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The Australian Writers’ Guild continues to fight against unfair treatment of writers both for the writers’ sake and in support of a healthy industry. We are negotiating new industrial terms and conditions and have developed a new range of model contracts and minimum recommended terms and conditions. Our service for members ups the ante on contract negotiations and adherence. Solidarity is fundamental to winning these battles. Support the guild that works hard for you and your fellow writers, and call on our services to fight for what you are worth.
In joining with other writing professionals, you will be contributing to the health of Australian performance writing culture and all its communities. Without the support and advice of the Guild over the past almost 50 years, many successful writers would never have had the chance to develop the careers they now cherish.
Australia’s most prominent writers are long-serving members of the Australian Writers’ Guild.
The Australian Writers’ Guild continues to fight against unfair treatment of writers both for the writers’ sake and in support of a healthy industry. We are negotiating new recommended industrial terms and conditions and have developed a new range of model contracts and minimum recommended terms and conditions. We launched a brand new service for members in 2010 to up the ante on contract negotiations and adherence. Solidarity is fundamental to winning these battles. Support the guild that works hard for you and your fellow writers, and call on our services to fight for what you are worth.
In joining with other writing professionals, you will be contributing to the health of Australian performance writing culture and all its’ communities. Without the support and advice of the Guild over the past 50 years, many successful writers would never have had the chance to develop the careers they now cherish.
The AWG has a number of membership levels for stage and screen writers. Full members are stage or screen writers who have produced work and are entitled to the full range of services provided by the AWG. Emerging writers without the required amount of produced work can apply for Associate membership of the Guild and can make use of a number of our services and networking opportunities and apply for the many initiatives we run throughout the year. We also have student, senior and overseas membership.
Full, Associate, and Student members can sign up for membership online via the blue JOIN button above. For more information on our Senior and Overseas memberships, please contact our Membership Officer pete.valentish@awg.com.au or call 02 9319 0339.
To qualify for full membership you must have had your screen or stage writing produced.
For film, theatre and radio you must have at least 50 minutes of produced work, television writers must have 45 minutes. For any other form of performance writing please contact the AWG National Office for more information.
One-off Joining Fee $185
| Income | Monthly* | Quarterly* | 12 months |
| Below $40,000 | $27.10 | $81.25 | $325 |
| $40,001-$60,000 | $37.50 | $112.50 | $450 |
| $60,001 – $80,000 | $45.84 | $137.50 | $550 |
| $80,001 – $100,000 | $62.50 | $187.50 | $750 |
| Over $100,000 | $70.75 | $212.50 | $850 |
* Note: Monthly and Quarterly payments must be made for a minimum of 12 months. To register for monthly and quarterly payments please contact us.
Associate Membership is available for un-produced writers or writers with produced work beneath the minimum stated for full membership.
This level of membership is perfect for emerging writers looking for support and craft development opportunities and the chance to network other writers and members of the industry. Associate membership of the AWG is a fantastic way of becoming part of the writing community while you’re looking for your big break.
One-off Joining Fee $120
| Monthly* | Quarterly* | 12 Months |
| $17.50 | $52.50 | $210 |
* Note: Monthly and Quarterly payments must be made for a minimum of 12 months. To register for monthly and quarterly payments please contact us.
To qualify for student membership you must be able to provide proof of enrolment in either a full time course in any subject or a part-time performance writing course.
One-off Joining Fee is waived for Student Members
Once you have completed your online membership subscription, please email your eWay payment receipt together with a copy of your student card or proof of enrolment letter to: pete.valentish@awg.com.au
Your enrolment will not be valid until we have received a copy of your student card or proof of enrolment, and activated your membership.
If you are member of an affiliated organisation (SPAA, ADG, ASA, MEAA etc.), you are eligible for a 25% discount on your annual membership fee. To claim this discount (which applies to Full and Associate members only), please provide your affiliate organisation and membership number when prompted when you sign up online.
As the professional association for Australia’s performance writers, the Australian Writers’ Guild provides our members with extensive industrial support but also work to improve our screen and theatre industries as a whole and in doing so play our part in promoting Australia’s cultural voice.
We work with members to ensure that performance writers get the pay and conditions they deserve. Our members come together to work for and represent their fellow writers across the industry in a number of committees such as the Feature Film, Children’s Television and Playwrights committees. On behalf of our members we establish recommended minimum rates and conditions for writers. We provide model contracts for series and serials, children’s television, theatre and feature film. The AWG gives writers an active political voice by lobbying for the improved status of writers; for industry development and for the protection of writers’ creative rights.
We provide our members with free industrial advice related to their professional work including advice with individual contracts and credit arbitration. This advice is unlimited for full members and limited to 6 hours per year for associate members. Please note it does not include services of legal representation.
For further information please contact one of our Industrial Officers on 02 9319 0339 or industrial@awg.com.au
To access the below industrial contracts, rates and industrial resources, please log in to your membership account above. If you are not a current AWG member, you can join or renew your membership here.
