The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for
film,
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
, and
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...
writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the
Writers Guild of America, East
The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is a labor union representing writers in film, television, radio, news, and online media.
The Writers Guild of America, East is affiliated with the Writers Guild of America West. Together the guilds admin ...
and
Writers Guild of America West
The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 mem ...
since 1949.
Eligibility
The screen awards are for films that were exhibited theatrically during the preceding calendar year. The television awards are for series that were produced and aired between December 1 and November 30, regardless of how many episodes aired during this time period.
Additionally, scripts must be produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or under a collective bargaining agreement in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, or the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
Lifetime achievement awards
Each year at the awards, two lifetime achievement awards are presented. One is for screenwriting, and the other is for TV writing:
*
Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement
*
Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement
Categories
(As of 2022.)
;Film
*
Best Adapted Screenplay
*
Best Original Screenplay
The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the ...
*
Best Documentary Screenplay
;Television
*
Comedy Series
*
Drama Series
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-ge ...
*
Episodic Comedy
*
Episodic Drama
*
Long Form – Adapted
*
Long Form – Original
* Adapted Short Form New Media
*
New Series
*
Animation
*
Comedy/Variety Talk Series
*
Comedy/Variety – Sketch Series
*
Best Comedy/Variety – Specials
*
Daytime Serials
*
Children's Script
* Best Quizz and Audience
*
Documentary Script – Current Events
*
Documentary Script – Other Than Current Events
;News
* TV News Script – Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin, or Breaking Report
* TV News Script – Analysis, Feature, or Commentary
* Digital News
;Radio
* Radio News Script – Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin, or Breaking Report
* Radio News Script – Analysis, Feature or Commentary
* Radio Documentary
History
In 2004, the awards show was broadcast on television for the first time.
In the years 2008 through 2018, the awards also included
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
writing.
Discontinued categories
*
Best Written Musical (1949–1969)
*
Best Written Western (1949–1951)
*
Best Written Film Concerning American Scene (1949–1952)
*
Best Written Drama (1949–1969)
** Best Drama Written Directly for the Screenplay (1970–1984)
** Best Drama Adapted from Another Media (1970–1984)
*
Best Written Comedy (1949–1969)
** Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screenplay (1970–1984)
** Best Comedy Adapted from Another Media (1970–1984)
* Best Videogame Writing (2008–2018)
Ceremonies
*
1st Writers Guild of America Awards
*
2nd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
3rd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
4th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
5th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
6th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
7th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
8th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
9th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
10th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
11th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
12th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
13th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
14th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
15th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
16th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
17th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
18th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
19th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
20th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
21st Writers Guild of America Awards
*
22nd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
23rd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
24th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
25th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
26th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
27th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
28th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
29th Writers Guild of America Awards
The 29th Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best film writers and television writers of 1976. Winners were announced in 1977.
Winners & Nominees
Film
Winners are listed first highlighted in boldface.
Television
Special Award ...
*
30th Writers Guild of America Awards
The 30th Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best film writers and television writers of 1977. Winners were announced in 1978.
Winners & Nominees
Film
Winners are listed first highlighted in boldface.
Television
Special Awar ...
*
31st Writers Guild of America Awards
The 31st Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best film writers and television writers of 1978. Winners were announced in 1979.
Winners & Nominees
Film
Winners are listed first highlighted in boldface.
Television
Special Awa ...
*
32nd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
33rd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
34th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
35th Writers Guild of America Awards
The 35th Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best television, and film writers of 1982. Winners were announced in 1983.
Winners & Nominees
Film
Winners are listed first highlighted in boldface.
Television
Special Awards
R ...
*
36th Writers Guild of America Awards
The 36th Writers Guild of America Award, Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best television, and Film writer, film writers of 1983. Winners were announced in 1984.
Winners & Nominees
Film
Winners are listed first highlighted in boldf ...
*
37th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
38th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
39th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
40th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
41st Writers Guild of America Awards
*
42nd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
43rd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
44th Writers Guild of America Awards
The 44th Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best television, and film writers of 1991. Winners were announced in 1992.
Winners & Nominees
Film
Winners are listed first highlighted in boldface.
Television
Documentary
Spec ...
*
45th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
46th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
47th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
48th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
49th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
50th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
51st Writers Guild of America Awards
*
52nd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
53rd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
54th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
55th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
56th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
57th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
58th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
59th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
60th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
61st Writers Guild of America Awards
The 61st Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best film writer, film, television writer, television, and Television writer#Video game writing, videogame writers of 2008. Winners were announced on February 7, 2009.
Nominees
Names in bold d ...
*
62nd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
63rd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
64th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
65th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
66th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
67th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
68th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
69th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
70th Writers Guild of America Awards
*
71st Writers Guild of America Awards
*
72nd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
73rd Writers Guild of America Awards
*
74th Writers Guild of America Awards
Winners
A * denotes a film that also went on to win an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
.
Films
Current awards
;Best Original Screenplay
* 1968: ''
Bonnie and Clyde'' –
David Newman and
Robert Benton
Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the writer and director of the film ''Kramer vs. Kramer'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Adapted S ...
* 1969: ''
The Producers'' –
Mel Brooks *
* 1985: ''
Broadway Danny Rose
''Broadway Danny Rose'' is a 1984 American black-and-white comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. It follows a hapless theatrical agent who, by helping a client, gets dragged into a love triangle involving the mob. The film stars Allen a ...
'' –
Woody Allen
* 1986: ''
Witness
In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...
'' –
Pamela Wallace, William Kelley, and
Earl W. Wallace *
* 1987: ''
Hannah and Her Sisters'' –
Woody Allen *
* 1988: ''
Moonstruck
''Moonstruck'' is a 1987 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and co-produced by Norman Jewison, written by John Patrick Shanley, and starring Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis, and Vincent Gardenia. The film follows L ...
'' –
John Patrick Shanley
John Patrick Shanley (born October 13, 1950) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film ''Moonstruck''. His play, '' Doubt: A Parable'', won the 2005 Pulitzer P ...
*
* 1989: ''
Bull Durham
''Bull Durham'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy sports film. It is partly based upon the minor-league baseball experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton and depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls, a minor-league baseball team in ...
'' –
Ron Shelton
* 1990: ''
Crimes and Misdemeanors
''Crimes and Misdemeanors'' is a 1989 American existential comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, who stars alongside Martin Landau, Mia Farrow, Anjelica Huston, Jerry Orbach, Alan Alda, Sam Waterston, and Joanna Gleason.
...
'' –
Woody Allen
* 1991: ''
Avalon
Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...
'' –
Barry Levinson
Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); '' Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ...
* 1992: ''
Thelma & Louise
''Thelma & Louise'' is a 1991 American road crime comedy-drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri. It stars Susan Sarandon as Louise and Geena Davis as Thelma, two friends who embark on a road trip that ends up in unfores ...
'' –
Callie Khouri *
* 1993: ''
The Crying Game
''The Crying Game'' is a 1992 thriller film written and directed by Neil Jordan, produced by Stephen Woolley, and starring Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, Jaye Davidson, Adrian Dunbar, Ralph Brown, and Forest Whitaker. The film explores the ...
'' –
Neil Jordan
Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer. His first book, ''Night in Tunisia (short story collection), Night in Tunisia'', won a Somerset Maugham Award and the Guardian ...
