EXLCUSIVE: Stargirl and Final Destination Bloodlines actor Brec Bassinger was among the winners of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s Professional Programs 2026 writing competition.

The event showcases talent across feature screenplays and television pilots, spotlighting emerging creatives who push the boundaries of storytelling.

Bassinger, whose credits also include TV’s School of Rock and Bella and the Bulldogs, won the Screenwriting Competition for her feature comedy script Fumbled.

The other winners were Ruya Karakaya, Turkish-American former preschool teacher who won the Writing for Television Comedy competition with her dramedy pilot Preschoolers; Karolina Valerio-Romero, a Puerto Rican-Dominican archaeologist-tuned-screenwriter who took the Writing for Television Drama Competition for her pilot Gandersheim; and stand up-comedian Sameer Kahn, the Advanced Competition winner for his romantic comedy Grave Expectations.

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The competition also awarded honorable mentions to three writers: NPR marketer Gary Duong for Eyewitness News in the Screenwriting competition; musician and content creator Jeremy Ray Burchard for Greg’s Dojo (TV Comedy); and Samantha Greco, a writer dedicated to telling stories that center on diverse and underrepresented voices, for House of Glass (TV Drama Pilot).

Founded in 1947, the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television offers undergraduate and graduate programs in film, television, theater and digital media. Its famous alumni include Francis Ford Coppola, Carol Burnett, Justin Lin, Alexander Payne, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Tim Robbins, Darren Star, Charles Burnett, Steven Steven Canals, Julie Dash and Garrett Bradley.

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