2026 HollyShorts Screenplay Contest Quarterfinalists Announced
We're thrilled to announce the quarterfinalists for the 2026 HollyShorts Screenplay Contest. Congratulations to the talented writers behind these 112 screenplays, selected from an exceptional pool of submissions. The full list of quarterfinalists is below.
1 in 6 - Sionne Elise
Above the Bridge - Martina Lisec
After Hours - Julian Yoval
A Girl Got Her Hand Blown Up in Dolores Park - Roisin Isner, Kyle Casey Chu
Arc - J M Kellerman
Ashes - Maaman Rezaee
As Is (Revision 2) - Christopher Glass
Azul - Maximo Contreras
Be Careful What You Draw For - Javi Romero
Below the Surface - Stephen Lewis
Between Frequencies - Mateo Márquez
Bibi - Heloise Chung, Brandy N Carie
Briggfoot - Aidan Cullen
Bud Burkett Was All Set to Die - Jeff Reese
Caine - Eduardo Muniz, Danilo Moraes
Captain Metro - Troy Alexander
Cherry - Christopher Rogers
Chop Suey - Richard Wilby
Crow - Matilda Corley Schulman
D(ANGEROUS) E(DUCATED) I(NDIVIDUAL) - Casner Parfait
Dark Country - Daniel Yi
Dead Water - Kevin Machate
Dependa(ble) - Rachel Troche
Did You Have a Good Time? - Kevin Talley
Dr. Becky's Guide to Uncommon Symptoms - Peter Andrews
Durango - Daniel J. Ricottone
Electa - Kenny Kistner
E.V.E. - Sara Silkin
Exit Interview - Dion Aralihalli
For the Sake of Hana - CK Thornton
Goodnight, Los Angeles - Matt Dickson
Grave Command - Evelyn Davis
Gross Prophet - Kathryn Robinson
Handsy - Eryn Rea
Hedonism - Jessica Lynn James
Her Road Trip - Gabriella Alexandra Garcia
Hey Darlin' - Heather Clark
Hip-Pocketed - Samina Saifee
Inklings - Peter Ray Field
Intelligently Artificial - Matthew Valvardi
Know Your Lights - Al Benoit
Lemonade - Monika Gossmann
Lightbulb - N/A
LiveStream - Allan Tamshen
Maiden - David Bright
Marina and Lucho - Luis Garcia & Jayme S Hall
Meat - Victoria Villarreal
Merlin's Magic Ride - Anthony Notarile & Chris Angelis
Miss Woubi - Adesua Okosun
Mis Undead Quince - Jocelyne Berumen
Monterey - Richard Bruce Stirling
Murder Ballads & Love Songs - Matilda Corley Schulman
My Night with Grim - Mark Yablonovich
Nocturne - Jae Cho
No One Took Her Seriously and Now They're All Dead - Brandon Mercer
Not That Kind - Michael H Moore
Of Iron & Ink - Sara Al Thani
Ogbanje - Ashley L Douglas, Anderson Isiagu
Oliver - Michael Albanese
Orange Soda & Dance - Zhuangzhuang Tan
Over African Skies - Richard Wilby
Private Party - Josephine Yozzi
Protected Species - Szilvia Szkurka
Pyrrhic - Nikki Petkopoulos
Radio Contact - Kevin Machate
Retribution - Brandon J. Somerville
Rippers - Joseph Oliver Hooten
Road Kill - Jonathan Turner
Santa Claus is Coming to Hell! - Ben Alpi, Michael Klug
Saving Glory - Farook Qais
Schrodinger's Grandma - Alessandro Cerri
Seep - Suzanne Griffin
Shadow Conspiracy - Angel Whitaker
Sila - Mashael Alqahtani
Silence=Death - Peter Ray Field
Smart Womb - Roni Brown
Something You Don't Understand - Walter Rivera
Spirit of the Dragon - Andrew Ching
Spirit Walkers - Victor Dean
Stage 9 - Yinuo Zhao
Tell Me About It - Jack Maxwell
Textura - Nick Jackson
The Belly and the Butcher Knife - Kevin Talley
The Bookmobile - Cat Dale
The Code Switch - Hisonni Mustafa
The Confession - Noah Stroehle
The Death Row Cook - Jessica James
The Executioner's Lighthouse - Mark Clark
The Hit - Leslie Alejandro
The Last Word - James Crisp
The Logistician - Abdulaziz Aldughaither
The Opus - Derek Nicoletto
The PaRC - Morgan Grice
The Post-Mortem of Taylor Jordan - Eric J Cook
The Revver - Mike Hanson, Kelly Susan Moothart
The Runner - Jianna Maarten Saada
The Shadow - Grace Griemsman
The Skywalker - George Robert Strayton
The Speech - Josh Miller
The Surface Calls - Matthew Kravchuk
The Two Musketeers - Dustin Richardson
They Came for Me - Douglas Lieberman
They Come at Night - Tony Archer
To Be a Man - Robbie Robertson
Trashy Saves Love - Noah Staum
Trauma Bond - Bryce Hatch
U.F.H. (Unidentified Flying Human) - Melissa Mars
Under the Old Sycamore - Ellis Lee Neary
Vice Grip - Steven Traviss Smith
Virgin Margot - Jennifer Prediger
Waxed - Pamela Schott
We're Here to Kill It - J.M. Kallet
What's Buried Beneath the Pines - Kris Shuman
Who Stole the Head of Bobbi DuPree - Kris Shuman
Written in the Stars - Robert G. Rhyne