*
* 1994: ''
The Piano
''The Piano'' is a 1993 historical drama, period drama film written and directed by Jane Campion. Starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin in her first major acting role, the film focuses on a Elective mutism, mute Scott ...
'' –
Jane Campion *
* 1995: ''
Four Weddings and a Funeral
''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' is a 1994 British romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It is the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant, and follows the adventures of Charles (Grant) and his circle ...
'' –
Richard Curtis
Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, producer and film director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known primarily for romantic comedy films, among them '' ...
* 1996: ''
Braveheart'' –
Randall Wallace
Randall Wallace (born July 28, 1949) is an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and songwriter who came to prominence by writing the screenplay for the historical drama film ''Braveheart'' (1995). His work on the film earned him a nom ...
* 1997: ''
Fargo'' –
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen *
* 1998: ''
As Good as It Gets
''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by James L. Brooks, who co-wrote it with Mark Andrus. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted, and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as ...
'' –
Mark Andrus and
James L. Brooks
* 1999: ''
Shakespeare in Love
''Shakespeare in Love'' is a 1998 romantic period comedy-drama film directed by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard, and produced by Harvey Weinstein. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin ...
'' –
Marc Norman and
Tom Stoppard *
* 2000: ''
American Beauty'' –
Alan Ball *
* 2001: ''
You Can Count on Me'' –
Kenneth Lonergan
Kenneth Lonergan (born October 16, 1962) is an American film director, playwright, and screenwriter. He is the co-writer of the film ''Gangs of New York'' (2002), and wrote and directed '' You Can Count on Me'' (2000), ''Margaret'' (2011), and ' ...
* 2002: ''
Gosford Park
''Gosford Park'' is a 2001 satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. It was influenced by Jean Renoir's French classic ''La Règle du jeu'' ('' The Rules of the Game'').
The film stars ...
'' –
Julian Fellowes *
* 2003: ''
Bowling for Columbine
''Bowling for Columbine'' is a 2002 documentary film written, produced, directed, and narrated by Michael Moore. The film explores what Moore suggests are the primary causes for the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and other acts of gun ...
'' –
Michael Moore
* 2004: ''
Lost in Translation'' –
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...
*
* 2005: ''
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' –
Charlie Kaufman,
Michael Gondry
Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one of the writers ...
, and
Pierre Bismuth *
* 2006: ''
Crash'' –
Paul Haggis
Paul Edward Haggis (born March 10, 1953) is a Canadian screenwriter, film producer, and director of film and television. He is best known as screenwriter and producer for consecutive Best Picture Oscar winners ''Million Dollar Baby'' (2004) and ...
and
Bobby Moresco *
* 2007: ''
Little Miss Sunshine'' –
Michael Arndt *
* 2008: ''
Juno'' –
Diablo Cody
Brook Maurio (''née'' Busey; born June 14, 1978), known professionally by the pen name Diablo Cody, is an American writer and producer. She gained recognition for her candid blog and subsequent memoir, '' Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unl ...
*
* 2009: ''
Milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...
'' –
Dustin Lance Black
Dustin Lance Black (born June 10, 1974) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and LGBT rights activist. He is known for writing the film ''Milk'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2009. He has also sub ...
*
* 2010: ''
The Hurt Locker'' –
Mark Boal
Mark Boal (born January 23, 1973) is an American journalist, screenwriter, and film producer. Before he became a prominent figure of cinema, Boal worked as a journalist for such publications as ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Village Voice'', ''Salon' ...
*
* 2011: ''
Inception
''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who also produced the film with Emma Thomas, his wife. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infi ...
'' –
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. His films have grossed $5&nb ...
* 2012: ''
Midnight in Paris'' –
Woody Allen *
* 2013: ''
Zero Dark Thirty'' –
Mark Boal
Mark Boal (born January 23, 1973) is an American journalist, screenwriter, and film producer. Before he became a prominent figure of cinema, Boal worked as a journalist for such publications as ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Village Voice'', ''Salon' ...
* 2014: ''
Her'' –
Spike Jonze *
* 2015: ''
The Grand Budapest Hotel
''The Grand Budapest Hotel'' is a 2014 comedy-drama film written and directed by Wes Anderson. Ralph Fiennes leads a seventeen-actor ensemble cast as Monsieur Gustave H., famed concierge of a twentieth-century mountainside resort in the fiction ...
'' –
Wes Anderson
Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by ...
and
Hugo Guinness
* 2016: ''
Spotlight
Spotlight or spot light may refer to:
Lighting
* Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps
* Spotlight (theatre lighting)
* Spotlight, a searchlight
* Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types
Art, entertainment, an ...
'' –
Tom McCarthy Thomas McCarthy (also Tom and Tommy) may refer to:
Academia
*Thomas A. McCarthy (born 1940), American professor of philosophy
*Thomas J. McCarthy (born 1956), American professor of polymer chemistry at the University of Massachusetts
*J. Thomas Mc ...
and
Josh Singer *
* 2017: ''
Moonlight'' –
Barry Jenkins; story by
Tarell Alvin McCraney *
* 2018: ''
Get Out'' –
Jordan Peele *
* 2019: ''
Eighth Grade'' –
Bo Burnham
* 2020: ''
Parasite'' –
Bong Joon-ho and
Han Jin-won; story by Bong Joon-ho *
*2021: ''
Promising Young Woman
''Promising Young Woman'' is a 2020 thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Emerald Fennell in her feature directorial debut. It stars Carey Mulligan as a troubled young woman haunted by a traumatic past as she navigates balancing fo ...
'' —
Emerald Fennell *
*2022: ''
Don't Look Up'' —
Adam McKay and
David Sirota
;Best Adapted Screenplay
* 1985: ''
The Killing Fields'' –
Bruce Robinson
Bruce Robinson (born 2 May 1946) is an English actor, director, screenwriter and novelist. He wrote and directed the cult classic ''Withnail and I'' (1987), a film with comic and tragic elements set in London in the late 1960s, which drew on hi ...
* 1986: ''
Prizzi's Honor
''Prizzi's Honor'' is a 1985 American black comedy crime film directed by John Huston, starring Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner as two highly-skilled mob assassins who, after falling in love, are hired to kill each other. The screenplay co-w ...
'' –
Richard Condon and Janet Roach
* 1987: ''
A Room with a View'' –
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala *
* 1988: ''
Roxanne'' –
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...
* 1989: ''
Dangerous Liaisons
''Dangerous Liaisons'' is a 1988 American period romantic drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, based on his 1985 play '' Les liaisons dangereuses'', itself adapted from the 1782 French novel of the s ...
'' –
Christopher Hampton *
* 1990: ''
Driving Miss Daisy'' –
Alfred Uhry
Alfred Fox Uhry (born December 3, 1936) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has received an Academy Award, two Tony Awards and the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for dramatic writing for ''Driving Miss Daisy''. He is a member of the Fellowship ...
*
* 1991: ''
Dances with Wolves
''Dances with Wolves'' is a 1990 American epic western film starring, directed, and produced by Kevin Costner in his feature directorial debut. It is a film adaptation of the 1988 novel '' Dances with Wolves'' by Michael Blake that tells the ...
'' –
Michael Blake *
* 1992: ''
The Silence of the Lambs'' –
Ted Tally
Ted Tally (born April 9, 1952) is an American playwright and screenwriter. He adapted the Thomas Harris novel '' The Silence of the Lambs'' into the film of the same name, for which he received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the ...
