Press release from Australian Writer's Guild
These prestigious accolades celebrate excellence in Australian performance writing and are unique in being judged on the script rather than the finished produced work. The AWGIE Awards are a significant part of the AWG’s 50-year history of championing Australian scriptwriters and promoting their contribution to Australian culture.
This year an exciting new category for Animation scripts has been introduced recognising Australia’s wealth of talent in this area. Open to all forms of scripted animation work, the category includes both adult and children’s works in film and television.
The awards include categories across film, television, theatre, radio and interactive media. Recipients in 2011 included Patricia Cornelius for Do not go gentle…., Shaun Grant for Snowtown, Peter Duncan for Rake and Marieke Hardy for Laid.
Each year in addition to the AWGIE categories, a number of special prizes and fellowships are presented. These include the controversial Kit Denton Disfellowship, a $30,000 grant with legal support to assist in the writing of a pioneering idea and the $25,000 FOXTEL Fellowship recognising an outstanding body of work in television.
Entrants in most AWGIE Awards categories are also eligible to apply for the $15,000 John Hinde Award for Science Fiction, rewarding creativity and excellence in science fiction writing.
The ever-popular Monte Miller Awards will once again uncover outstanding new scriptwriting talent. These awards are for long and short form unproduced scripts by an associate member of the Guild and are open to all areas of performance writing.
An important change in the AWGIE entry criteria this year is that the writer is now able to choose between entering either the final draft of their script or the draft as accepted for production (i.e the edited ‘release’, ‘shooting’ or ‘production’ script).
Entries for Monte Miller categories close 5.00pm Friday 16 March 2012. All other categories close 5.00 pm Friday 5 April 2012.
The 45th Annual AWGIE Awards will be presented in Sydney on Friday 24 August 2012.
Award entry is open to financial members of the AWG. New members joining as part of the AWGIE Awards will have their joining fees waived and must only pay the annual fee. To join the AWG please call the National Office call 1300 552 228.
For entry form and guidelines go to www.awg.com.au