The Australian Writers' Guild (AWG) is pleased to announce the nominees for the 46th Annual AWGIE Awards. The 2013 nominations reflect the high quality and breadth of work currently being produced by Australia's writers for performance. The Awards ceremony will be hosted by acclaimed writer, comedian and songbird Sammy J and held at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne on Friday October 4.
The AWGIE Awards are the only Australian awards judged solely by writers on the basis of the script – the writer's intention – rather than the finished production.
Globally the film and television industry is increasingly recognising the identity of the writer, sometimes as important as the actual brand of television series or movie; the writer is the brand. Overseas, writers such as Aaron Sorkin, Vince Gilligan and Matthew Weiner are testament to this growing trend and their names are big business. We are seeing this trend grow in Australia with the ongoing success of Underbelly, Offspring, House Husbands and 2013 AWGIE nominees Rake, Redfern Now, and Please Like Me.
"The AWGIES are the highlight of the year for us and a unique chance to celebrate the oft-unsung but stellar work created by Australian writers of the script," says AWG’s President and Academy Award nominee Jan Sardi. "A very strong field of entries produced this year's excellent crop of nominees, and we congratulate every one of them on this achievement."
The first AWGIES in 1968 included only five categories, where there are now over 20, ensuring that every performance writing discipline is catered for. Dramatisations based on real Australian people their stories are again well-represented with Underground: The Julian Assange Story by Robert Connolly and Devil's Dust by Kris Mrksa and Underbelly: Squizzy by Peter Gawler, Andrew Muir, Felicity Packard, Adam Todd and Jeffrey Truman amongst those nominated in Television categories. While international imaginings in non-English languages are pushing the boundaries in the Film categories with Lore by Cate Shortland and The Rocket by Kim Mordaunt.
Theatre categories include some of our most exciting playwrights, Alana Valentine, Melissa Reeves, Finegan Krukemeyer; 2012 AWGIE (Stage) winner Lachlan Philpott; 2008 Kit Denton Fellowship winner Suzie Miller; and Australian Writers’ Foundation (AWF) Playwriting Grant recipients Lally Katz and Declan Greene amongst those nominated.
Other prizes to be announced on the night include the Major AWGIE Award for Most Outstanding Script of 2013, the $25,000 FOXTEL Fellowship for Excellence in Television Writing, the $15,000 John Hinde Award for Science Fiction and the Monte Miller Awards for unproduced scripts.
The full list of nominations is listed below.
NOMINEES FOR THE 46TH ANNUAL AWGIE AWARDS
TELEMOVIE: ADAPTATION
An Accidental Soldier – Blake Ayshford
Underground: The Julian Assange Story – Robert Connolly
TELEVISION: MINI SERIES ORIGINAL
Devil's Dust – Kris Mrksa
Underbelly: Badness – Nicola Aken, Peter Gawler, Felicity Packard and Jeffrey Truman
Underbelly: Squizzy – Peter Gawler, Andrew Muir, Felicity Packard, Adam Todd and Jeffrey Truman
TELEVISION: SERIES
Rake 2: R v Greene – Peter Duncan
Rake 2: R v Mohammed – Peter Duncan
Rake 2: R v Floyd – Andrew Knight
Redfern Now: Raymond – Adrian Wills
TELEVISION: SERIAL
Home & Away 5660 – Sam Atwell
Home & Away 5616 – Louise Bowes
Home & Away 5714 – Gary Sewell
COMEDY: SKETCH OR LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
Good News Week: The Second Coming – Mat Blackwell, George Dodd, Simon Dodd, Warwick Holt, Paul Livingston and Ian Simmons
How Green Was My Cactus – Doug Edwards and Lindy Watson with Shane Edwards
COMEDY: NARRATIVE
A Moody Christmas: Decapod Crustaceans – Phil Lloyd and Trent O'Donnell

A Moody Christmas: Separate Seats – Phil Lloyd and Trent O'Donnell
Please Like Me: Portuguese Tarts – Josh Thomas with Liz Doran and Thomas Ward
Please Like Me: Spanish Eggs – Josh Thomas with Liz Doran and Thomas Ward
FEATURE FILM: SCREENPLAY ORIGINAL
Felony – Joel Edgerton
Drift – Morgan O'Neill
The Rocket – Kim Mordaunt
FEATURE FILM: SCREENPLAY ADAPTATION
A Most Wanted Man – Andrew Bovell
Lore – Cate Shortland
RADIO: ORIGINAL
See How The Leaf People Run – Michele Lee
Eaten – Gina Schien
RADIO: ADAPTATION
Cross Sections – Suzie Miller
Head Full Of Love – Alana Valentine
INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Only one nomination and the winner will be announced on the night.
ANIMATION
The Adventures Of Figaro Pho: The Fear Of Unfamiliar Toilets – Bruce Griffiths
A Cautionary Tail – Erica Harrison
Ghosts Of Time: Mummy Mia – David Witt
DOCUMENTARY: PUBLIC BROADCAST
Whitlam: the Power & The Passion – Paul Clarke
Love & Fury: Judith Wright & 'Nugget' Coombs – John Hughes and Penelope Chai
Red Obsession – David Roach with Warwick Ross
DOCUMENTARY: CORPORATE & TRAINING
Only one nomination and the winner will be announced on the night.
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Tame – Declan Greene
Truck Stop – Lachlan Philpott
Driving Into Walls – Suzie Miller
The Warrior And the Princess – Shirley Van Sanden
THEATRE: COMMUNITY & YOUTH THEATRE
The Quiet Brother – Ivy Mak
Beagle Bay Chronicles – Casey Nicholls Grounded – Alana Valentine
THEATRE: STAGE
Medea – Kate Mulvany
Pompeii, L.A. – Declan Greene
Happy Ending – Melissa Reeves
Sweetest Things – Kate Rice
THEATRE: CHILDREN’S
Starchaser – Lally Katz
The House That Jack Filled – Finegan Krukemeyer
SHORT FILM
Spine – Sophie Miller
The Amber Amulet – Matthew Moore
Bursting – Gary Sewell
The Last Time I Saw Richard – Nicholas Verso
CHILDREN’S TELEVISION: P CLASSIFICATION
Guess How Much I Love You: I Promise – David Evans
Guess How Much I Love You: A Hare's Tale – Lisa Hoppe
Guess How Much I Love You: The Big Apple – Jane Schneider
CHILDREN’S TELEVISION: C CLASSIFICATION
Ghosts Of Time: Alien Adventure – David Evans
Dance Academy: New Rules – Josh Mapleston
Dance Academy: Not For Nothing – Samantha Strauss
Dance Academy: A Perfect Storm – Samantha Strauss
MONTE MILLER AWARD: LONG FORM
Fury – Charlotte McConaghy
Starfish – Hannah Moon and Stephen Scholl with Robin Geradts-Gill
The Knot – Jessica Paine
MONTE MILLER AWARD: SHORT FORM
Trunk – Derek Foster
Drive By – Edward Lyons
Any Given Day – Anne O'Hoy