*
* 1993: ''
The Player'' –
Michael Tolkin
* 1994: ''
Schindler's List
''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the 1982 novel ''Schindler's Ark'' by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The film f ...
'' –
Steven Zaillian
Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian (born January 30, 1953) is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for his screenplay ''Schindler's List'' (1993) and has earned Oscar no ...
*
* 1995: ''
Forrest Gump'' –
Eric Roth
Eric R. Roth (born March 22, 1945) is an American screenwriter. He has been nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay — for ''Forrest Gump'' (1994), '' The Insider'' (1999), ''Munich'' (2005), '' The Curious Case o ...
*
* 1996: ''
Sense and Sensibility
''Sense and Sensibility'' is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously; ''By A Lady'' appears on the title page where the author's name might have been. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (age 19) a ...
'' –
Emma Thompson *
* 1997: ''
Sling Blade
A sling blade or kaiser blade is a heavy, hooked, steel blade at the end of a long (around ) handle that is usually made of wood. The blade is double-edged, and both sides are usually kept sharp. It is used to cut brush, briar, and undergrowth. ...
'' –
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker and musician. He had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller ''One False Move'', and received international attention after writing, directing, a ...
*
* 1998: ''
L.A. Confidential'' –
Brian Helgeland
Brian Thomas Helgeland (born January 17, 1961) is an American screenwriter, film producer and director. He is most known for writing the screenplays for the films ''L.A. Confidential'' and ''Mystic River''. He also wrote and directed the films ...
and
Curtis Hanson
Curtis Lee Hanson (March 24, 1945 – September 20, 2016) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His directing work included the psychological thriller '' The Hand That Rocks the Cradle'' (1992), the neo-noir crime film ''L. ...
*
* 1999: ''
Out of Sight
''Out of Sight'' is a 1998 American crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Frank, adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1996 novel of the same name. The first of several collaborations between Soderbergh and actor Georg ...
'' –
Scott Frank
A. Scott Frank (born March 10, 1960) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Frank has received two Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for ''Out of Sight'' (1998) and ''Logan'' (2017). His film work, c ...
* 2000: ''
Election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
'' –
Alexander Payne and
Jim Taylor
* 2001: ''
Traffic'' –
Stephen Gaghan
Stephen Gaghan (; born May 6, 1965) is an American screenwriter and director. He is noted for writing the screenplay for Steven Soderbergh's film '' Traffic'', based on a Channel 4 series, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted S ...
*
* 2002: ''
A Beautiful Mind'' –
Akiva Goldsman *
* 2003: ''
The Hours'' –
David Hare
* 2004: ''
American Splendor
''American Splendor'' is a series of autobiographical comic books written by Harvey Pekar and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976 and the last one in September 2008, with publication occurring at irregular interv ...
'' –
Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini
Shari Springer Berman (born July 13, 1963) and Robert Pulcini (born August 24, 1964) are an American team of filmmakers.
Biographies
Both Springer Berman and Pulcini were born in New York City, New York, New York (state), New York. Springer Be ...
* 2005: ''
Sideways
''Sideways'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymo ...
'' –
Alexander Payne and
Jim Taylor *
* 2006: ''
Brokeback Mountain'' –
Larry McMurty and
Diana Ossana *
* 2007: ''
The Departed'' –
William Monahan *
* 2008: ''
No Country for Old Men
''No Country for Old Men'' is a 2007 American neo-Western crime thriller film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel of the same name. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin, th ...
'' –
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen *
* 2009: ''
Slumdog Millionaire
''Slumdog Millionaire'' is a 2008 British drama film that is a loose adaptation of the novel '' Q & A'' (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup. It narrates the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from the Juhu slums of Mumbai. Starring Dev Pa ...
'' –
Simon Beaufoy *
* 2010: ''
Up in the Air'' –
Jason Reitman
* 2011: ''
The Social Network
''The Social Network'' is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2009 book ''The Accidental Billionaires'' by Ben Mezrich. It portrays the founding of social networking websi ...
'' –
Aaron Sorkin *
* 2012: ''
The Descendants
''The Descendants'' is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne. The screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney in the mai ...
'' –
Alexander Payne,
Nat Faxon
Nathaniel Faxon (born October 11, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. A frequent presence on comedic films and TV series, he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for co-writing '' The Descendants'' (2011) ...
, and
Jim Rash
James Rash (born July 15, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He portrayed the role of Dean Craig Pelton on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Bes ...
*
* 2013: ''
Argo'' –
Chris Terrio
Chris Terrio (born December 31, 1976) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known for writing the screenplay for the 2012 film ''Argo'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Terrio also won the W ...
*
* 2014: ''
Captain Phillips'' –
Billy Ray
* 2015: ''
The Imitation Game
''The Imitation Game'' is a 2014 American historical drama film directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore, based on the 1983 biography '' Alan Turing: The Enigma'' by Andrew Hodges. The film's title quotes the name of the game c ...
'' –
Graham Moore *
* 2016: ''
The Big Short'' –
Adam McKay and
Charles Randolph *
* 2017: ''
Arrival'' –
Eric Heisserer
* 2018: ''
Call Me by Your Name'' —
James Ivory *
* 2019: ''
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
''Can You Ever Forgive Me?'' is a 2018 American biographical film directed by Marielle Heller and with a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, based on the 2008 confessional memoir of the same name by Lee Israel. Melissa McCarthy sta ...
'' –
Nicole Holofcener
Nicole Holofcener (; born March 22, 1960) is an American film and television director and screenwriter. She has directed six feature films, including ''Walking and Talking'', '' Friends with Money'' and ''Enough Said'', as well as various televis ...
and
Jeff Whitty
Jeffrey Daniel Whitty (born September 30, 1971) is an American playwright, actor, and screenwriter.
For the stage musical ''Avenue Q'', he won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical.
For his work on the Fox Searchlight film '' Can You Ever F ...
* 2020: ''
Jojo Rabbit'' –
Taika Waititi *
*2021: ''
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm'' — Screenplay by
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen (born 13 October 1971) is an English actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral ...
& Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern; story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad; based on characters created by Sacha Baron Cohen
* 2022: ''
CODA'' –
Sian Heder
Sian Heder (; born June 23, 1977) is an American television writer, television producer, and filmmaker who is best known for writing and directing the films '' Tallulah'' and ''CODA''. ''CODA'' earned Heder an Academy Award for Best Adapted Scree ...
*
;Best Documentary Screenplay
* 2005:
Super Size Me
''Super Size Me'' is a 2004 American documentary film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003, during which he ate only McDonald's f ...
–
Morgan Spurlock
Morgan Valentine Spurlock (born November 7, 1970) is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter and playwright.
Spurlock's films include '' Super Size Me'' (2004), '' Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?'' ( ...
* 2006:
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room –
Alex Gibney
* 2007:
Deliver Us from Evil –
Amy J. Berg
* 2008:
Taxi to the Dark – Alex Gibney
* 2009:
Waltz with Bashir
''Waltz with Bashir'' ( he, ואלס עם באשיר, translit. ''Vals Im Bashir'') is a 2008 Israeli adult animated war documentary drama film written, produced, and directed by Ari Folman. It depicts Folman's search for lost memories o ...
