Recognizing writers as the primary content creators driving today’s videogame industry, the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced a collective call for submissions for the fifth annual Videogame Writing Award to be presented at the upcoming 2012 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 19, 2012, at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.
Press Release from Writers Guild of America, West and East
Los Angeles and New York – Recognizing writers as the primary content creators driving today’s videogame industry, the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have announced a collective call for submissions for the fifth annual Videogame Writing Award to be presented at the upcoming 2012 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 19, 2012, at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.
Submissions for the 2012 WGA Videogame Writing Award may be received from September 6, 2011, through December 1, 2011.
WGA videogame nominees will be announced on January 11, 2012, along with New Media Writing Award nominees.
Previous WGA Videogame Writing Award winners include: Dead Head Fred (written by Dave Ellis and Adam Cogan) in 2008, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (writers Haden Blackman, Shawn Pitman, John Stafford and Cameron Suey) in 2009, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (written by Amy Hennig) in 2010, and most recently Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Story by Patrice Desilets, Jeffrey Yohalem, Corey May; Lead Script Writer: Jeffrey Yohalem; Script Writers: Ethan Petty, Nicholas Grimwood, Matt Turner) in 2011.
Established by the Guilds’ Videogame Writers Caucus to encourage storytelling excellence in videogames, improve the status of videogame writers, and promote uniform standards within the gaming industry, the WGA Videogame Writing Award recognizes the essential creative contributions videogame writers have made to help create today’s popular videogame titles, as well as the thriving gaming industry in general.
As videogame writers continue to influence this cutting-edge medium, which increasingly crosses over to film, television, digital, and transmedia industries, the WGAW and WGAE continue working together, sharing a common goal to bring more and more videogame projects under Guild jurisdiction to ensure writers receive the benefits of working under a WGA contract.
Qualifications for WGA Videogame Writing Award eligibility include:
* The award is presented to the writer(s) of the best qualifying script from a videogame published in the previous year. To be eligible for entry, games must have been released between 12/1/10 and 11/30/11. Submission deadline is 5:30 p.m. (PST) on Thursday, December 1, 2011. * Work that was not produced under WGA jurisdiction may also be submitted. * Submitted games must have separate credit for writing (i.e., Written By, Story By, Writer, Story Designer, etc.). While there is no limit on the number of credited writers a particular game may have, credits not specifically tied to videogame writing are not acceptable (i.e., Lead Designer, Designed By, Produced By, etc.). *Note: Writers of source material are not eligible for awards consideration. * All submissions must be made in the name of the credited writer(s), and not the game itself. Scripts may also be submitted by the developer/publisher of the game, or by writer representatives, i.e., agents, managers, and publicists. Entries submitted by anyone other than the writer(s) must include an entry form signed by the submitting writer(s). * At the time the script is submitted, credited writer(s) of the game must be, or apply to become, a member of the Guilds’ Videogame Writers Caucus.
Preliminary judging for the Videogame Writing Award will be conducted by panels comprised of Videogame Writers Caucus and/or Writers Guild members active in the videogame writing arena. Final judging will be handled by a panel of writers from the VWC and/or Writers Guild members active in videogame writing. Further inquiries about the WGA Videogame Writing Award may be directed to Melissa Gage in the WGAW Awards Office at (323) 782-4571, email: mgage@wga.org or to Dana Weissman in the WGAE Awards Office at (212) 767-7835, email: dweissman@wgaeast.org. The 2012 Writers Guild Awards will be held on Sunday, February 19, 2012, simultaneously at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles and in New York City (venue TBA). For more information about the 2012 Writers Guild Awards submission process, guidelines, and official entry forms, please visit: www.wga.org or www.wgaeast.org. For media inquiries about the 2012 Writers Guild Awards Los Angeles show, please contact Gregg Mitchell in the WGAW Communications Department at: (323) 782-4651, email: gmitchell@wga.org, or visit online at: www.wga.org. For media press inquiries about the 2012 Writers Guild Awards New York show, please contact Jay Strell at Sunshine Sachs at (212) 691-2800 or email: strell@sunshinesachs.com; or visit online at: www.wgaeast.org. The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) are labor unions representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, digital media, and broadcast news. The Guilds negotiate and administer contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of their members; conduct programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to writers; and present writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit www.wgaeast.org. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, West, visit www.wga.org.
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