The Ashtray Named Finalist in the 2026 Slamdance Screenplay Competition The short screenplay The Ashtray, written by Robert Pierosh, has been named a Finalist in the 2026 Slamdance Screenplay Competition, advancing to the final 15 selections from nearly 5,000 submissions from writers around the world. The Ashtray is one of just three finalists in the Shorts category. Winners will be announced at the Slamdance Screenplay Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles on October 27. The recognition marks a significant milestone for a story Pierosh has carried with him for more than 25 years. Slamdance champions independent voices and provides a platform for emerging screenwriters to connect with the entertainment industry. The Ashtray is a queer comedy-drama about an anxious shut-in whose fixation on a rare Marilyn Monroe ashtray unexpectedly disrupts the carefully contained life he has built around himself. The story explores anxiety, adult relationships, chosen family, and the complicated meanings we attach to people, possessions, and what gets left behind. “I write alone. I fall in love with my characters, never knowing if anyone else will feel what I feel. To see a story that means so much to me go this far is extraordinary. I rarely toot my own horn, but I’m proud of this work—and grateful that others have found something to love in it, too.” — Robert Pierosh The Slamdance recognition follows The Ashtray being named a Second Rounder (Top 25%) in the 2026 Austin Film Festival Script Competition. 2026 Slamdance Screenplay Competition Finalist laurels for The Ashtray by Robert Pierosh.

The Ashtray Named Finalist in the 2026 Slamdance Screenplay Competition

The short screenplay The Ashtray, written by Robert Pierosh, has been named a Finalist in the 2026 Slamdance Screenplay Competition, advancing to the final 15 selections from nearly 5,000 submissions from writers around the world.  

This recognition places The Ashtray among fewer than 0.4% of submissions to this year’s competition. During the selection process, Slamdance described the script as “vibrant, memorable, and discussion-worthy.”

The Ashtray is one of just three finalists in the Shorts category. Winners will be announced at the Slamdance Screenplay Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles on October 27.

The recognition marks a significant milestone for a story idea Pierosh has carried with him for more than 25 years. Slamdance champions independent voices and provides a platform for emerging screenwriters to connect with the entertainment industry.

The Ashtray is a queer comedy-drama about an anxious shut-in whose fixation on a rare Marilyn Monroe ashtray unexpectedly disrupts the carefully contained life he has built around himself. The story explores anxiety, adult relationships, chosen family, and the complicated meanings we attach to people, possessions, and what gets left behind.

“I fall in love with my characters, never knowing if anyone else will feel what I feel. To see a story that means so much to me go this far is extraordinary. I rarely toot my own horn, but I’m proud of this work -- and grateful that others have found something to love in it, too.”

— Robert Pierosh

The Slamdance recognition follows The Ashtray being named a Second Rounder (Top 25%) in the 2026 Austin Film Festival Script Competition.

Robert Pierosh is a writer and artist whose work blends dark humor, queerness, and emotional truth. His plays, essays, and screenwriting explore identity and memory through offbeat characters and quietly defiant moments, and his writing has appeared in The New York Times. He finds comedy in the uncomfortable and meaning in the mess—usually while trying to sleep.