–
Ari Folman
Ari Folman ( he, ארי פולמן) (born December 17, 1962) is an Israeli film director, screenwriter, animator, and film-score composer. He directed the Oscar-nominated animated documentary film ''Waltz with Bashir'' (2008) and the live-ac ...
* 2010:
The Cove –
Mark Monroe
* 2011:
Inside Job
An insider threat is a malicious threat to an organization that comes from people within the organization, such as employees, former employees, contractors or business associates, who have inside information concerning the organization's security ...
–
Charles Ferguson
* 2012:
Better This World – Katie Galloway, and Kelly Duane de la Vega
* 2013:
Searching for Sugar Man
''Searching for Sugar Man'' is a 2012 documentary film about a South African cultural phenomenon, written and directed by Malik Bendjelloul, which details the efforts in the late 1990s of two Cape Town fans, Stephen "Sugar" Segerman and Craig ...
–
Malik Bendjelloul
* 2014:
Stories We Tell –
Sarah Polley
Sarah Ellen Polley (born January 8, 1979) is a Canadian actress,Howell, Peter (September 24, 1999)"Nobody's Starlet: Toronto's Sarah Polley is Only 20 but already a veteran actor so secure in her craft she can thumb her nose at Hollywood" ''Tor ...
* 2015:
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz –
Brian Knappenberger
* 2016:
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief – Alex Gibney
* 2017:
Command and Control –
Robert Kenner, Brian Pearle, Kim Roberts, and Eric Schlosser
* 2018:
Jane –
Brett Morgen
Brett D. Morgen (born October 11, 1968) is an American documentary filmmaker. His directorial credits include ''The Kid Stays in the Picture'' (2002), '' Crossfire Hurricane'' (2012), '' Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck'' (2015), ''Jane'' (2017), an ...
* 2019:
Bathtubs Over Broadway –
Ozzy Inguanzo, and Dava Whisenant
* 2020:
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley – Alex Gibney
*2021:
The Dissident — Mark Monroe and Bryan Fogel
Discontinued categories
;Best Written Drama
* 1949: ''
The Snake Pit
''The Snake Pit'' is a 1948 American psychological drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn, Celeste Holm, Beulah Bondi, and Lee Patrick. Based on Mary Jane Ward's 1946 semi-autobiogra ...
'' –
Frank Partos and
Millen Brand
Millen Brand (January 19, 1906 – March 19, 1980) was an American writer and poet. His novels, ''The Outward Room'' (1938) and ''Savage Sleep'' (1968), addressed mental health institutions and were bestsellers in their day.
Personal life
B ...
* 1950: ''
All the King's Men
''All the King's Men'' is a 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. The novel tells the story of charismatic populist governor Willie Stark and his political machinations in the Depression-era Deep South. It was inspired by the real-life story of U ...
'' –
Robert Rossen
* 1951: ''
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...
'' –
Charles Brackett
Charles William Brackett (November 26, 1892 – March 9, 1969) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He collaborated with Billy Wilder on sixteen films.
Life and career
Brackett was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, the son of ...
,
Billy Wilder, and
D. M. Marshman Jr. *
* 1952: ''
A Place in the Sun'' –
Michael Wilson and
Harry Brown *
* 1953: ''
High Noon'' –
Carl Foreman
Carl Foreman, CBE (July 23, 1914 – June 26, 1984) was an American screenwriter and film producer who wrote the award-winning films ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' and ''High Noon'', among others. He was one of the screenwriters who were black ...
* 1954: ''
From Here to Eternity
''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American drama romance war film directed by Fred Zinnemann, and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel of the same name by James Jones. The picture deals with the tribulations of three U.S. A ...
'' –
Daniel Taradash *
* 1955: ''
On the Waterfront'' –
Budd Schulberg
Budd Schulberg (born Seymour Wilson Schulberg, March 27, 1914 – August 5, 2009) was an American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer. He was known for his novels '' What Makes Sammy Run?'' and ''The Harder They Fall;'' ...
*
* 1956: ''
Marty'' –
Paddy Chayefsky
Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (January 29, 1923 – August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays.
He was ...
*
* 1957: ''
Friendly Persuasion'' –
Michael Wilson
* 1958: ''
12 Angry Men'' –
Reginald Rose
* 1959: ''
The Defiant Ones'' –
Nedrick Young
Nedrick Young (March 23, 1914 – September 16, 1968), also known by the pseudonym Nathan E. Douglas, was an American actor and screenwriter often blacklisted during the 1950s and 1960s for refusing to confirm or deny membership of the Comm ...
and
Harold Jacob Smith *
* 1960: ''
The Diary of Anne Frank'' –
Frances Goodrich
Frances Goodrich (December 21, 1890 – January 29, 1984) was an American actress, dramatist, and screenwriter, best known for her collaborations with her partner and husband Albert Hackett. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with her h ...
and
Albert Hackett
Albert Maurice Hackett (February 16, 1900 – March 16, 1995) was an American actor, dramatist and screenwriter most noted for his collaborations with his partner and wife Frances Goodrich.
Early years
Hackett was born in New York City, the s ...
* 1961: ''
Elmer Gantry'' –
Richard Brooks *
* 1962: ''
The Hustler
''The Hustler'' is a 1961 American sports romantic drama film directed by Robert Rossen from Walter Tevis's 1959 novel of the same name, adapted by Rossen and Sidney Carroll. It tells the story of small-time pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson a ...
'' –
Sidney Carroll and
Robert Rossen
* 1963: ''
To Kill a Mockingbird'' –
Horton Foote
Albert Horton Foote Jr. (March 14, 1916March 4, 2009) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received Academy Awards for his screenplays for the 1962 film ''To Kill a Mockingbird'', which was adapted from the 1960 novel of the same name ...
*
* 1964: ''
Hud'' –
Harriet Frank Jr. and
Irving Ravetch
* 1965: ''
Becket'' –
Edward Anhalt *
* 1966: ''
The Pawnbroker'' –
Edward Lewis Wallant,
Morton Fine
Morton Fine (December 24, 1916 – March 7, 1991) was an American screenwriter.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Fine worked in an advertising agency, a bookstore, and an aircraft factory before joining the Army Air Force in 1942. A graduate of ...
, and
David Friedkin
David Friedkin (March 8, 1912 – October 15, 1976) was an American writer and director of radio shows, film, and television shows.
Early life and education
Friedkin was born on March 8, 1912 in Kansas City, Missouri to Russian Jewish immigrant ...
* 1967: ''
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of a middle-aged couple, Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they receive ...
'' –
Ernest Lehman
Ernest Paul Lehman (December 8, 1915 – July 2, 2005) was an American screenwriter. He was nominated six times for Academy Awards for his screenplays during his career, but did not win. At the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, he received an Ho ...
* 1968: ''
Bonnie and Clyde'' –
David Newman and
Robert Benton
Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the writer and director of the film ''Kramer vs. Kramer'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Adapted S ...
* 1969: ''
The Lion in Winter'' –
James Goldman
James Goldman (June 30, 1927 – October 28, 1998) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay '' The Lion in Winter'' (1968). His younger brother was novelist and screenwriter William Goldman.
Biog ...
*
;Best Original Drama
* 1970: ''
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' –
William Goldman *
* 1971: ''
Patton'' –
Francis Ford Coppola and
Edmund H. North *
* 1972: ''
Sunday Bloody Sunday
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1983 album ''War'' and was released as the album's third single on 21 March 1983 in the Netherlands and West Germany. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is noted ...
