Military Story Showcase
The Military Story Showcase recognizes scripts, books, short stories & stage plays in any genre that feature a story about warfare or the military experience.
2024 WINNER
SULTANA
written by James Beacham
When the steamboat Sultana explodes on the Mississippi River while transporting paroled Union prisoners, a Civil War veteran risks his life to save the men trapped on the ship. (Inspired by true events.)
2024 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
1074 WOMEN'S AIRFORCE SERVICE PILOTS by Chris Barnes, Tom Peterson, & Ted Vanos. During the height of WWII, three women face danger, discrimination, and death as pilots on the home front while serving their country and forever changing the role of women in aviation.
AUNT-JU by Heino Heimann. A clever but rebellious JU-52 flight instructor in WWII disobeys orders to carry out an execution and recalls missions in the mysterious Mediterranean while dealing with the consequences of his disobedience. | Website: HeinoHeimann.de | Film Freeway Profile
CUTTERMAN by Edward Gadrix. A 20-year veteran of the Coast Guard, with a childhood fear of leadership, considers retirement after his commanding officer forces him to take command of his own ship, where he battles drug cartels, hurricanes, and his crew.
GRANDPA AND SHORTY by John Rokosz (story by John Rokosz & Jeff Balmert). A grizzled old war veteran fights to reconnect with his soldier son and the civilian world, when he gets stuck babysitting his 7-year-old granddaughter for the day. | Website: GrandpaAndShorty.com | Facebook: @whiteballproductions | X: @whiteballprod
GRASS THROUGH PAVEMENT by Peter Trivelas. Seeking wisdom and world experience, a naive young man explores sex, war, love, and art around the globe until his PTSD-fueled self-medicating drags him to the bottom of his noble pursuit where he must get a grip or die. | Website: PeterTrivelas.com | Facebook: @trivelas
ME 262 by Carl Robinson. In late 1943, an American pilot attempts to steal an ME 262 jet fighter that mysteriously disappeared in neutral Switzerland, before Germans can destroy it.
ONCE A COLONEL by H. P. Shreve (based on "The Colonel's Way: The Secret Diaries of a POW" by H. P. Shreve and the life and times of Colonel Arthur Lee Shreve, Jr.) An American colonel, who was once a Japanese POW, bucks regulations to leverage an Intel Operation and becomes an "unkillable mustang" on a mission to save thousands and get justice for American GIs. | Website: Heather-P-Shreve.com | Instagram: @heather.p.shreve
PREACHER'S DAUGHTER: GIANT SLAYER by Gregory Bonds. Giants are discovered in Afghanistan and the U.S. military stands defenseless until a preacher's-daughter-turned-soldier discovers how to use her powers. | IMDb | Video | Facebook: @PreachersKidGiantSlayer
RALLY POINT by Ernesto Haibi. On a Memorial Day hiking trip with his old team, a severely injured former Special Forces captain must regain his confidence to help his men survive a killer, who has a unique connection to each member of the group. | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube
RANGER CREED by Travis J. Opgenorth. When a U.S. Army Ranger is taken hostage during a covert and illegal raid, his brother and estranged father, both former Rangers themselves, must work through years of distrust as they attempt to rescue him and come home together.
SIX BY SIX by G. L. Well & John D. (Chimo) Arnold. When his racist superior officers mistreat the Black men in his unit, a Jewish Lieutenant attacks them in midnight raids, during the Cold War in Germany. (Based on a true story.)
SNIPER HUNT by Hans Beerbaum. After a Ukrainian woman sniper succeeds in assassinating a German general, her commanding officer goes behind German lines to try to bring her back.
SONS OF A MAUFFEN KING by Jomo Merritt. In tumultuous pre-World War II Germany, Sergeant Erich Von Mauffenberg's twin sons face an ominous prophecy that entangles them in the looming storm of history. | Website: JomoMerritt.portfolial.com/screenwriting
THE CHALLENGE COIN (Episode One: Origins) by Steve Dini. From generation to generation, The Coin - forged in World War I for American pilots to honor their unit - has brought its bearer home. | IMDb
THE DARK GUIDE by Cédric Hémon. A soldier injured in combat deals with PTSD, exploring his most painful wounds and transforming each ordeal into a vibrant source of resilience. | Website: CedricHemonArt.com | Instagram: @lefilm.leguidenoir
THE JOURNEY OF DREAMS by Edward E. Givans. An Army combat veteran is haunted by dreams from his past and has trouble adjusting to the civilian world until he meets an exceptional kid who changes their lives on the road to the Olympic Games.
