The 2025 Writers Guild Awards, hosted by the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), took place tonight, honoring the best in writing across film, television, streaming, news, radio/audio, and promotional categories. The 77th annual awards featured concurrent ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York, celebrating the craft of screenwriting and storytelling.
The Los Angeles ceremony, held at the Beverly Hilton, was hosted by Joel Kim Booster and featured presenters such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rhea Seehorn, and Lisa Ann Walter. The New York ceremony, hosted at Edison Ballroom by Roy Wood Jr., included appearances from Jesse Eisenberg, Rosie Perez, and DeWanda Wise.
Sean Baker’s Anora took home the award for Original Screenplay, continuing its awards season dominance following wins at the Directors Guild and Producers Guild Awards. Nickel Boys, written by RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, won Adapted Screenplay for its adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Ross and Barnes were also honored with the prestigious Paul Selvin Award, recognizing their screenplay’s embodiment of constitutional and civil rights themes.
HBO/Max had a strong showing, winning across multiple categories, including Hacks for Comedy Series, The Penguin for Limited Series, and The Great Lillian Hall for TV & Streaming Motion Pictures. Disney/FX’s Shōgun made an impressive debut, securing victories in both the Drama Series and New Series categories.
David Lynch Honored
David Lynch, the legendary director and screenwriter, was posthumously awarded the WGA West’s 2025 Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, with Kyle MacLachlan accepting on his behalf.
Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) received the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement, while Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit, Logan) was honored with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement. Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso, Scrubs) received the Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence, and Kathy McGee was recognized with the Richard B. Jablow Award for her service to the Guild.
Due to WGA eligibility rules, several high-profile films were not in contention for awards, including Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Inside Out 2, and Sing Sing. These films were either produced outside the WGA’s collective bargaining agreement or written by non-union members.
The 2025 Writers Guild Awards once again highlighted the power of storytelling and the significance of writers in shaping entertainment across all media. As Hollywood looks toward the Academy Awards, Anora remains a strong contender for Best Original Screenplay, and Nickel Boys continues to receive acclaim for its adaptation.
Check out the full list of Writers Guild Winners below:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anora, Written by Sean Baker; Neon
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Nickel Boys, Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes, Based on the Book The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead; Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Jim Henson: Idea Man, Written by Mark Monroe; Imagine Documentaries
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT
Part One: Inferno to Paradise (Dante), Written by Ric Burns and Riccardo Bruscagli; PBS
COMEDY SERIES
Hacks, Written by Genevieve Aniello, Lucia Aniello, Guy Branum, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Jess Dweck, Ariel Karlin, Andrew Law, Carol Leifer, Carolyn Lipka, Joe Mande, Aisha Muharrar, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Jen Statsky; HBO | Max
DRAMA SERIES
Shōgun, Written by Shannon Goss, Maegan Houang, Rachel Kondo, Matt Lambert, Justin Marks, Caillin Puente, Nigel Williams, Emily Yoshida; FX/Hulu
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Bulletproof” (Hacks), Written by Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky; HBO | Max
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Anjin” (Shōgun), Written for Television by Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks; FX/Hulu
LIMITED SERIES
The Penguin, Written by Vladimir Cvetko, Breannah Gibson,
Erika L. Johnson, Lauren LeFranc, Corina Maritescu, Megan Martin, John
McCutcheon, Shaye Ogbonna, Nick Towne, Noelle Valdivia, Kira Snyder; HBO | Max
NEW SERIES
Shōgun, Written by Shannon Goss, Maegan Houang, Rachel Kondo, Matt Lambert, Justin Marks, Caillin Puente, Nigel Williams, Emily Yoshida; FX/Hulu
COMEDY/VARIETY SERIES – TALK OR SKETCH
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Senior Writers Daniel O’Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Seena Vali Writers Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Tim Carvell, Liz Hynes, Ryan Ken, Mark Kramer, Sofia Manfredi, John Oliver, Taylor Kay Phillips, Chrissy Shackelford; HBO | Max
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die, Written by Nikki Glaser; HBO | Max
TV & STREAMING MOTION PICTURES
The Great Lillian Hall, Written by Elisabeth Seldes Annacone; HBO | Max
DAYTIME DRAMA
The Young and the Restless, Head Writer Amanda L. Beall Writers Susan Banks, Jeff Beldner, Marin Gazzaniga, Lindsay Harrison, Marla Kanelos, Rebecca McCarty, Madeleine Phillips, Dave Ryan; CBS/Paramount +
ANIMATION
“Saving Favorite Drive-In” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Katie Crown; Fox
CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS
“Welcome to Spiderwick” (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Written by Aron Eli Coleite; Roku Channel
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Willie Mays Tribute” (CBS Newspath), Written by Gerald Mazza; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“The Resistance” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Nicole Young, Kristin Steve; CBS News
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Pop Culture Jeopardy!, Writers Marcus Brown, Buzzy Cohen, Michael Davies, Chip Dornell, John Duarte, Mark Gaberman, Debbie Griffin, Michele Loud, Traci Mack, Amy Ozols, Louis Virtel, Billy Wisse; Amazon Prime
DIGITAL NEWS
“What Is Hamas Thinking Now?”, Written by Akbar Shahid Ahmed; HuffPost
SHORT FORM STREAMING
Die Hart 3: Hart to Kill, Written by Tripper Clancy; Roku Channel
RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
“Art on Trial” (One Year: 1990), Written by Evan Chung; Slate
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Passages: Three Women Who Made A Difference”, Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Charles Osgood Remembered”, Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
ON-AIR PROMOTION
“LC Voting Ads”, Written by Desireena Almoradie, Angad Bhalla; YouTube
REELated:
Sean Baker wins top honors at DGA Awards for Anora