'' –
Penelope Gilliatt
* 1973: ''
The Candidate'' –
Jeremy Larner *
* 1974: ''
Save the Tiger
Save, SAVE, or Saved may refer to:
Places
*Save (Garonne), a river in southern France
*Save River (Africa), a river in Zimbabwe and Mozambique
*Sava, a river in Eastern Europe also known as Save
*Savè, Benin, a commune and city
* Save, Govuro ...
'' –
Steve Shagan
* 1975: ''
Chinatown'' –
Robert Towne
Robert Towne (born Robert Bertram Schwartz;'' Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'' by Peter Biskind page 30, 1999 Bloomsbury edition November 23, 1934) is an American screenwriter, producer, director and actor. He started with writing films for Roger ...
*
* 1976: ''
Dog Day Afternoon
''Dog Day Afternoon'' is a 1975 American biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by Martin Bregman and Martin Elfand. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, James Broderick, and Charles Durning. The screenplay is wr ...
'' –
Frank Pierson *
* 1977: ''
Network'' –
Paddy Chayefsky
Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (January 29, 1923 – August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays.
He was ...
*
* 1978: ''
The Turning Point'' –
Arthur Laurents
Arthur Laurents (July 14, 1917 – May 5, 2011) was an American playwright, theatre director, film producer and screenwriter.
After writing scripts for radio shows after college and then training films for the U.S. Army during World War II ...
* 1979: ''
Coming Home'' –
Nancy Dowd,
Robert C. Jones, and
Waldo Salt
Waldo Miller Salt (October 18, 1914 – March 7, 1987) was an American screenwriter who won Academy Awards for both ''Midnight Cowboy'' and '' Coming Home''.
Early life and career
Salt was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Winifred (n ...
*
* 1980: ''
The China Syndrome'' –
Mike Gray,
T. S. Cook and
James Bridges
* 1981: ''
Melvin and Howard
''Melvin and Howard'' (stylized as ''Melvin (and Howard)'') is a 1980 American comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme. The screenplay by Bo Goldman was inspired by real-life Utah service station owner Melvin Dummar, who was listed as the b ...
'' –
Bo Goldman
Robert "Bo" Goldman (born September 10, 1932) is an American screenwriter and playwright. He has received two Academy Awards for his screenplays of ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975) and '' Melvin and Howard'' (1980).
Early life and edu ...
*
* 1982: ''
Reds
Reds may refer to:
General
* Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism
* Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863
* USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...
'' –
Warren Beatty
Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...
and
Trevor Griffiths
* 1983: ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' –
Melissa Mathison
Melissa Marie Mathison (June 3, 1950 – November 4, 2015) was an American film and television screenwriter and an activist for the Tibetan independence movement. She was best known for writing the screenplays for the films ''The Black Stallion'' ...
* 1984: ''
Tender Mercies
''Tender Mercies'' is a 1983 American drama film directed by Bruce Beresford. The screenplay by Horton Foote focuses on Mac Sledge, a recovering alcoholic country music singer who seeks to turn his life around through his relationship with a young ...
'' –
Horton Foote
Albert Horton Foote Jr. (March 14, 1916March 4, 2009) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received Academy Awards for his screenplays for the 1962 film ''To Kill a Mockingbird'', which was adapted from the 1960 novel of the same name ...
*
;Best Adapted Drama
* 1970: ''
Midnight Cowboy'' –
Waldo Salt
Waldo Miller Salt (October 18, 1914 – March 7, 1987) was an American screenwriter who won Academy Awards for both ''Midnight Cowboy'' and '' Coming Home''.
Early life and career
Salt was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Winifred (n ...
*
* 1971: ''
I Never Sang for My Father
''I Never Sang for My Father'' is a 1970 American drama film, based on the 1968 play of the same name. It tells the story of a widowed college professor who feels dominated by his aging father, yet still has regrets about his plan to leave him be ...
'' –
Robert Anderson
* 1972: ''
The French Connection'' –
Ernest Tidyman *
* 1973: ''
The Godfather'' –
Mario Puzo
Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably '' The Godfather'' (1969), whi ...
and
Francis Ford Coppola *
* 1974: ''
Serpico
''Serpico'' is a 1973 American neo-noir biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by ...
'' –
Waldo Salt
Waldo Miller Salt (October 18, 1914 – March 7, 1987) was an American screenwriter who won Academy Awards for both ''Midnight Cowboy'' and '' Coming Home''.
Early life and career
Salt was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Winifred (n ...
and
Norman Wexler
Norman Wexler (August 16, 1926 – August 23, 1999) was an American screenwriter whose work included films such as ''Saturday Night Fever'', ''Serpico'' and '' Joe''. A New Bedford, Massachusetts native and 1944 Central High School gradua ...
* 1975: ''
The Godfather Part II
''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is partially based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. ''Part II'' s ...
'' –
Francis Ford Coppola and
Mario Puzo
Mario Francis Puzo (; ; October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter, and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Italian-American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia, most notably '' The Godfather'' (1969), whi ...
*
* 1976: ''
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' –
Bo Goldman
Robert "Bo" Goldman (born September 10, 1932) is an American screenwriter and playwright. He has received two Academy Awards for his screenplays of ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975) and '' Melvin and Howard'' (1980).
Early life and edu ...
and
Lawrence Hauben *
* 1977: ''
All the President's Men
''All the President's Men'' is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, two of the journalists who investigated the June 1972 break-in at the Watergate Office Building and the resultant political scandal for ''The Washingto ...
'' –
William Goldman *
* 1978: ''
Islands in the Stream'' –
Denne Bart Petitclerc
* 1979: ''
Midnight Express'' –
Oliver Stone *
* 1980: ''
Kramer vs. Kramer'' –
Robert Benton
Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the writer and director of the film ''Kramer vs. Kramer'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Adapted S ...
*
* 1981: ''
Ordinary People'' –
Alvin Sargent *
* 1982: ''
On Golden Pond'' –
Ernest Thompson
Ernest Thompson (born Richard Ernest Thompson; November 6, 1949) is an American writer, actor, and director. He won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for '' On Golden Pond'', an adaptation of his own play of the same name.
Early l ...
*
* 1983: ''
Missing'' –
Costa-Gavras
Costa-Gavras (short for Konstantinos Gavras; el, Κωνσταντίνος Γαβράς; born 12 February 1933) is a Greek-French film director, screenwriter, and producer who lives and works in France. He is known for films with political and s ...
and
Donald E. Stewart *
* 1984: ''
Reuben, Reuben'' –
Julius J. Epstein
;Best Written Comedy
* 1949: ''
Sitting Pretty'' –
F. Hugh Herbert
* 1950: ''
A Letter to Three Wives
''A Letter to Three Wives'' is a 1949 American romantic comedy-drama which tells the story of a woman who mails a letter to three women, telling them she has left town with the husband of one of them, but not saying which one. It stars Jeanne Cr ...
'' –
Joseph L. Mankiewicz *
* 1951: ''
All About Eve
''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr, although Orr does not receive a screen credit ...
'' –
Joseph L. Mankiewicz *
* 1952: ''
Father's Little Dividend
''Father's Little Dividend'' is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, and Elizabeth Taylor. The movie is the sequel to '' Father of the Bride'' (1950).
