

On Monday, April 26, 2021, the Writers Guild of Canada will hold its 25th annual awards via a virtual celebration honouring excellence in screenwriting in this country.
Nominations are open from Oct. 19 until Dec. 6 at 11:59 p.m. EST for scripts in the following categories:
- Children’s
- Comedy Series
- Documentary
- Drama Series
- Feature Film
- MOW & Miniseries
- Preschool
- Shorts*
- Tweens & Teens
*Shorts includes Web Series as well as Drama or Comedy Series with episodes under 15 minutes in length
The awards are open to WGC members only. Guidelines and the entry form are available in our online members portal. (Members must be logged in to access.)
Check out last year's awards presentation hosted by Gavin Crawford:
2020 WGC Award Winners

Mark Steinberg
Children's
Hotel Transylvania: The Series, “Better Know Your Mavis”

Jann Arden & Jennica Harper
Comedy Series
JANN, “The Big House”
Story by Jann Arden & Jennica Harper, Teleplay by Jennica Harper

Nance Ackerman & Ariella Pahlke & Teresa MacInnes
Documentary
Conviction

Noelle Carbone
Drama Series
Coroner, “All’s Well”

Laura Phillips
Feature Film
Sweetness in the Belly

David Elver & Andrea Stevens
MOW & MINISERIES
Thicker Than Water

J.J. Johnson & Christin Simms & Amish Patel
Preschool
Dino Dana, “Dino Prints”

Fabrizio Filippo
SHORTS & WEBSERIES
Save Me, “Birdie’s End”

Emma Campbell
Tweens & Teens
Creeped Out, “The Takedown”
2019 WGC Award Winners

Daegan Fryklind
Best New Series Script
The Bletchley Circle: “Presidio”
Josh Sager & Jerome Simpson
Children’s
Wishfart “I Wear This Hat Ironically”
Rupinder Gill
Comedy Series
Schitt’s Creek “RIP Moira Rose”
Michael McNamara
Documentary
Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit
Sarah Dodd
Drama Series
Cardinal: Blackfly Season “Red”
Jeremy Boxen
Feature Film
22 Chaser

Tim McKeon
MOW & Miniseries
Odd Squad: World Turned Odd

Alex Epstein & Lisa Hunter
Shorts & Webseries
We’ve Come to the End of Our Time
Cole Bastedo
Tweens & Teens
Star Falls “The Picnic Auction”

WGC Showrunner Award
Showrunners are the writers/producers who hold the creative vision for a television series. He or she controls all creative decisions and oversees the series from development, through prep and production, to the completion of post. The showrunner truly is the creative force driving the series, and the WGC Showrunner Award brings Canada’s best showrunners centre stage to be celebrated by their peers. The 2020 recipient is Dennis Heaton.
McGrath Service Award
In 2017, the Writers Block Award was renamed the "Denis McGrath Award for Service to the WGC" to honour the tremendous contribution Denis McGrath made to the Guild. The award is for writers who have demonstrated a record of exceptional service to the Writers Guild of Canada and whose efforts have strengthened the Canadian screenwriting community as a whole. The recipient of award is determined by the Writers Guild of Canada council. The 2019 recipient is Bruce Smith.

Sondra Kelly Award
The Sondra Kelly Award provides $5,000 to women screenwriters in mid-career for research/development on a self-initiated project.
Sondra Kelly was a longtime member of the Writers Guild of Canada. In 2007, she received the WGC Writers Block Award for her record of exceptional service to the WGC and for her work strengthening the Canadian screenwriting community. In addition to serving on the WGC council from January 1997 to December 2003, Sondra occupied the first WGC-designated seat on the Actra Fraternal Benefits Society (AFBS) board (1998-2003). Hers was the first writer’s voice on a board made up of actors, producers, and broadcasters at a time when a writer’s voice was much needed. The 2020 recipient is Cynthia Knight.

Alex Barris Mentorship Award
Alex Barris was a writer, broadcaster, and journalist; a pioneer of Canadian television, and proud member of the WGC. He was also a wonderful mentor, giving his time and talent to new writers who were just getting started in the industry. The Alex Barris Mentorship Award was created after his death in 2004, to keep his name and spirit alive and to perpetuate the tradition of mentorship.
The award, granted biennially, acknowledges a mentor who has significantly helped a writer (or writers) get a start in the business. While the nominator must be a WGC member, the recipient need not be. The 2020 recipient is Nathalie Younglai.

Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize
The Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize was created to continue the work of the late Jim Burt by recognizing his lifelong commitment to excellence in Canadian longform dramatic writing. The winning screenplay is determined by a jury, which selects the best original, unproduced longform script. The winner is presented with a total prize worth $5,000: a $3,000 cash prize and $2,000 for an experienced story editor (approved by the jury) to further develop the winner’s script. The 2019 recipients are Pat Holden for Mirsada and Amir Kahnamouee for Harbour House.