Stage 32 is teaming up with Evoke Entertainment to scout the next great romantic-comedy writer with a new screenwriting contest.

With the partnership, Stage 32’s global entertainment community platform and Evoke’s production arm are solidifying their partnership with the Rom-Com Screenwriting Contest, a first-of-its-kind talent incubator which fast-track emerging writers from discovery to professional development and production.

Submissions are open in February, with Evoke participating in judging for the final round, reviewing semi-finalist’s loglines and reading all 10 finalists’ scripts. Semi-finalists will be announced June 19, with finalists on July 3 and the winner on July 24, chosen based on creativity and commercial viability.

Evoke will fast-track the winner’s script into development, packaging for buyers across studios, streamers and networks, while Stage 32 will provide comprehensive script development support.

“This partnership with Evoke creates a real on-ramp for writers to go from undiscovered to produced and is directly aligned with our mission to make the entertainment industry more accessible and meritocratic,” said Geoffroy Faugerolas, head of development at Stage 32.

Evoke CEO Stan Spry, who co-founded the literary management and production company previously known as Cartel Entertainment, said, “We’ve been producing rom-coms for over a decade, and in that time, demand for feel-good content has only grown. Viewers throughout the world love what this genre has to offer, and we are excited to partner with Stage 32 to find fresh voices and elevate screenwriters who are as passionate about this space as we are.”

With 1.5 million members worldwide, Stage 32 has facilitated thousands of emerging talents through representation signings, options and production deals. With nine romantic-comedies and multiples series made in the past year, Evoke has produced titles for Hallmark, Lifetime, Netflix, Tubi, Great American Family and more.