MISTAKES by John McGuigan
Wisconsin’s Own Screenwriting Competition – Grand-prize Winner Announced!
We are pleased to announce the winners of our inaugural Wisconsin’s Own Screenwriting Competition. This competition has introduced us to a wide variety of incredible stories by talented writers from the Badger State.
Writers submitted scripts in one of three categories: feature film scripts, TV (pilot) scripts, and short film scripts. The International Screenwriters’ Association evaluated, scored and awarded the best scripts across all three categories, as well as identifying the highest scoring script submitted by a student screenwriter.
The Wisconsin Screenwriters’ Symposium organizing committee selected Jon McGuigan’s short film script, Mistakes, as the best overall, grand-prize winning script across all of three contest categories.
As part of the award, Mistakes will be performed by professional actors at a live table read on Sunday, April 12th, at the culminating event of the 2026 Wisconsin Screenwriters’ Symposium. As the winning writer, McGuigan will also receive a one-on-one consultation with a manager, producer or showrunner.
Please join us in congratulating John McGuigan and all of the WOSC 2026 category winners:
Best Feature: Kept Men by Spenser Wise
Best Short AND Grand-Prize Winner: Mistakes by John McGuigan
Best TV Pilot: Lost Girls of the 21st Century by Caoilfhinn Rauwerdink
Best Student Script: Shitty Year by Greer DuBois