WGA Adds New Honors to 2011 Awards Lineup

New York and Los Angeles –The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) today announced the first-ever WGA New Media Writing Awards. In recognition of the great talent and work being exhibited on a wide variety of new media platforms, awards for Outstanding Achievement in Writing Original New Media and Outstanding Achievement in Writing Derivative New Media will be presented at the 2011 Writers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 5, 2011 at simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles.“Digital media is an exciting new stage for writers, a platform from which we can present our work instantly to the entire world. As we build and expand our presence there, the new awards recognize the opportunities digital media offers and celebrate the artistry and skill our members bring to it,” said WGAE President Michael Winship.“New media writers play an essential role in entertaining, educating, and engaging audiences in the digital arena. These new awards pay tribute to their talents and to the diversity of work being done under Writers Guild contracts,” said WGAW President John Wells.Submissions for the 2011 WGA New Media Writing Awards will be accepted beginning October 1, 2010, through November 23, 2010. WGA New Media Writing Award nominees will be announced on January 11, 2011. Eligibility requirements for the two new WGA New Media Writing Awards are as follows:

Outstanding Achievement in Writing Original New Media:•    To be eligible for entry, an original stand-alone new media program or an original episode written for a new media series must have first been exhibited on a new media platform between 12/1/2009 and 11/30/2010. For this purpose, a new media platform is defined as the Internet (via a major video sharing site or unique URL), mobile devices such as cell phones or PDAs, or any other established new media platform.•    The submission deadline is November 23, 2010, by 5:00 PM (EST/PST).•    Only work that was written and produced under a WGA collective bargaining agreement and for which the Guilds have determined the writing credits may be submitted. (In order for the Guilds to determine writing credits, and for a submission to be eligible, the signatory company must submit to the Guilds’ Credits Departments a Notice of Tentative Writing Credits.)•    Submissions will be accepted by mail or online. Submission information and submission forms will be available on the Guilds’ websites.•    Writers may include up to five episodes of a series in their submission. The award will be given to the credited writer(s) of the program/episode(s), not to the series.

Outstanding Achievement in Writing Derivative New Media: •    To be eligible for entry, a derivative stand-alone new media program or a derivative episode written for a new media series must have first been exhibited on a new media platform between 12/1/2009 and 11/30/2010.  For this purpose, a new media platform is defined as the Internet (via a major video sharing site or unique URL), mobile devices such as cell phones or PDAs, or any other established new media platform.•    For this award, a derivative new media production is a production for new media based on an existing television motion picture that was produced for “traditional” media – e.g., a free television, basic cable, or pay television motion picture – and is otherwise included among the types of motion pictures traditionally covered by the MBA.•    The submission deadline is November 23, 2010, by 5:00 PM (EST/PST).•    Only work that was written and produced under a WGA collective bargaining agreement and for which the Guilds have determined the writing credits may be submitted. (In order for the Guilds to determine writing credits, and for a submission to be eligible, the signatory company must submit to the Guilds’ Credits Departments a Notice of Tentative Writing Credits [PDF].)•    Submissions will be accepted by mail or online. Submission information and submission forms will be available on the Guilds’ websites.•    Writers may include up to five episodes of a series in their submission. The award will be given to the credited writer(s) of the program/episode(s), not to the series.

Judging for the WGA New Media Writing Awards will be based strictly on written material. Preliminary and final round judging will be conducted by panels comprised of Writers Guild members selected for their experience in the new media genre.Further inquiries about the WGA New Media Writing Awards may be directed to Rebecca Olerich, WGAE Director of Programs and Events, at (212) 767-7835, email: rolerich@wgaeast.org or to WGAW Awards Administrator Jennifer Burt at (323) 782-4569, email:jburt@wga.org.The 2011 Writers Guild Awards will be held on Saturday, February 5, 2011, simultaneously in New York and in Los Angeles at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. For more information about the 2011 Writers Guild Awards submission process, guidelines, and/or official entry forms, please visit www.wgaeast.org or www.wga.org.For media press inquiries about the 2011 Writers Guild Awards New York show, please contact Sherry Goldman in the WGAE Press Office at (718) 224-4133 or email:sherry@goldmanpr.net; or visit online at:www.wgaeast.org.For media inquiries about the 2011 Writers Guild Awards Los Angeles show, please contact Gregg Mitchell in the WGAW Communications Department at: (323) 782-4574, email: gmitchell@wga.org, or visit online at: www.wga.org.The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and 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.