The Emerging Writers’ Awards

Entries to the 2026 Emerging Writers’ Awards are now open. 

The Emerging Writers’ Awards are dedicated to uncovering the hottest new scripts and writing talent across Australia, these awards are a purpose-built and industry-recognised opportunity for AWG Associate and Student members to have their work showcased directly to industry decision-makers.   

The winning writers will share in $10,000 worth of prize money. All shortlisted scripts will be added to AWG’s prestigious Pathways Showcase. 
 
Winning writers will share in $10,000 prize money. All shortlisted scripts will be added to the AWG’s prestigious Pathways Showcase.  
 
Entries to the Emerging Writers’ Awards will close 5pm (AEST) Tuesday 7 April 2026.  
 
Please ensure you have read the 2026 Emerging Writers’ Awards information kit before you enter. 
 
You may also like to read these FAQs. 
 
Further enquiries about the Awards should be addressed to admin@awg.com.au. 

Enter the Emerging Writers’ Awards – Short Form Category

Enter the Emerging Writers’ Awards – Long Form Category

JOINING FEE WAIVED FOR NEW MEMBERS ENTERING THE AWARDS 
New members joining the AWG with an annual Associate membership will have the $120 joining fee waived upon sign-up. To take advantage of this special offer, please contact admin@awg.com.au to receive a coupon code for a waived joining fee. 
 
THE PRIZE 

Short Form Category 

The winner of the Emerging Writers’ Award for Short Form will: 

• Receive $5000 in prize money. 

• Have their winning project inducted onto Pathways Showcase. 

• Receive a mentorship meeting with a suitable full member of the AWG. 

Long Form Category 

The winner of the Emerging Writers’ Award for Long Form will: 

• Receive $5000 in prize money. 

• Have their winning project inducted onto Pathways Showcase. 

• Receive a mentorship meeting with a suitable full member of the AWG. 

Shortlisted works in both categories will be inducted onto Pathways Showcase.  

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ENTRANT GUIDELINES 

• Open to current financial AWG Associate and Student Members. Membership must be valid at the time of entry and for the duration of the competition. AWG Full members are not eligible for entry.  

• New members will need to join for a minimum of 12 months. 

ENTRY GUIDELINES 

• Entries close 5pm 7 April (AEST). 

• Scripts must not have been professionally produced at the time of entry. 

• Entries may be a feature or short film, the pilot episode of a television series or miniseries, web series, audio (including podcasts), documentary, theatre, children’s television, animation or interactive script. 

• Entrants must own all the rights to the script being entered. If the work is an adaptation, you must have the right or be able to secure the right to adapt the underlying material on which the screenplay is based, or the underlying material must be in the public domain.  

• All entries for the Emerging Writers’ Awards are to be completed online, including uploading your synopsis and script document. Your logline, synopsis and script must all be included in a single PDF entry file. Your entry file should not include personal details, or any indication of funding previously received for script development.  

• Scripts must be presented and formatted to industry standards: you can find Screen Australia’s suggested script layout on their website or Australian Plays Transform’s suggested script layout here. Please note that while the Screen Australia script layout includes a name and identifying details on the Title Page, these should be removed from the Title Page before entry in the Awards.  

• All instances of collaborations and authorship must be declared in the entry form. Co-writers are not required to be AWG Members. Co-writers cannot be Full Members or eligible for Full Membership of AWG (have at least 45 minutes of produced credits). 

IMPORTANT NOTE: To ensure a fair judging process, the writer’s name and personal details should not appear on any part of the synopsis/script or as a header or footer within the script. Entries that include any of the above details will not be eligible to enter. 

Number of Entries 

• Entrants may enter only one individually written script in each category. However, if a script is co-written, it may be entered by any AWG Member co-writer who has not already submitted an entry in that category. 

• An entrant may thus have two scripts entered in one category: one written solely by them, and another co-written script entered by their AWG Member co-writer (provided that co-writer has not already entered a script in that same category). 

• In all cases, no individually – or collaboratively – written script can be entered more than once in any category. 

• Members may not enter scripts that have been submitted to the Emerging Writers’ Awards/Monte Miller Awards in a previous year, however they may enter scripts that have been submitted to other AWG competitions.  

Please direct all enquiries about the Awards to admin@awg.com.au. 

Read about the 2025 award-winners here.