News: Nominations Now Open For The 2018 Writers' Guild Awards

Nominations are now open for the Writers' Guild Awards 2018.

The Awards celebrate the cream of British writing and allow professional writers to honour their peers. Since 2017 there is now a category for Best Online Comedy. Qualification for this category requires a scripted comedy production of 10 minutes or less featured on the British Comedy GuideChortle or Beyond The Joke websites. Sketches, mini-series, sitcoms and animations are eligible. The following are not eligible: stand-up, wholly improvised shows, trailers, prank shows, audio-only shows or shows that rely on interaction with the general public. Last year's winner was Marek Larwood for his Showreel for One Word or Less Parts.

Last year's chair of judges was Neil Forsyth, who wrote BBC4's Christmas hit show Eric, Ernie and Me, about Eddie Braben. This year Neil is judging best TV show, James Cary best radio and Brenda Gilhooly the online.

The winners will be announced on Monday 14 January 2019, at a special ceremony to mark WGGB’s 60th anniversary at the Royal College of Physicians in central London.

Nominations are now open in the following 15 categories. The closing date is midnight on 26 October 201).

  • Radio – Best Drama
  • Radio – Best Comedy*
  • Games – Best Writing in a Video Game
  • Comedy – Best Online Comedy*
  • TV – Best London Running Series*
  • TV – Best Long Form Drama*
  • TV – Best Short Form Drama*
  • TV – Best Children’s TV Episode
  • TV – Best Situation Comedy
  • Theatre – Best Play
  • Theatre – Best Play for Younger Audiences
  • Theatre – Musical Theatre Bookwriting*
  • Film – Best First Screenplay
  • Film – Best Screenplay
  • Books – Best First Novel

All work is eligible for nomination if first broadcast/published/performed or released between 1 October 2017 and 29 September 2018, with additional eligibility criteria for some TV, theatre, radio and comedy categories*

Writers must be British citizens or residents. If there are joint writers and only one writer qualifies, then he/she must have written over 50% of the work (except Theatre – Musical Theatre Bookwriting; see additional eligibility criteria, below).

To make a nomination, please use this form.

For enquiries about the Writers’ Guild Awards please email [email protected]

*Additional eligibility criteria:

COMEDY – BEST ONLINE COMEDYRADIO – BEST COMEDY

This year the Radio – Best Comedy Award will be for sitcom only. This includes audience and non-audience 15-minute and half-hour shows, and performance pieces with a strong narrative element, but not sketch shows, panel shows, stand-up sets or programmes of 45 minutes or one-hour length.

THEATRE – MUSICAL THEATRE BOOKWRITING
Qualification does not require professional performers: youth and community theatre productions are eligible if led by a professional production team, and for a minimum of three public performances. ‘Musical theatre book’ is defined as the overall structure of the show, which can be sung-through. Everyone identified by the writing team as ‘bookwriter’ or ‘librettist’ meets the criteria for nomination, regardless of percentage contribution.

TV – BEST LONG RUNNING SERIES
Qualification requires a minimum of 13 episodes per year

TV – BEST LONG FORM DRAMA
Qualification requires 4-12 episodes per year

TV – BEST SHORT FORM DRAMA
Qualification requires a maximum of 3 episodes a year

ALCS is the lead sponsor of the Awards once again, alongside ITV, BBC and Silver Reel.

 

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