THE REAPER by Pedro Juan Fonseca. When his younger brother commits suicide, an Iraq War veteran's PTSD returns, and he is forced to revisit the roots of his trauma and face questions about sacrifice and self-love. | Instagram: @pedrojuanfonseca
THE ROMMEL GAMBIT by John Doble. Shortly before D-Day, an American spy plants false intelligence to convince Hitler that Erwin Rommel, in charge of Nazi defenses against the upcoming invasion, is a traitor. | Website: JohnDoble.com
THE TRUE COST OF WAR by Tony Hindhaugh. The true cost of war is explored on the day of a Ukrainian military funeral.
TILL I'M OLD & GRAY by Alysha Nunez. When a couple's infant dies, three friends must confront what it means to love and provide. | Instagram: @tillimoldandgray_official
VICTORY DISEASE by Andrew D. TePas. After being placed into witness protection, a disgruntled veteran who can't seem to adjust back into society, must do what he can to survive attacks from underworld criminals, while making peace with his past mistakes.
VOYAGER by Damien Mulvany. A young Australian naval officer endures the loss of five classmates in a training accident, only to be assigned to the destroyer HMAS Voyager on her tragic last mission. (Based on true stories.)
WAKE ISLAND by Marshall Ferrin (based on the memoir "Wake Island Pilot" by Brigadier General John F. Kinney USMC (Ret.) with James M. McCaffrey). A Marine pilot fights to survive the Battle of Wake Island, and endure the horrors of a Japanese prison to make a daring escape. | Website: MarshallFerrin.com
2024 SUBMISSIONS STATISTICS
Writer Gender
Male: 88%
Female: 12%
War/Military Sub-Genre
Action/Adventure: 38%
Drama: 33%
Thriller: 25%
Fantasy & Science Fiction: 4%
Submission Location
United States: 81%
UK/Europe: 12%
Australia: 4%
Other or Not Specified: 3%
Format
Feature Screenplay, Television Script or Short Script: 92%
Book, Manuscript or Short Story: 8%
Stage Play: 0%
2023 WINNER
Montford Point Marines
by Eugene Allen King
The first Black American Marines train at segregated Montford Point, before seeing combat on the shores of Okinawa during WWII.
2023 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
A FATHER'S WAR by Steven Jon Whritner, story by James W. Williams (based on the book "In His Stead" by Judith Sanders)
A PATRIOT FOR IVANOV by C.L. McGinnis
A SIREN'S SWEET WHISPER by Fred G. Stemme
ANSWERING THE CALL by Chase "Ski" Myers
ASH by Dave Stockwell (based on the nonfiction book "Route 9 Problem: The Battle for Lang Vei" by Dave Stockwell)
BOOTS by Raymond Urrutia
CAMDEN STREET STATION by Dennis L. Snider
DOGFACE by Beanie Barnes
DOOMSDAY SOLDIERS by Michael Yorke
END OF SERVICE by J.D. Jordan
FAIRLYLAND AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE by A.S. Templeton (suggested by "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E.T.A. Hoffman)
FIRE AND WIND by Carl Robinson
HARDSCRABBLE: THE RISE OF ULYSSES S. GRANT by William Ray
IF THE GODS ARE GOOD by Ralph Segman and Seamus Sullivan (based on the book "If the Gods are Good: The Epic Sacrifice of HMS Jervis Bay" by Gerald Duskin and Ralph Segman)
JODY by Corey Shield.
MAGGIE'S DRAWERS by Gideon Rabin
PURSUIT OF PARADISE: THE STORY OF AN EAST TEXAS FARM BOY, THE PACIFIC WAR, AND LOVE by Thomas N. Smith
REVEILLE by Michael Akkerman
ROUND EYE OVER by Darius Averill (pseudonym for four Vietnam-era friends)
STEALING THE MOON by Eric W Carlson
STOP-LOSS by Ramona L. Taylor
THE LETTER by Barry Cole
THE MILITARIZED ZONE by Wayne Johnson
THE NINE LIVES OF WALKER HARRIS by Vaughn Roste, story by Derek Harris
THE VOLUNTEER by Robert Nelson & Jason Morwick
TIPPY by Michael Gerald Uva
2022 WINNER
TARAWA
by Caleb Billings
A group of Marines test their mettle at the Battle of Tarawa during World War II.