Plot
In this sequel to '' Fat ...
'' –
Albert Hackett
Albert Maurice Hackett (February 16, 1900 – March 16, 1995) was an American actor, dramatist and screenwriter most noted for his collaborations with his partner and wife Frances Goodrich.
Early years
Hackett was born in New York City, the s ...
and
Frances Goodrich
Frances Goodrich (December 21, 1890 – January 29, 1984) was an American actress, dramatist, and screenwriter, best known for her collaborations with her partner and husband Albert Hackett. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with her h ...
* 1953: ''
The Quiet Man
''The Quiet Man'' is a 1952 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by John Ford. It stars John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen. The screenplay by Frank S. Nugent was based on a 1933 ''Saturday Ev ...
'' –
Frank Nugent
* 1954: ''
Roman Holiday'' –
Ian McLellan Hunter
Ian McLellan Hunter (8 August 1915 – 5 March 1991) was an English screenwriter, best remembered for fronting for the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo as the credited writer of ''Roman Holiday'' in 1953. Hunter was himself later blacklisted.
''Roman ...
,
Dalton Trumbo, and
John Dighton *
* 1955: ''
Sabrina'' –
Billy Wilder,
Samuel Taylor, and
Ernest Lehman
Ernest Paul Lehman (December 8, 1915 – July 2, 2005) was an American screenwriter. He was nominated six times for Academy Awards for his screenplays during his career, but did not win. At the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, he received an Ho ...
* 1956: ''
Mister Roberts'' –
Joshua Logan and
Frank Nugent
* 1957: ''
Around the World in 80 Days
''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...
'' –
James Poe,
John Farrow, and
S. J. Perelman
Sidney Joseph Perelman (February 1, 1904 – October 17, 1979) was an American humorist and screenwriter. He is best known for his humorous short pieces written over many years for ''The New Yorker''. He also wrote for several other magazines ...
*
* 1958: ''
Love in the Afternoon'' –
Billy Wilder and
I. A. L. Diamond
* 1959: ''
Me and the Colonel
''Me and the Colonel'' is a 1958 American comedy film based on the play ''Jacobowsky und der Oberst'' by Franz Werfel. It was directed by Peter Glenville and stars Danny Kaye, Curd Jürgens and Nicole Maurey.
Kaye won a Golden Globe Award for ...
'' –
S. N. Behrman and
George Froeschel
* 1960: ''
Some Like It Hot'' –
Billy Wilder and
I. A. L. Diamond
* 1961: ''
The Apartment
''The Apartment'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond. It stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, Dav ...
'' –
Billy Wilder and
I. A. L. Diamond *
* 1962: ''
Breakfast at Tiffany's'' –
George Axelrod
George Axelrod (June 9, 1922 – June 21, 2003) was an American screenwriter, producer, playwright and film director, best known for his play ''The Seven Year Itch'' (1952), which was adapted into a film of the same name starring Marilyn Mon ...
* 1963: ''
That Touch of Mink'' –
Stanley Shapiro
Stanley Shapiro (July 16, 1925 – July 21, 1990) was an American screenwriter and producer responsible for three of Doris Day's most successful films.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Shapiro earned his first screen credit for ''South Sea Woman ...
and Nate Monastar
* 1964: ''
Lilies of the Field'' –
James Poe
* 1965: ''
Dr. Strangelove'' –
Stanley Kubrick,
Terry Southern
Terry Southern (May 1, 1924 – October 29, 1995) was an American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and university lecturer, noted for his distinctive satirical style. Part of the Paris postwar literary movement in the 1950s and a companion to ...
, and
Peter George
* 1966: ''
A Thousand Clowns'' –
Herb Gardner
Herbert George Gardner (December 28, 1934 – September 25, 2003), was an American commercial artist, cartoonist, playwright and screenwriter.
Early life
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Gardner was the son of a bar owner. His late brother, Robert ...
* 1967: ''
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming'' –
William Rose
* 1968: ''
The Graduate
''The Graduate'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from W ...
'' –
Calder Willingham and
Buck Henry
Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman; December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's ''The Graduate'' (1967) for which he r ...
* 1969: ''
The Odd Couple'' –
Neil Simon
Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...
;Best Original Comedy
* 1970: ''
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' is a 1969 American comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky, written by Mazursky and Larry Tucker, who also produced the film, and starring Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould, and Dyan Cannon. The origi ...
'' –
Paul Mazursky and
Larry Tucker
* 1971: ''
The Out-of-Towners'' –
Neil Simon
Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...
* 1972: ''
The Hospital
''The Hospital'' is a 1971 American satirical film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring George C. Scott as Dr. Herbert Bock. It was written by Paddy Chayefsky, who was awarded the 1972 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Chayefsky ...
'' –
Paddy Chayefsky
Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky (January 29, 1923 – August 1, 1981) was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays.
He was ...
*
* 1973: ''
What's Up, Doc?'' –
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian.
One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...
,
Buck Henry
Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman; December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's ''The Graduate'' (1967) for which he r ...
,
David Newman, and
Robert Benton
Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the writer and director of the film ''Kramer vs. Kramer'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Adapted S ...
* 1974: ''
A Touch of Class'' –
Melvin Frank and
Jack Rose
* 1975: ''
Blazing Saddles'' –
Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg,
Andrew Bergman,
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...
, and Alan Uger
* 1976: ''
Shampoo'' –
Robert Towne
Robert Towne (born Robert Bertram Schwartz;'' Easy Riders, Raging Bulls'' by Peter Biskind page 30, 1999 Bloomsbury edition November 23, 1934) is an American screenwriter, producer, director and actor. He started with writing films for Roger ...
and
Warren Beatty
Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...
* 1977: ''
The Bad News Bears
''The Bad News Bears'' is a 1976 American sports comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Bill Lancaster. It stars Walter Matthau as an alcoholic ex-baseball pitcher who becomes a coach for a youth baseball team known as the Bears. ...
'' –
Bill Lancaster
William Henry Lancaster (November 17, 1947 – January 4, 1997) was an American screenwriter and actor.
Early life
He was born November 17, 1947, in Los Angeles, California, the son of Burt Lancaster (1913–1994) and Norma Anderson (1917–198 ...
* 1978: ''
Annie Hall
''Annie Hall'' is a 1977 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay written by him and Marshall Brickman, and produced by Allen's manager, Charles H. Joffe. The film stars Allen as Alvy Singer, w ...
'' –
Woody Allen and
Marshall Brickman *
* 1979: ''
Movie Movie
''Movie Movie'' is a 1978 American double bill directed by Stanley Donen. It consists of two films: ''Dynamite Hands'', a boxing ring morality play, and ''Baxter's Beauties of 1933'', a musical comedy, both starring the husband-and-wife team of G ...
'' –
Larry Gelbart
Larry Simon Gelbart (February 25, 1928 – September 11, 2009) was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series ''M*A*S*H'', and as co-writer of the B ...
and
Sheldon Keller
* 1980: ''
Breaking Away
''Breaking Away''
is a 1979 American coming of age comedy-drama film produced and directed by Peter Yates and written by Steve Tesich. It follows a group of four male teenagers in Bloomington, Indiana, who have recently graduated from high sc ...
