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Tabloid Witch Awards

"The Tabloid Witch Awards was a huge help in getting our movie picked up by a studio." -- Robert Bear, actor, Dead Noon.

"Thank you for the heads-up on the distribution opportunities. I just signed a licensing/ distribution agreement for 'The Kooky Kastle' with The Crypt Club Productions." -- Paul Carty, filmmaker, The Kooky Kastle.

Contact: Send email to editor at hollywoodinvestigator dot com

Home/Contest Rules

How YOU Can Win

FAQs


Past Winners & Official Screenings

2004 * 2005 * 2006

2007 * 2008 * 2009

2010 * 2011 * 2012

2013 * 2014 * 2015

2016 * 2017 * 2018

2019 * 2020 * 2021

2022 * 2023 * 2024


Special "Best Of" Screenings

2008 World Horror Convention

2009 World Horror Convention

2015 World Horror Convention


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Tabloid Witch Awards

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A Horror Film Contest

 

The Tabloid Witch Awards is primarily a contest. That's why it's the Tabloid Witch Awards, not the Tabloid Witch Film Festival. Screenings, if any, are merely part of the prize, along with a plaque.

The Tabloid Witch Awards was founded in 2004 by the Hollywood Investigator online tabloid. All films submitted to the Tabloid Witch are considered for review by the Hollywood Investigator.

Got a horror film? Want to enter the Tabloid Witch Awards for 2024? Here's how...

 

HOW TO SUBMIT: If you have a finished horror film -- short or feature length -- submit a DVD to: Tabloid Witch Awards, PO Box 1903, Santa Monica, CA 90406-1903. NTSC preferred, but PAL acceptable. There is no formal submission form. DVDs will not be returned.

Or if you prefer, you can submit an online screener through FilmFreeway or Festhome or Click for Festivals.

 

ENTRY FEE: No Entry Fee for DVD submissions. That's been the case since the Tabloid Witch's founding in 2004, and the rule has been grandfathered in. There is a $10 fee if you submit online (with additional discounts available at FilmFreeway and Festhome), payable at the respective submission sites.

 

LANGUAGE: Films must be in English, or English subtitled, or with minimal dialogue so it may be understood by an English language audience.

GENRE: Horror, broadly defined. Space aliens, the supernatural, psychos -- even comedic horror (Motel Hell, American Werewolf in London) are fine, provided a horror content remains.

DEADLINE: We must receive your entry by August 31, 2024.

 

ISN'T IT TOO EARLY TO ENTER? No! Some winning films were received nearly a year early. Others were received days before the deadline.

ISN'T IT TOO LATE TO ENTER? No! Films that are received after the deadline are considered for next year's contest.

WHAT YOU GET: Winners will be profiled in the Hollywood Investigator and on this website.

Selection of winners will be at the exclusive discretion of the Hollywood Investigator.

TROPHY: The 2005 and 2006 trophy was a lucite starburst. Since 2007 it's been a purple brass plaque (right), which will likely remain for 2024.

SCREENINGS: Most years there is a screening of winning films. Sometimes there are "best of" screenings of winning films from years ago. But screenings are never guaranteed. This is an award, not a film festival.

LATEST UPDATES: To hear the latest news and developments concerning this year's Tabloid Witch Awards, keeping checking our Tabloid Witch blog.

IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES: Free creative tips on how to be a better horror filmmaker can be found on our affiliate Horror Film Aesthetics blog.

 

"Hollywood Investigator" and "HollywoodInvestigator.com" and "Tabloid Witch" and "Tabloid Witch Award" trademarks are currently unregistered, but pending registration upon need for protection against improper use. The idea of marketing these terms as a commodity is a protected idea under the Lanham Act. 15 U.S.C. s 1114(1) (1994) (defining a trademark infringement claim when the plaintiff has a registered mark); 15 U.S.C. s 1125(a) (1994) (defining an action for unfair competition in the context of trademark infringement when the plaintiff holds an unregistered mark).