2022 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
AIN'T NO GRAVE by Jaime Conti
ANOTHER 5 MINUTES by Nilesh Yagnik
ASH by Dave Stockwell (based on the book "Route 9 Problem: The Battle for Lang Vei")
COLD DEAD HANDS by Michael Dunker (story by Michael Dunker & Chris Messina)
DAS BAYOU (aka "The Prisoners") by Craig Gary Phillips
DREADNOUGHT by Nick Wray
GOD WILLING, AND THE RIVER DON'T RISE by Martin C. Arnest
HEROES OF THE BULGE by Ronald Pralgo
JUTLAND by Craig Chapin Reed (based on the book "Jutland from the Decks")
LAST OUT: ELEGY OF A GREEN BERET by Lt. Colonel Scott Mann (ret.)
MINOTAUR by Tim Auld
OPERATION VENGEANCE by Mike Ross
ORDINARY COURAGE by Richard Stansell-Gamm
ORPHAN MOUNTAIN by Steve Dini
RITCHIE BOY by Alan J. Field
SAVAGE WILDERNESS (Episode 1 "Distant Shores") by Harold Coyle (based on the book)
SERGEANT FREEMAN by Gloria Browne-Marshall
SGT VAZQUEZ'S PLAYLIST by Yerania Del Orbe
SHELL SHOCKED by Kevin Overton
SREBRENICA by David Kaneen
STRONGER WHEN SHE'S BROKEN by SherLann D. Moore
THE FENCE by Bill Morales
THE LAST SQUADRON by Bryce Hatch
THE YOUNGEST DOUGHBOY by Steve Sterling
THEY ALSO SERVE by John McCarney
TWO MILLION STEPS by Tommy Anderson
2021 WINNER
JUNETEENTH
by Richard Rock Rone
A young runaway slave joins the Union and with the aid of a Major, sets free the last slaves of the Civil War.
2021 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
A SHERIFF'S WAR by Jermaine Jones
BUI DOI ("The Dust of Life") by Bill Morales
DEATH OF A REVOLUTION ("Episode 1") by Marshall Ferrin
FOR ALL THE ROSES by Steven B Newman
GOODBYE TO GALAHAD by Joe Warwick & Oliver Arscott
GUNNER ("Hangfire") by Justine Browning
HABOOB WIND by Tommy M. Anderson
JUNGLEBALL (Front Toward Enemy) by Steve Dini
KILLER OF MEN (El Soldado de Marbach) by Arturo Mireles
MISSION 22 by Gunnar Garrett
ONE MAN ARMY by Lawrence Whitener
PREACHER'S DAUGHTER: GIANT SLAYER by Gregory Bonds
RAG DOLL by John Kestner
SABERFISH by Richard P. Alvarez
SKYFOXES by Marisa Forrest
SOUND OF SILENCE by Mark LeClair
SUAGOTHEL by Duncan Putney
THE BALLOON BUSTER by Mark Perlick & Steven Pripps
VIRTUAL MAGICK by A.S. Templeton
WAR BONDS by Mike McCarthy
2020 WINNERS
BATTLE CRIES
by Karen M. Walker
A military veteran uses her love of the game to rise above tragedy to lead Marines on the battlefront once again.
CHATTER BOX - CORNHUSKER HERO
by Donnie Dodge
Army Air Corp Pilot Captain Bob Chatt faces the battle of his life in the South Pacific in 1943.
HUMAN TERRAIN
by Christopher Willis
Seeking revenge for the 9/11 death of his mother, a newly minted Lieutenant must reconcile with his estranged father and the unorthodox methods of the counter-insurgency team he commands.
