In a year marked by uncertainty and upheaval, the power of stories has taken on new and profound meaning. Unable to gather in person, we have instead gathered in shared narratives, connecting across ideas and experiences, and finding moments of joy in film, theatre and television. Yet our Australian stories are under threat, ravaged by years of funding cuts to the screen and stage sectors, competition from unregulated players, and hindered by the current suspension of content quotas and pending government reform. In 2020, there has never been a more important time to join the fight to protect, support and celebrate our industry. In this spirit, the Australian Writers’ Guild is proud to announce a field of screen and stage writers whose work exemplifies the powerful stories we are fighting for, nominated today for the 53rd Annual AWGIE Awards.

Four new audio projects have been selected as winners of the Australian Writers’ Guild and Audible’s On Air Podcast Writing Competition, presented with support from Screen Australia.

Entries are now open for the 2020 John Hinde Award for Excellence in Science-Fiction Writing, seeking those writers whose work pushes the boundaries of our imagination, exploring the terrible, the exhilarating, and all the shades in-between.

The Australian Writers’ Guild wishes to update members on our submission to the ‘Supporting Australian stories on our screens’ Options Paper, which proposes a new support framework for Australian stories in a multi-platform environment.