10 April 2026 – Writers who are engaged by production companies to write scripts are entitled to superannuation under the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 (Cth) (the Act). Section 12(3) of the Act states that if a person works under a contract that is “wholly or principally for the labour of the person” then that person is an employee of the other…
Continue reading8 April 2026 – The Australian Writers’ Guild is preparing its submission to the federal government’s development of a new National Cultural Policy to shape the future direction of the creative and cultural industries. To help us consolidate our position, we invite members to contribute thoughts on how to improve our nation’s arts, entertainment and cultural sector. The policy will continue to be structured around the…
Continue reading24 March 2026 – The Australian Writers’ Guild’s First Break program, delivered in partnership with Screen NSW, is an opportunity for aspiring NSW screenwriters to build skills as note-takers and script coordinators. Applications for the next round of First Break NSW are now open with 15 places on offer via competitive application. Working as a note-taker and/or script…
Continue readingJoint statement from AMPAL, APRA AMCOS, ARIA PPCA, Australian Publishers Association, Australian Society of Authors, Australian Writers’ Guild, AWG Authorship Collecting Society, Copyright Agency and Screenrights The Copyright Advisory Group (CAG) is seeking concessions that go significantly further than what the Australian Government consulted introduced into Parliament. Friday 20 March 2026 – Australian authors, songwriters, recording artists, visual artists, photographers,…
Continue readingCalling all science-fiction screenwriters! Entries for the John Hinde Award for Excellence in Science-Fiction Writing are now open, recognising the best sci-fi scripts across feature film, television, web series, audio and interactive media. Winning writers will share in a $10,000 prize pool, funded by a bequest from the late Australian film critic John Hinde. There are two categories…
Continue readingDedicated to uncovering the hottest new scripts and writing talent across Australia, the Emerging Writers’ Awards are a purpose-built and industry-recognised opportunity for AWG Associate and Student members to have their unproduced work showcased directly to industry decision-makers. These awards are open to emerging writers with an unproduced script of any genre across film, television, theatre, stage, audio and interactive. Winning writers will share in $10,000 prize money. All…
Continue readingThursday 19 February 2026 – The musical adaptation of My Brilliant Career, one of Australia’s most iconic stories, has taken home the richest annual playwriting award in the country, winning the prestigious $120,000 David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre at the Australian Writers’ Guild’s annual AWGIE Awards. It was the second win on…
Continue readingWednesday 21 January 2026 – An impressive field of Australian screen and stage writers have been recognised as nominees for the 58th Annual AWGIE Awards, to be presented by the Australian Writers’ Guild next month in Sydney. Over 70 new works by Australian writers for stage, screen, audio and interactive are nominated, highlighting the breadth and…
Continue readingFriday 19 December: Australian creative workers have criticized the Productivity Commission’s lack of meaningful action to support the growth of Australia’s creative industries in its final report on Harnessing Data and Digital Technologies, with the Friday 19 December release date drawing attention. The report advocates for a ‘cautious’ approach to AI-specific regulation, stating it should be enacted as a last resort and that Government should “monitor the development of AI…
Continue readingThursday 11 December 2025: The Australian Writers’ Guild has worked collaboratively with the Seven Network to come to an agreement about superannuation for screenwriters engaged by Seven on Home and Away. The decision means that writers will receive superannuation contributions on their contracted script and story conference fees. As a result of this agreement,…
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