Alex Barris Mentorship Award

Awarded every other year to recognize the critical role of mentorship in developing screenwriters in Canada.

Alex Barris was a writer, broadcaster and journalist, a pioneer of Canadian television and proud member of the WGC. Throughout his career, Alex always gave his time and talent to help others get a start in the industry he loved. After his death in 2004, his family and friends decided to keep his name and spirit alive by sponsoring the Alex Barris Mentorship Award.

The award acknowledges one person who has gone above and beyond to help a writer - or several writers - to get a start in the business. While the nominator must be a WGC member, the recipient need not be. It could be a teacher or a story editor, even a producer.

The 2012 recipient of the Alex Barris Award is Barbara Samuels. As Adam Barken (Flashpoint) points out, Barbara's career is celebrated in its own right, with credits like North of 60 & Black Harbour, "but her work supporting newer writers at the CFC and Humber College is just as valuable to our community."

For challenging and nurturing young writers, for setting the bar high and turning writers into storytellers, and for buying the odd lunch, the 2012 Alex Barris Mentorship Award is enthusiastically presented to Barbara Samuels.

Previous winners of the Alex Barris Award include David Peddie (2005), Josh Miller (2006), Ilana Frank (2007), Allan Magee (2008), and Peter Mitchell (2010).

The WGC will call for nominations for the 2014 Alex Barris Mentorship Award in early 2014.