Submissions Now Open For 2015 WGA Videogame Writing Award

Los Angeles and New York – The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) today announced submissions are open for the 2015 WGA Videogame Writing Award, to be presented at the upcoming 2015 Writers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 14, 2015, at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.

The WGA’s Videogame Writing Award recognizes writers as primary content creators that help drive the videogame industry. Submissions for the 2015 WGA Videogame Writing Award will be accepted from September 2 through November 24, 2014, with nominees set to be announced on January 12, 2015.

Eligibility criteria for the WGA Videogame Writing Award are as follows:

• 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 12/1/13 and 11/30/14. The submission deadline is 5:30 p.m. (PST) on Monday, November 24, 2014.
• Work that was not produced under WGA jurisdiction may 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 WGA’s 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.

Recent WGA Videogame Writing Award winners include The Last of Us, Written by Neil Druckmann (2014), Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, Scriptwriting by Richard Farrese, Jill Murray (2013), and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Written by Amy Hennig (2012).

Further inquiries about the WGA Videogame Writing Awards may be directed to Jennifer Burt in the WGAW Awards Office at (323) 782-4569, email: jburt@wga.org, or to Dana Weissman in the WGAE Awards Office at (212) 767-7835, email: dweissman@wgaeast.org.

The Writers Guild Awards honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, videogames, news, radio, promotional, and graphic animation categories. The awards will be presented jointly at simultaneous ceremonies on Saturday, February 14, 2015, in Los Angeles at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza and in New York City at the Edison Ballroom. For more information about the 2015 Writers Guild Awards, please visit www.wga.org or www.wgaeast.org.

For media inquiries about the 2015 Writers Guild Awards New York City show, please contact Jason Gordon in the WGAE Communications Department at (212) 767-7809 or email: jgordon@wgaeast.org.

For media inquiries about the 2015 Writers Guild Awards Los Angeles show, please contact Gregg Mitchell in the WGAW Communications Department at: (323) 782-4651 or email: gmitchell@wga.org.

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) 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, West, visit www.wga.org. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit www.wgaeast.org.