Three Emerging Canadian Voices Receive 2026 Writers’ Block Crystal Awards; CSSC Seeks To Produce Next Slate of Award-Winning Short Films

Toronto, Canada (May 25, 2026) — The Canadian Short Screenplay Competition (CSSC) has announced the winners of its 7th edition, with honours presented during the Yorkton Film Festival in Saskatchewan, Canada. Following another year of extraordinary entries from across Canada and around the world, the industry jury selected three screenplays for the prestigious Writers’ Block Crystal Awards.

The industry-based jury (included BAFTA-winning performer Owen Teale, Producer Amy Morris, literary agent Andrew McCann-Smith (Play Media), Brenden Hubbard (Bearly There Media), Jan Miller (Pitch Consultant), Lydia Kali (Urbania), 2025 CSSC-honourable mention screenwriter Tala Moetazedi, and Emmy-nominee David Cormican), awarded top honours during the 79th Yorkton Film Festival to:

•       Eyes written by Adrian Bobb received the Best in Fest Grand Prize;
•       Trespassers written by Madeleine Ellis earned the second place Golden Cinema Award; while
•       This Is Me written by Gabriel Luna claimed the Silver Screen Award in third place

As part of the CSSC’s mission to champion new voices in screenwriting and help bring exceptional short scripts to life, each of the three winners will receive an option and purchase agreement — valued at $1,000, $500, and $250, respectively.

“I’d like to extend my gratitude and thanks to our dedicated jury and all our scribes who have generously shared their hearts and their pages with us,” said David Cormican, CSSC Founder and Festival Director. “I also want to thank the team at Yorkton Film Festival whose passion and dedication have helped bring this competition to life through their exceptional hospitality — we couldn’t do it without them. To Adrian, Madeleine and Gabe; I can’t wait to see what’s in store for each of you.”

“Eyes is a deeply personal story about grief, isolation, and the strange grace of being truly seen,” said winner Adrian Bobb, accepting the award remotely. “This recognition affirms something I have always believed: that genre filmmaking — with its monsters and its silences — can hold a mirror to our most intimate human truths. Thank you for seeing this story. Thank you for championing Canadian screenwriters.”

The award ceremony concludes a successful year of the CSSC after last year’s explosive relaunch following a 12-year hiatus. Originally founded in 2008 by Cormican, it has been the premier screenwriting competition known for elevating unproduced screenplays into acclaimed short films amongst international film festivals and audiences such as Festival de Cannes.

The competition draws in entries from all around the world, showcasing a diverse range of voices, genres and ideas. Beyond the top three honourees, the 2026 edition’s final placement is as follows:

(4)  Subscription  written by Christopher Glass

(5)  Memory Care  written by Michelle Tattenbaum

(6)  Thumbs Up!  written by Marlowe Percival

(7)  Hannah and the Honeydew Shortage  written by Daniela Di Salvo

(8)  Under the Bed  written by Anna Xiques

(9)  Rabbit on the Moon  written by Mei Wu

(10)  Alone  written by Adam Greig

(11)  Bubbles  written by Paddy C. Courtney

(12)  Forgotten Colors  written by Alejandro Jaramillo

(13)  Would You Like to Tell Me What You Dreamed?  written by Juan Méndez

2010 CSSC Best in Fest Winning Script Now an Award-Winning Short Film on the International Festival Circuit

On the sidelines of this year’s festival, the CSSC and Fun Republic Pictures celebrated a milestone for the competition’s own history: Something Pointless — the produced adaptation of Neil Graham’s 2010 CSSC first-place winning script — screened in Yorkton as part of the festival’s 79th edition and earned a nomination for Best Short Film (Comedy/Drama) at the Yorkton Film Festival’s Golden Sheaf Awards.

The film, directed by Asa Bailey and starring BAFTA winner Owen Teale, Olivier Award winner Sophie Thompson, SAG Award nominee Sule Rimi, and Leo Harris, has been generating significant international attention since its world premiere at the USA Film Festival in April 2026. Accolades to date include:

🏆  Best Short Film (United Kingdom) — iDEAL International Film Festival, India (May 2026)

🏅  Nominated: Best Short Film — Yorkton Film Festival Golden Sheaf Awards

🏅  Nominated: Best Short Film Made in Wales (John Hefin Award) — Carmarthen Bay Film Festival (BAFTA & BIFA qualifying)

🏅  Nominated: Best Short Film — International Sound & Film Music Festival, Croatia (composer Andrea Bellucci also shortlisted for Best Original Score)

📅  20+ additional festivals and screenings confirmed worldwide

“Neil submitted this script to the very first edition of the CSSC back in 2010,” said Cormican. “Seeing Something Pointless now playing festivals around the world — with this cast, with this reception — is exactly why this competition exists. Every script in our top 13 this year has that same potential.”

Following a successful relaunch and hundreds of submissions in 2026, CSSC organizers have confirmed that the 8th edition of the Canadian Short Screenplay Competition is expected to open for submissions later this year on FilmFreeway, Stage32 and Short Film Depot, giving screenwriters and filmmakers across Canada and worldwide another shot at the prestigious Writers’ Block Crystal Awards. Writers are encouraged to prepare their screenplays now for submission to the 2027 edition.

The 2026 edition of the CSSC was generously supported by:

Yorkton Film Festival
WIFT+Toronto
Director’s Guild of Canada
Writer’s Guild of Canada
Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
Fade In
Scriptation
Drama Queen
WriterDuet
Alberta Media Production Industries Association
CineVic
University of Liège
Humber College
Sheridan College
Centennial College