'' –
Steve Tesich *
* 1981: ''
Private Benjamin'' –
Nancy Meyers
Nancy Jane Meyers (born December 8, 1949) is an American filmmaker. She has written, produced, and directed many critically and commercially successful films including '' Private Benjamin'' (1980), '' Irreconcilable Differences'' (1984), ''Baby ...
, Harvey Miller, and
Charles Shyer
* 1982: ''
Arthur
Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...
'' –
Steve Gordon
* 1983: ''
Tootsie'' –
Don McGuire,
Larry Gelbart
Larry Simon Gelbart (February 25, 1928 – September 11, 2009) was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series ''M*A*S*H'', and as co-writer of the B ...
and
Murray Schisgal
Murray Joseph Schisgal (November 25, 1926 – October 1, 2020) was an American playwright and screenwriter.
Life and career
Schisgal was born in Brooklyn, New York City. He was the son of Jewish immigrants, Irene (Sperling), a bank clerk, and Ab ...
* 1984: ''
The Big Chill'' –
Lawrence Kasdan and
Barbara Benedek
;Best Adapted Comedy
* 1970: ''
Goodbye, Columbus'' –
Arnold Schulman
Arnold Schulman (born August 11, 1925) is an American playwright, screenwriter, producer, a songwriter and novelist. He was a stage actor long associated with the American Theatre Wing and the Actors Studio.
Biography
Born to a Jewish family i ...
* 1971: ''
MASH'' –
Ring Lardner Jr. *
* 1972: ''
Kotch
''Kotch'' is a 1971 American comedy-drama film directed by Jack Lemmon and starring Walter Matthau, Deborah Winters, Felicia Farr, Charles Aidman, and Ellen Geer.
Adapted by John Paxton from Katharine Topkins' 1965 novel of the same name, the ...
'' –
John Paxton
John Paxton (May 21, 1911, Kansas City, Missouri – January 5, 1985, Santa Monica, California) was an American screenwriter.
Some of his films include ''Murder, My Sweet'' in 1944, '' Cornered'' in 1945, ''Crossfire'' in 1947 (an adaptation o ...
* 1973: ''
Cabaret'' –
Jay Presson Allen
Jay Presson Allen (March 3, 1922 – May 1, 2006) was an American screenwriter, playwright, stage director, television producer, and novelist. Known for her withering wit and sometimes-off-color wisecracks, she was one of the few women making a ...
* 1974: ''
Paper Moon'' –
Alvin Sargent
* 1975: ''
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' –
Lionel Chetwynd and
Mordecai Richler
Mordecai Richler (January 27, 1931 – July 3, 2001) was a Canadian writer. His best known works are '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1959) and '' Barney's Version'' (1997). His 1970 novel '' St. Urbain's Horseman'' and 1989 novel ...
* 1976: ''
The Sunshine Boys
''The Sunshine Boys'' is an original two-act play written by Neil Simon that premiered December 20, 1972 on Broadway starring Jack Albertson as Willie Clark and Sam Levene as Al Lewis and later adapted for film and television.
Plot
The pla ...
'' –
Neil Simon
Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...
* 1977: ''
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
''The Pink Panther Strikes Again'' is a 1976 comedy film. The fifth film in ''The Pink Panther'' series, its plot picks up three years after '' The Return of the Pink Panther'', with former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) about t ...
'' –
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor.
Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio s ...
and
Frank Waldman
Frank Waldman (March 15, 1919 – September 5, 1990) was an American screenwriter who frequently worked with Blake Edwards and his brother Tom Waldman.Beck, Jerry ditor(2005). ''Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town.'' D ...
* 1978: ''
Oh, God!'' –
Larry Gelbart
Larry Simon Gelbart (February 25, 1928 – September 11, 2009) was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series ''M*A*S*H'', and as co-writer of the B ...
* 1979: ''
Heaven Can Wait'' –
Elaine May
Elaine Iva May (née Berlin; born April 21, 1932) is an American comedian, filmmaker, playwright, and actress. She has received numerous awards including an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Grammy, and a Tony. She made her initial impact in the 1950s with her ...
and
Warren Beatty
Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...
and ''
Same Time, Next Year'' –
Bernard Slade
Bernard Slade Newbound (May 2, 1930 – October 30, 2019) was a Canadian playwright and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, he created the sitcoms ''The Flying Nun'' and ''The Partridge Family''. As a playwright, he wrote '' Same Time, Next Year'', ...
* 1980: ''
Being There
''Being There'' is a 1979 American satire film directed by Hal Ashby. Based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosiński, it was adapted for the screen by Kosiński and the uncredited Robert C. Jones. The film stars Peter Sellers a ...
'' –
Jerzy Kosiński
* 1981: ''
Airplane!
''Airplane!'' (alternatively titled ''Flying High!'') is a 1980 American parody film written and directed by the brothers David Zucker, David and Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams in their directorial debuts, and produced by Jon Davison (film prod ...
'' –
Jim Abrahams
James S. Abrahams (born May 10, 1944) is an American movie director and writer, best known as a member of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker.
Life and career
Abrahams was born to a Jewish family in Shorewood, Wisconsin, the son of Louise M. (née Oge ...
,
David Zucker
David Samuel Zucker (born October 16, 1947) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Associated mostly with parody comedies, Zucker is recognized as the director and writer of the critically successful 1980 film ''Airplane!'' ...
and
Jerry Zucker
Jerry Gordon Zucker (born March 11, 1950) is an American film producer, director, and writer known for his role in directing comedy spoof films such as ''Airplane!'' and '' Top Secret!'', and the Best Picture-nominated supernatural drama film ' ...
* 1982: ''
Rich and Famous'' – Gerard Ayres
* 1983: ''
Victor/Victoria
''Victor/Victoria'' is a 1982 musical comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards and starring Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, Alex Karras, and John Rhys-Davies. The film was produced by Tony Adams and sco ...
'' –
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor.
Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio s ...
* 1984: ''
Terms of Endearment
''Terms of Endearment'' is a 1983 American family comedy-drama film directed, written, and produced by James L. Brooks, adapted from Larry McMurtry's 1975 novel of the same name. It stars Debra Winger, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, Dann ...
'' –
James L. Brooks *
;Best Written Musical
* 1949: ''
Easter Parade'' –
Frances Goodrich
Frances Goodrich (December 21, 1890 – January 29, 1984) was an American actress, dramatist, and screenwriter, best known for her collaborations with her partner and husband Albert Hackett. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with her h ...
,
Albert Hackett
Albert Maurice Hackett (February 16, 1900 – March 16, 1995) was an American actor, dramatist and screenwriter most noted for his collaborations with his partner and wife Frances Goodrich.
Early years
Hackett was born in New York City, the s ...
, and
Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer. He was prominent in the 1930s, first working on Broadway plays, and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy ''The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer ...
* 1950: ''
On the Town'' –
Adolph Green
Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Art ...
and
Betty Comden
Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned s ...
* 1951: ''
Annie Get Your Gun'' –
Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer. He was prominent in the 1930s, first working on Broadway plays, and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy ''The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer ...
* 1952: ''
An American in Paris
''An American in Paris'' is a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by American composer George Gershwin first performed in 1928. It was inspired by the time that Gershwin had spent in Paris and evokes the sights and energy of the French capital ...
'' –
Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre bot ...
*
* 1953: ''
Singin' in the Rain
''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd Charis ...
'' –
Betty Comden
Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned s ...
and
Adolph Green
Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Art ...
