The Hollywood Black Film Festival Storyteller Competition was established to discover and develop Black screenwriters and create opportunities for them. Every submitted script is read by an industry professional (screenwriter, story editor, development/acquisition executive, etc.) who provides coverage on a variety of criteria and an overall score. The ten highest-scoring scripts become semi-finalists and are reread and rescored by a different industry professional. The ten semi-finalists are invited to the festival to participate in an exclusive coaching session with the writing mentor, Harrison Reiner. Three finalists chosen from the ten storyteller semi-finalists will have the privilege of seeing a portion of their work come to life in the Storyteller Live Showcase at the festival. The Showcase is directed by a renowned director and features professional actors. The award for the best script is handed out during the festival's Awards Brunch.       

The Awards Brunch is a private invitation-only event.