Following suit of the date changes in the awards season which includes the Oscars, Golden Globes, Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild and Screen Actors Guild, the Writers Guild of America has extended its traditional eligibility window and pushed back the timing of its annual awards due to the ongoing pandemic.
The Writers Guild Awards ceremony has been moved to Sunday, March 21, the organization announced Monday. The eligibility window from which the WGA selects its nominees and winners is usually Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, but this year, “due to theater closures during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the window for theatrical and documentary screenplays, which began on Jan. 1, 2020, will be extended until Feb. 28, 2021.
The news first reported by The Hollywood Reporter confirms that submissions can be made beginning immediately. Nomination voting for adapted and original screenplays will run from Friday, Jan. 29 through Friday, Feb. 12, with the nominations announcement slated for Tuesday, Feb. 16, and final voting will run from Friday, Feb. 19 through Friday, March 5.
The annual ‘And the Nominees Are…’ panel will take place on a date TBD in March, and the annual ‘Beyond Words’ panel for Tuesday, March 21.
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2020-2021 WGA MEDIA TIMELINE
SEPTEMBER 2020
Mon. Sept. 28: Submissions Open in ALL Categories: Screenplays (Original, Adapted, Documentary), Series (Drama, Comedy, New), TV-Radio-New Media Scripts; Paul Selvin Award (WGAW)
DECEMBER 2020
Fri. Dec. 11: Deadline for submissions: Series (Drama, Comedy, New); TV-Radio/Audio-New Media Scripts and Paul Selvin Award (WGAW)
JANUARY 2021
Mon. Jan. 4: Preliminary Series (Drama, Comedy, New) online voting begins
Wed. Jan. 20: Deadline for Preliminary Series (Drama, Comedy, New) online voting
Fri. Jan. 22: Deadline for submissions: Screenplays (Original, Adapted, Documentary)
Fri. Jan. 29: Preliminary Screenplay (Original, Adapted) online voting begins
FEBRUARY 2021
Wed. Feb. 3: Television, New Media, News, Radio/Audio, and Promotional Writing Nominations Announced
Fri. Feb. 12: Deadline for Preliminary Screenplay (Original, Adapted) online voting
Tue. Feb. 16: Screenplay (Original, Adapted, Documentary) Nominations Announced
Fri. Feb. 19: Final Screenplay (Original, Adapted) and Series (Drama, Comedy, New) online voting begins
MARCH 2021
TBA: “And the Nominees Are…” Writers Guild Awards nominees panel
Fri. Mar. 5: Deadline for Final Screenplay (Original, Adapted) and Series (Drama, Comedy, New) online voting
Thu. Mar. 11: Beyond Words: Writers Guild Awards-nominated screenwriters panel
Sun. Mar. 21: 2021 WRITERS GUILD AWARDS (73rd Annual)
AWARDS ELGIBILITY PERIODS
TV & New Media eligibility period: First broadcast or exhibited between Jan 1, 2020 and Dec 31, 2020
News & TV Documentary categories only (6, 7A, 7B, 11, 12, 16): First broadcast or exhibited between Oct 1, 2019 and Nov 30, 2020
Theatrical Screenplay* eligibility period: Exhibited theatrically in Los Angeles for one week between Jan 1, 2020 – Feb 28, 2021
Documentary Screenplays*: Exhibited theatrically in Los Angeles or New York for one week between Jan 1, 2020 – Feb 28, 2021
*Eligibility periods for these categories have been extended due to theater closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