* 1954: ''
Lili
''Lili'' is a 1953 American film released by MGM. It stars Leslie Caron as a touchingly naïve French girl whose emotional relationship with a carnival puppeteer is conducted through the medium of four puppets. The film won the Academy Award for ...
'' –
Helen Deutsch
Helen Deutsch (21 March 1906 – 15 March 1992) was an American screenwriter, journalist, and songwriter.
Biography
Deutsch was born in New York City and graduated from Barnard College. She began her career by managing the Provincetown Player ...
and
Paul Gallico
Paul William Gallico (July 26, 1897 – July 15, 1976) was an American novelist and short story and sports writer.Ivins, Molly,, ''The New York Times'', July 17, 1976. Retrieved Oct. 25, 2020. Many of his works were adapted for motion pictu ...
* 1955: ''
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Do ...
'' –
Albert Hackett
Albert Maurice Hackett (February 16, 1900 – March 16, 1995) was an American actor, dramatist and screenwriter most noted for his collaborations with his partner and wife Frances Goodrich.
Early years
Hackett was born in New York City, the s ...
,
Frances Goodrich
Frances Goodrich (December 21, 1890 – January 29, 1984) was an American actress, dramatist, and screenwriter, best known for her collaborations with her partner and husband Albert Hackett. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with her h ...
, and
Dorothy Kingsley
Dorothy Kingsley (October 14, 1909 – September 26, 1997) was an American screenwriter, who worked extensively in film, radio and television.
Biography
Born in New York City, Kingsley was the daughter of newspaperman and press agent Walter J. ...
* 1956: ''
Love Me or Leave Me'' –
Daniel Fuchs
Daniel Fuchs (June 25, 1909 – July 26, 1993) was an American screenwriter, fiction writer, and essayist.
Biography
Daniel Fuchs was born to a Jewish family on the Lower East Side, Manhattan, but his family moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn whi ...
and
Isobel Lennart
Isobel Lennart (May 18, 1915 – January 25, 1971) was an award-winning American screenwriter and playwright. She is best known for writing the book for the Broadway musical '' Funny Girl'' which premiered in 1964, although she also wrote scripts ...
*
* 1957: ''
The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...
'' –
Ernest Lehman
Ernest Paul Lehman (December 8, 1915 – July 2, 2005) was an American screenwriter. He was nominated six times for Academy Awards for his screenplays during his career, but did not win. At the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, he received an Ho ...
* 1958: ''Les Girls'' – Vera Caspary and John Patrick (dramatist), John Patrick
* 1959: ''Gigi (1958 film), Gigi'' –
Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre bot ...
*
* 1960: ''The Five Pennies'' – Robert Smith,
Jack Rose, and Melville Shavelson
* 1961: ''Bells Are Ringing (film), Bells Are Ringing'' –
Betty Comden
Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned s ...
and
Adolph Green
Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Art ...
* 1962: ''West Side Story (1961 film), West Side Story'' –
Ernest Lehman
Ernest Paul Lehman (December 8, 1915 – July 2, 2005) was an American screenwriter. He was nominated six times for Academy Awards for his screenplays during his career, but did not win. At the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, he received an Ho ...
* 1963: ''The Music Man (1962 film), The Music Man'' – Meredith Willson, Franklin Lacey, and Marion Hargrove
* 1964: Not awarded
* 1965: ''Mary Poppins (film), Mary Poppins'' – Bill Walsh (producer), Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi
* 1966: ''The Sound of Music (film), The Sound of Music'' – Maria Augusta Trapp, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse, and
Ernest Lehman
Ernest Paul Lehman (December 8, 1915 – July 2, 2005) was an American screenwriter. He was nominated six times for Academy Awards for his screenplays during his career, but did not win. At the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001, he received an Ho ...
* 1967: Not awarded
* 1968: ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' – Richard Morris
* 1969: ''Funny Girl (film), Funny Girl'' –
Isobel Lennart
Isobel Lennart (May 18, 1915 – January 25, 1971) was an award-winning American screenwriter and playwright. She is best known for writing the book for the Broadway musical '' Funny Girl'' which premiered in 1964, although she also wrote scripts ...
;Best Written Film Concerning Problems with the American Scene
* 1949: ''
The Snake Pit
''The Snake Pit'' is a 1948 American psychological drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn, Celeste Holm, Beulah Bondi, and Lee Patrick. Based on Mary Jane Ward's 1946 semi-autobiogra ...
'' –
Frank Partos and
Millen Brand
Millen Brand (January 19, 1906 – March 19, 1980) was an American writer and poet. His novels, ''The Outward Room'' (1938) and ''Savage Sleep'' (1968), addressed mental health institutions and were bestsellers in their day.
Personal life
B ...
* 1950: ''
All the King's Men
''All the King's Men'' is a 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. The novel tells the story of charismatic populist governor Willie Stark and his political machinations in the Depression-era Deep South. It was inspired by the real-life story of U ...
'' –
Robert Rossen
* 1951: ''The Men (1950 film), The Men'' –
Carl Foreman
Carl Foreman, CBE (July 23, 1914 – June 26, 1984) was an American screenwriter and film producer who wrote the award-winning films ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' and ''High Noon'', among others. He was one of the screenwriters who were black ...
* 1952: ''Bright Victory'' – Robert Buckner
;Best Written Western
* 1949: ''The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (film), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' – John Huston *
* 1950: ''Yellow Sky'' – W. R. Burnett and Lamar Trotti
* 1951: ''Broken Arrow (1950 film), Broken Arrow'' – Albert Maltz
Television
Video games
The video game category was first added in 2008, but discontinued after the 2019 awards.
;Outstanding Achievement in Video Game Writing
* 2008: ''Dead Head Fred'' – Dave Ellis (game designer), Dave Ellis, Adam Cogan
* 2009: ''Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'' – Haden Blackman, Shawn Pitman, John Stafford, and Cameron Suey
* 2010: ''Uncharted 2: Among Thieves'' – Amy Hennig
* 2011: ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' – Patrice Désilets, Jeffrey Yohalem, and Corey May
* 2012: ''Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception'' – Amy Hennig
* 2013: ''Assassin's Creed III: Liberation'' – Richard Farrese and Jill Murray
* 2014: ''The Last of Us'' – Neil Druckmann
* 2015: ''The Last of Us: Left Behind'' – Neil Druckmann
* 2016: ''Rise of the Tomb Raider'' – John Stafford, Cameron Suey, Rhianna Pratchett, and Philip Gelatt
* 2017: ''Uncharted 4: A Thief's End'' – Neil Druckmann, Josh Scherr, Tom Bissell, and Ryan James
* 2018: ''Horizon Zero Dawn'' – John Gonzalez, Benjamin McCaw, Ben Schroder, Anne Toole, Dee Warrick, and Meg Jayanth
* 2019: ''God of War (2018 video game), God of War'' – Matt Sophos, Richard Zangrande Gaubert, and Cory Barlog
See also
* WGA script registration service
* WGA screenwriting credit system
* 1960 Writers Guild of America strike
* 1988 Writers Guild of America strike
* International Affiliation of Writers Guilds
* 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike
* List of writing awards
References
External links
Writers Guild of America awards listWriters Guild of America, East websiteWriters Guild of America, West website*
{{Film awards
Writers Guild of America Awards,
American film awards
American television awards
Awards established in 1949
1949 establishments in the United States