The 2024 Emerging Writers’ Awards (previously the Monte Miller Awards) are officially open for entries! 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 Emerging Writers’ Awards are open to screen and stage writers with an unproduced script of any genre across film, television, theatre, audio and interactive. The winning writers in both categories will receive $5000 in prize money, and their scripts will be made eligible for AWG’s prestigious Pathways Showcase.
The 2024 Emerging Writers’ Awards open Thursday 14 March and will close 5pm (AEST) Wednesday 17 April 2024.
For more information, see below or download the Emerging Writers Award Information Kit. Please direct all enquiries about the Awards to admin@awg.com.au.
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.
- Receive a mentorship with a suitable full member of the AWG.
- Have their winning project inducted onto Pathways Showcase.
Long Form Category
The winner of the Emerging Writers’ Award for Long Form will:
- Receive $5000 in prize money.
- Receive a mentorship with a suitable full member of the AWG.
- Have their winning project inducted onto Pathways Showcase.
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 Wednesday 17 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 should also not include any reference to previous funding received for the development of the script, including agency logos. 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.
