My name is Mikko Peltotupa and I study screenwriting at Aalto University. I actually won the first ever Northern Script competition back in 2017, which was a remarkable step on my career. 

Before the competition I was ashamed of calling myself a screenwriter. I never let anyone read my scripts and it was impossible to land a job as an unknown author. Although I was invited to the competition finals, I was still ashamed of my script. Even after I was announced as a winner, the victory felt somehow unearned.

Courage to write starts to grow

But a few weeks after the competition I noticed that something had changed: I started to trust my writing little by little. For the first time ever, I was true to myself: If I wanted to become a writer some day, I had to feel a bit insecure and ashamed. After the competition I found the courage to introduce my scripts for somebody and soon I got my first screenwriting gig, which was soon followed by another gig and so on… The snowball was rolling.

Although the winning script was never filmed, the Northern script gave me more than I could’ve asked for. I still keep in touch with a few contestants, and I’ve been honored to work for Northern Script competitions as a judge. In this position I’m privileged to read astonishing scripts and meet the talents behind them. Every script and every meeting have broadened my view on the craft and art itself. 

I’m looking forward how much this competition could mean for a starting screenwriter, because it meant (and still means) a world to me.

–Mikko Peltotupa in October 2021