These agreements have been negotiated by the AWG with other organisations. The agreements covering television writing have been negotiated with Screen Producers Australia (SPA). The Theatre Industry Agreement was negotiated with the Australian Major Performing Arts Group (AMPAG).
The AWG recommended agreements provide writers with favourable terms which are a good starting point for negotiations with producers.
These are standard minimum rates the AWG has negotiated over many years, and are accepted as an industrial standard. They are the minimum rates that an Australian writer ought to receive and should by no means prevent you from negotiating a higher fee based on your experience.
The AWG is helping our members get their work noticed with an exciting program called Pathways.
The program has been developed to provide a channel for great scripts that are discovered through our many initiatives and competitions to reach industry professionals looking for fresh new scripts to take to stage and screen. Pathways showcases scripts that our experienced members uncover while judging competitions and consider to have high potential for production.
Industry members can access synopses of the selected scripts on the AWG website and then contact the writer of a script that has piqued their interest.
The program was developed as result of the wealth of fantastic material coming through the AWG mailbox and knowing how difficult it can sometimes be to get a great script noticed. The AWG sees the program as a way to help forge relationships between our members and other industry professionals.
To learn more about Pathways, visit our pathways page
With more than 10 000 scripts given additional protection, it’s no surprise script registration is one of the most popular services we offer to writers at all career stages.
Purpose
The Guild’s Registration Service has been set up (in line with script registration services offered by Writers’ Guilds in the UK, USA and Canada) to assist Guild Members and Associates in establishing the completion date and the identity of their literary property. It should be remembered that the aim of the registration is to prove priority of ownership, and that the priority of ownership cannot necessarily be proved if the material is sent to the reader or producer before it is actually received and registered at the Guild office.
Value
Registration does not confer any protection that you are not already entitled to under Australian law. It merely provides evidence that the author’s prior claim to authorship of the literary material involved and of the date of its completion. In particular, registration does not confer copyright. In Australia, copyright belongs to the author the moment his/her work is completed until he/she decides to license or assign to a purchaser all or part of the rights which constitute copyright. There is no need to do anything to protect an original work, provided you are an Australian resident, and provided the work is original in the sense of being the author(s) own composition.
Material
The Australian Writers’ Guild will accept registration manuscripts as well as material which is not full script form, e.g. synopses, outlines, treatments and scenarios. Each property must be registered separately.
Joint Authors
In the case of joint Authorship, all parties must be Members or Associates of the Guild, and all names must appear on the registration form.
Procedure
One copy of the material which is to be registered shall be lodged with the Guild office, which shall seal the material in an envelope marked with all the relevant details (name and address of the author, title and format of the material, registration number and date of registration, and signature of the staff member acting as registrar). This envelope shall be kept in a safe place by the Guild. Material for registration may be either be mailed or delivered in person to the Guild office, together with the appropriate registration fee. After a registration number has been allocated, the author may then note on the title page of his/her work that it is registered with the Australian Writers’ Guild. The correct makings for the title page are shown below.
Withdrawals
The registered copy of the material left on deposit cannot be returned to the author without defeating the purpose of registration because evidence should be available, if necessary, that the material has been in registration. However, if necessary, an author may have the registered copy returned to him/her at any time upon sufficient notice. A registered envelope will be surrendered only to the author upon presentation of the original registration receipt, proper identification and payment of the withdrawal fee. Where there are joint authors, written consent of all parties must be tendered. Registered manuscripts, or information pertaining thereto, shall be made available to no person other than the author(s) unless a court order has been obtained. Once a script has been withdrawn, the original registration is no longer valid and the material must be registered again.
Duration
Registration is valid for ten (10) years. A registration may be renewed before the end of the ten year period by application to the Guild and payment of the then current renewal fee. In registering a property you authorise the Guild, unless the registration is renewed at the end of the ten year period, to destroy any unclaimed property without notice
Pseudonyms
Scripts may only be registered in the name of the author(s) and under no other name(s). Pseudonyms are not acceptable.
Fees
Registration fee….$27.50 including GST per property ($13.20 including GST for new members’ first registration)
Renewal fee…….. $27.50 including GST per property
Title Page
Australia is a member of both international copyright conventions: the Berne Union and the Universal Copyright Convention. No formalities are required by the former, but under the latter it is necessary to display on your work the copyright symbol “©” your name and the year. Once the script is registered, the title page of all subsequent copies of that script should carry the registration number (see below). This is in effect a warning that you will not tolerate any infringement of your copyright.
The correct style of marking for the title page of your script is:
Copyright or “©” Jane Smith, 1994
Registered with the Australian Writers’ Guild
No: _________
Please note: Registration is available to current financial members of the Guild only.
Please log in to get the Script Registration Form.
If you are not a member join here.
The Australian Writers’ Guild is proud to offer our members a Script Assessment service.
After extensive research and consultation with development professionals working in film, television and theatre, we have created a best practice script assessment service designed to give members constructive and balanced evaluation of their draft scripts.
