April 14, 2024
Rules for Theatrical Awards Screenplay Submissions
Theatrical screenplays produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or of an affiliate Guild are not automatically deemed submitted for the award. A completed entry form must be submitted for WGA awards consideration.
To be eligible, entries must have been exhibited theatrically in LA for at least one week during the eligibility period of January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023 and must have been written under the WGA MBA or under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement of the Writers Guild of Canada, Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, Writers Guild of Ireland, Writers’ Guild of South Africa, New Zealand Writers Guild, ALMA Sindicato des Guionistas, Screenwriters Association (India), Screenwriters Guild of Korea (SGK), La Guilde Francaise des Scénaristes (France), Scriptwriters Guild of Israel, the Société des Auteurs de Radio, Télévision et Cinéma (Québec) or Verband Deutscher Drehbuchautoren (VDD/Germany) (collectively, “affiliate guilds”). Submissions for films written under the jurisdiction of an affiliate guild must include a letter from the affiliate guild verifying awards eligibility. Please note that an affiliate guild may impose additional requirements for a writer to be considered covered by its collective bargaining agreement.
ELIGIBILITY & SUBMISSION RULES
The screenplay awards are for films that were or will be exhibited theatrically in the Los Angeles area for at least one week during the eligibility period of January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023.
Theatrical screenplays are classified as Original or Adapted. The WGA will make the final determination of the proper classification for a screenplay.
For screenplays produced under the WGA MBA, a Notice of Tentative Writing Credits must be on file with the WGA and the credit determination must be final. Writers of source material are not eligible for awards consideration.
Films that had their initial exhibition on television (broadcast, pay or cable) or were released directly on DVD are not eligible for screenplay awards. Films that had simultaneous theatrical and new media exhibitions shall be eligible for screenplay awards.
The production company or any writer who received writing credit for the theatrical screenplay may submit the screenplay for awards consideration. Writers representatives (e.g. agents, managers or publicists) may also submit on the writer‘s behalf. Financial core and fee payer non-members are not eligible to be nominated for or receive WGA Awards.
Only online submissions will be accepted. A receipt will automatically be sent to the email address of the entrant upon successful completion of the submission. The deadline for submission is 5:00 p.m. (PST) on Friday, December 22, 2023. No late or incomplete submissions will be accepted.