talent remain at the heart of what we do.
The 2026 Award Winners include four screenplays featuring four screenwriters.
Grand Prize – Feature Length Screenplay
Winner: SPLIT by Joe Mortimer
Grieving the loss of his son, Adrian Dodson, a former world class Olympic sprinter, must reconcile his past after an attempted carjacking leads to an unlikely friendship with his wayward assailant.
Joe will receive a $10,000 cash prize and notes from the judges on the screenplay.
Prime Time TV Pilot Prize, Sponsored by Comcast/NBCUniversal AND
The Oscar Micheaux Award for a Screenwriter of the African Diaspora, Sponsored by VestedIn
Winner: Rutherford Academy by Charisse Corbin
In the heart of West Philadelphia, Rutherford Academy follows Kwame Saunders, a brilliant but grieving teen from the inner city who earns a scholarship to an elite prep school after the tragic death of his best friend, Malik. Thrust into a world of privilege, pressure, and culture clash, Kwame must navigate academic expectations, social isolation, and the weight of survivor’s guilt - all while carrying the hopes of his community on his shoulders. As his old life pulls him back and his new life tests him, Kwame must decide who he wants to be - and what he's willing to sacrifice to become it.
Charisse will receive a combined $7,500 cash prize for both awards and notes from the judges on the screenplay.
Nina Lo Presti Award for a Female Screenwriter, sponsored by Laurie Lo Presti
Winner: The Doll Keeper, written by Diane Sismour
The Doll Keeper is a dark, suspenseful thriller that unfolds in a Pennsylvania city where tween girls vanish in an unsettling sync with new releases of a collectible doll series. A disturbed doll keeper imprisons her ‘perfect matches’ in “doll boxes” -- dressing-room-sized cages with Plexiglas doors and treats her "dolls" like living collectibles. A distressed mother of one of the girls and an FBI special agent have divergent investigations leading to an explosive confrontation. By blending claustrophobic terror with a heart-pounding race against time, The Doll Keeper offers a unique, character-driven psychological thriller about courage, hope, and survival.
Diane will receive a $1,500 cash prize and notes from the judges on the screenplay.
Content for Kids Winner, sponsored by Hallee & David Adelman
Winner: Mountain Sleds, written by Aaron Kim
When her father can’t save the family sledding company from a new rival, a teen must use her racing skills and fresh outlook on sled-making to revive their fortunes.
Aaron will receive a $5,000 cash prize and notes from the judges on the screenplay.
The finalist judging panel included high-profile producers, writers, and actors with a Philadelphia connection including Josh Cooke, Eric Neuhaus, Alexandra Drobac Diagne, Diane Walsh, and more.
GPFO received 106 scripts that were submitted for consideration for The Joan Bressler Set in Philadelphia 2026 Screenwriting Competition. For more information on GPFO, the SIP Screenwriting Competition, and the organization’s work, visit them at film.org.
Greater Philadelphia Film Office
The Joan Bressler Set in Philadelphia Screenwriting Competition (SIP)
City Hall; 1400 JFK Blvd.
7th Floor, Room 708
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Office: 215-686-2668
www.film.org
@gpfophilly
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