2020 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
ACES BEYOND by Michael Pogorelsky
ANGELINA'S FEATHER by Stuart Schulz
APOLLYON'S GOLD by Robert J. Rogers
BLOOD & ROSES by John McCarney
CAMOUFLAGE by Christopher Willis
COLLISION OF DUTY by Jermaine Jones
GOLIATH COMPANY by Silas Dunn
KAITENS (The Heaven Shakers) by Richard Guimond
MARKS IN THE SAND by Johnny Arnold
MYSTERIOUS BLACK GOLD by Martin Mahle
THE AMERICAN by Luis Quiroga
THE BUNKER by Gregory Tomlin
THE WOMEN OF BADASSERY by Keith Leu
THOREAU'S TAXES by Charlie Canning
UP COUNTRY by Bill Larkin
WEEKEND WARRIORS by Brian McDevitt Jr.
2019 WINNER
SOL
by James Fox
In the year 2242, citizen and soldier alike are plunged into a dark and violent interplanetary civil war, the scale of which is unprecedented in Human history. Desperate for survival, leaders emerge to protect their families, friends, and futures.
2019 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
A GOOD MARINE by Tracey Thompson
IN ENEMY TERRITORY by Mary Anzalone
IRONCLAD by J. Alan Hostetter
PATHFINDERS by Martin Arnest
RIGGERS by Dane Krogman
ROGUE’S COWARD by Robert J. Rogers
SHEEAN by Patrick Gillespie
SPY SUB by Parker Smith
THE NEW WINE by Matt Pinard
THE NIGHT WITCHES by Steven Prowse
UNDER FIRE by John Garofolo
2018 WINNER
ARMOR
by Bryant Daluz
Based on the gripping original true events of the first African-American U.S. Army 761st Combat Tank Battalion to serve under General Patton and fight in World War II. Nicknamed “Patton Panthers”, these courageous men face tremendous odds in their efforts to crush Hitler’s German forces to end the war.
2018 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
BLOOD AND VENGEANCE by Ron Chepesiuk
BROTHER’S KEEPER by Jacqueline Wright
CHILDREN OF THE DUST by John McCarney
CLASH OF IRON by Richard Reed
CONTROLLED INSANITY by Randy Cruts
FORCES OF DECADENCE by Phil Hollins
INFERNO: NEW ORLEANS by John E. Bias
INSIDE by Bob Bowse
MIRACLE MAN by Michael O'Rourke
MISSING LOVE by Ronald Marchand and Rhonda Dee-Ewing
MONTEREY by John Clubb and Jacqueline Robotham
SOUNDS OF FREEDOM by Holly Chadwick and Nick Stonehocker
STAND IN THE DOOR by Michael Yorke
THE CALVARY INCIDENT by James Sladack
THE HANDLER by Lawrence Whitener
THE LIBERTY CLUB by Marianne Aleck
THE NEW WAR by John E. Bias
THE THURSDAY WHALER by Damien Mulvany
TODAY THE TIGER SMILED by Randy Cruts
2017 WINNER
THE ACE OF ACES
by Geoffrey Breuder
The true story of Richard Bong, a rookie WWII pilot who makes a brazen bet to beat the kill record of America’s top-scoring Ace. But as the deadly competition spirals out of control, he is forced to confront the bitter realities of war and what it means to be a real hero.
2017 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
BANDIT DAY OPERATION SANDMAN by Shell Walker-Cook
CHOPPER by James Mabrey
COLBY BUZZELL FIGHTS THE WAR by Vincent Masson
FIRE & WIND by Carl Robinson
FLEET WEEK by Theodore Soderberg
FROGMAN by David Brichetto, Luigi Sperduti and Anthony J. Sperduti
GHOSTS by Nader Hobballah
HELL ON NEPTUNE by Robert J. Rogers
HOLLYWOOD MARINES by Kevin Flint and Brian Flint
IT’S A LICK by Robert Kozick
LOST CAUSE by David J Schroeder
MAGGIE AND THE FOUR WISEMEN by CarrieAnn Lee
ME 262 by Carl Robinson
MEKONG: Vietnam's Answer to MASH by Ray Funderburk
PEACE AND WAR by David Brichetto
PEN PAL by Devone Jones and Frank Floyd
RESPONDER by Alan R. Baxter
SARDIS THE MERCIFUL by Christian Thomas
SO CAL GUARDIANS by Ruthie Marlenee
THE CREED by Leslie J. Wood
THE DRAVA by Ronald McQueen
THE SALT BOX by Robert J. Rogers
TRITON by Marc DeLamater
USNB-22 by Warren Hull
