The winners of the second Project Greenlight contest have been announced. The latest amateur screenwriter has gotten her foot in the door. Erica Beeney won for her screenplay, The Battle of Shaker Heights and Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle were the winning directors. They will direct the winning screenplay, which will be produced by Miramax. Congratulations to the lucky winners and the best of luck in your careers.

The dreams of three aspiring filmmakers have begun. So many people want to write -- most people either want to write the great American novel or they have a great idea for a screenplay. These days, it seems the latter is the more common goal and also the easier of the two to see to fruition. Even though it's easier than getting a book published, it's still very very difficult to accomplish. If writing and selling a screenplay is a goal of yours, here are resources and advice to help you achieve that goal.

Write what you know

This is the advice given to writers when they begin to learn their craft. This is also why most writers' first screenplays are about some life experience they had and wish to share... and make six figures from in the process. The other piece of advice given to young writers is to write your life story first and get it out of your system. If nothing else, it's a great way to begin to hone your writing skills. And if you're going to write a screenplay, you might as well try to sell it. If you sell it, and can write a second story that has mass appeal, you have a shot at a sustained career.

Industry sources constantly say they're looking for a "fresh voice", and thousands upon thousands of hopefuls feel their voice is the freshest. So, how do thousands of voices try to prick up the ears of the guys with the money? One way is to enter and win a screenwriting contest, like Project Greenlight.

For $35 to $50 a pop, you can enter a screenplay contest and see how your work compares to others. The upside is that if you win, not only will you win whatever prizes are offered (cash and exposure are usually at stake), the distinction will grab the attention of an agent or production company looking for your fresh voice.

The downside is that this gets very expensive very quickly. You also don't know what criteria each contest is using to pick a winner. Bottom line: do you really need to win a contest in order to sell your script? There is no right answer and no sure-fire formula to sell a script. Can you sell a script without entering or winning a screenplay contest? Yes. Does it hurt you to enter a contest and see how your script fares among others? No. Plus if you win, that will only help you.

Finding the contest for you

Some screenplay contests are more credible than others are, and it's definitely worth mentioning that there are a lot of scams to be wary of. Two sources I recommend in order to explore screenwriting contests are Movie Bytes and Screenwriter Magazine Online. Both offer similar information about the screenwriting industry, but they also have their unique niches.

Movie Bytes offers you information about screenwriting contests, the market and screenwriting software. They also have features available to subscribers, like "Who's Buying What?" and a list of agents and production companies to submit your screenplays to. Several screenwriting contests and screenwriting software manufacturers sponsor the site. Obviously, those contests and products are highlighted over others and that doesn't necessarily mean they're better or worse than others listed on Movie Bytes. So, do your homework when investigating whether or not that contest or software product is right for you. However, the breadth of information they offer is invaluable. By the way, the contest information you can look up for free. [Editor's Note: For software, I prefer Final Draft --JT]

Screenwriter Magazine Online is just that -- a magazine for screenwriters. It offers interviews with screenwriters, agents, producers and development executives. It also has articles about how to make a living as a screenwriter and how the industry works. On the contest side, it lists contests that are "Screenwriter Magazine Approved." (And yes, Project Greenlight is among the approved contests.) They also let you know which contests have deadlines that are approaching, so that you can prioritize your submissions. You can read some of the magazine's content online for free, but if you want full access, you need to subscribe. Overall, this is a great resource.

Another venue for aspiring screenwriters is Trigger Street, the brainchild of Kevin Spacey. It isn't a contest -- it's a festival to have your screenplay read and seen by others. They also have a short film festival for aspiring directors. At Trigger Street you must participate in the review of other screenplays and short films in order to earn rating points. When your ratings get high enough, your work will be reviewed by the Trigger Street community, which does include Hollywood big shots. Trigger Street is designed so that you offer fair and constructive feedback to aspiring filmmakers and in turn receive fair and constructive feedback. After that, their goal is to help independent and under-financed works find a larger audience and hopefully gain the attention to get them financed. There is no cost to join Trigger Street, but you do need to download software in order to read the screenplays. If you download a reader version of Final Draft, you don't need to purchase the software if you don't want to.

Set your sights

n the end, the goal is to get your screenplay made into a movie. Being a contest winner can certainly help your chances of achieving that goal. You can look for agents and submit your script to production companies at the same time you enter contests. Woody Allen says that 80% of success in life is just showing up. I say that success in life is a numbers game. There are a lot of fish in the sea and that means there are plenty of screenwriters out there, as well as potential mates. The more time and effort you put into selling yourself and your script, the more likely you are to succeed. The better your script is and the more polished a writer you are, the more likely you are to be a success. The right contests can help achieve that goal, so give them serious consideration, and perhaps in no time, you'll have your own project green lit.