Australia’s only not-for-profit service, our new structure provides members with a number of choices to suit their experience level and the stage of their script’s development. This includes two tiers of assessment and a range of reporting and consultation options.
Our assessment team includes more than 40 of Australia’s leading assessors, ensuring a high quality of assessment and fast turnaround.
Please log in to access the Script Assessment service and to view the list of our assessors.
We strongly encourage first-time and emerging writers to consider Tier One first . It’s also a level that is appropriate if you’ve embarked on a new script, and need a litmus test before you continue – or if you have a treatment you’d like assessed.
Writers provide a 1 line and a 1 paragraph synopsis, a 20 – 30 page writing sample or treatment from the project they are developing and single A4 page with notes for further work (if so desired). The AWG assessor provides a maximum of 3 pages of written feedback.
Assessment Fee: $220
The Tier Two report is recommended for more established writers, and those who’ve been assessed before. The full (5-6 page) written report meets the delivery requirements of film funding agencies, and is also useful in a broader industry development context.
Writers provide a 1 line and a 1 paragraph synopsis, a full draft script of the project they are developing and single A4 page with notes for further work (if so desired).
The AWG assessor provides a maximum of 6 pages of written feedback.
Assessment Fee: $495
Face-to-face meetings are very popular with both our assessors and writers – they often find it’s a dynamic, fast way to tap fresh creative reservoirs and lay waste to writing blocks.
Writers provide a 1 line and a 1 paragraph project synopsis, a full draft script of the project they are developing and single A4 page with notes for further work (if so desired).
The AWG assessor meets with the writer for a 1 hour face-to-face meeting and provides a 2 page report.
Assessment Fee: $495
From time to time, writers require clarification/further discussion with a reader with regard to the assessment of their project. A follow-up consultation (45 mins over the phone or 60 mins face-to-face) is available for an additional fee. Not all assessors will be available for this service.
Phone Consultation Fee: $110
Face-to-Face Consultation Fee: $165
If you’re not a member of the AWG you can join HERE
The Australian Writers’ Guild has put together a range of additional lifestyle benefits and services where AWG Members are eligible to receive discounts and concessions.
Here are the great new services we have introduced:
AWG members receive 30% off IMDbPro, the go-to resource for the entertainment industry, providing you with access to contacts and representation for over 300,000 industry professionals and details of over 25,000 projects in development. To access this great deal, contact admin@awg.com.au.
AWG members receive 20% off annual subscriptions to ScreenHub and ArtsHub. Keep up-to-date with industry news from local, independent journalists reporting on the Australian arts and screen industries. To access both discounts, contact admin@awg.com.au.
AWG Members can now access fixed reduced rates on car and truck rental through Budget and its Budget Business Club. To make a booking simply, click here. For telephone bookings call and make sure to quote the BCD Number: N039649.
AWG Members receive free shipping and $25 off their first order on already reduced high quality wines, click here and check out whats on offer.
AWG Members receive the 10% industry discount on all AFTRS Open short courses, for details click here or contact open@aftrs.edu.au or 1300 065 281 and quote your AWG membership number.
Receive two professional retouched headshots (studio or location) at Margaret Ellen Burns Photography for $200 exclusive to AWG members and friends. To redeem the offer, contact Margaret directly on 0431337488 or hello@margaretellenburns.com and mention AWG.
AWG Members receive a discounted ticket for any regular sessions, anytime*. Present your AWG membership card at the box office. For cinema details click here.
*Excludes film festivals and special screenings.
AWG Members receive a discounted ticket for any regular sessions, anytime*. Present your AWG membership card at the box office. For cinema details click here.
*Excludes film festivals and special screenings.
AWG Members receive a discounted ticket for any regular session, anytime*. Present your AWG membership card at the box office. For cinema details click here.
*Excludes film festivals and special screenings.
If you wish to suggest a service you would like your Guild to offer its members, please contact our office on 02 9319 0339.
Final Draft – the industry standard for scriptwriting, is available with fantastic discounts from the AWG.
The Australian Writers’ Guild is proud to be an official reseller of Final Draft, the number one selling scriptwriting software in the world.
Final Draft is a program specifically designed for writing screenplays, teleplays, stage plays and scripts for new media. The program formats scripts to entertainment industry standards leaving you to focus your creative energy on the content.
Thanks to our partnership with Final Draft we are able to offer this software and related upgrades to our members at seriously reduced prices.
| AWG Members Only Price: | $199 | For download of Final Draft 11. |
| Non Member Price: | $229 | For download of Final Draft 11. |
| All prices are GST inclusive. | ||
Contact the AWG National Office on 02 9319 0339 or admin@awg.com.au to purchase your copy today and get writing!
Please Note: The Australian Writers’ Guild is an authorised reseller only.
All technical questions relating to the downloading/installation of the product or future software issues or queries should be directed to the Technical Support Team of Final Draft by visiting: http://www.finaldraft.com/support
The Australian Writers’ Guild acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future traditional custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website contains images or names of people who have passed away.