LOS ANGELES /Christian News/ – Fifty semi-finalists have been announced for the 5th Annual $50,000 Kairos Prizes for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays by first-time and beginning screenwriters, funded by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and presented by MOVIEGUIDE®: The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment.

“We are greatly encouraged to see a wealth of quality screenplays coming through our doors,” said Dr. Ted Baehr, founder and publisher of MOVIEGUIDE®. “With the impending release of the first Kairos winner, “The Revelator,” we look forward to finding the next winner to bring wholesome, faith-filled entertainment to the mainstream.”

Finalists will be announced at the beginning of February with the top three winners being awarded at the 18th Annual MOVIEGUIDE® Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.

In addition to the $50,000 in prize money, the largest of its kind in the United States, the top three winners will have their scripts read by top studio executives, including executives at The Walt Disney Company, Sony, Warner Bros., and 20th Century Fox. Writers in Hollywood can work for years without such an opportunity.

“The Kairos Prizes are a testament to the tremendous quality of innovative talent that is out there just waiting to be discovered,” Dr. Baehr, said. “At Movieguide®, we are deeply honored to have so many of the major players in the industry taking note.”

Initiated in 2005, the $50,000 Kairos Prize seeks to further the influence of moral and spiritual values with the film and television industries by inspiring first-time and beginning screenwriters to produce compelling, entertaining, spiritually uplifting scripts that result in a greater increase in either man’s love or understanding of God. To that end, many of the winners have been optioned or have been signed by major agencies. Along with the upcoming release of “The Revelator,” there are also several other winning scripts that are currently circling to go into production.

Sir John Templeton, who founded the John Templeton Foundation whose organization funds the Kairos grant, long believed that the media – and specifically the entertainment media – plays a role in how individuals form their ideas about faith and values. More information is available online at www.kairosprize.com.