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WGA Awards 2025 Film and Television Nominees and Winners

The Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East have chimed in with their selection of the best writing among television and film offerings of 2024. The 2025 WGA Awards nomination announcement was delayed a week due to the devastating fires that hit Los Angeles and scorched more than 40,000 acres. The guild stuck to its February 15th date for the awards ceremonies that took place at New York’s Edison Ballroom and Los Angeles’ Beverly Hilton.

Anora continues to gain steam as it heads toward the Oscars, taking the WGA’s Original Screenplay honor after scoring Critics Choice Awards’ Best Picture and the DGA’s Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film wins.

WGA Awards 2025 Nominees and Winners

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

A Real Pain, Written by Jesse Eisenberg; Searchlight Pictures

WINNER: Anora, Written by Sean Baker; NEON

Challengers, Written by Justin Kuritzkes; Amazon MGM Studios

Civil War, Written by Alex Garland; A24

My Old Ass, Written by Megan Park; Amazon MGM Studios

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

A Complete Unknown, Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks, Based on the Book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald; Searchlight Pictures

Dune: Part 2, Screenplay by Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, Based on the Novel Dune by Frank Herbert; Warner Bros. Pictures

Hit Man, Screenplay by Richard Linklater & Glen Powell, Based on the Texas Monthly Article by Skip Hollandsworth; Netflix

WINNER: Nickel Boys, Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes, Based on the Book The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead; Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios

Wicked, Screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox, Based on the musical stage play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, From the Novel by Gregory Maguire; Universal Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

WINNER: Jim Henson: Idea Man, Written by Mark Monroe; Imagine Documentaries

Kiss the Future, Screenplay by Bill S. Carter, Story by Bill S. Carter and Nenad Cicin-Sain; Fifth Season

Martha, Written by R.J. Cutler; Netflix

War Game, Written by Tony Gerber & Jesse Moss; Submarine Deluxe

DRAMA SERIES

The Boys, Written by Geoff Aull, Jessica Chou, Paul Grellong, Eric Kripke, Ellie Monahan, Judalina Neira, David Reed, Anslem Richardson; Prime Video

The Diplomat, Written by Peter Ackerman, Eli Attie, Debora Cahn, Anna Hagen, Julianna Dudley Meagher, Peter Noah; Netflix

Fallout, Written by Jake Bender, Karey Dornetto, Zach Dunn, Kieran Fitzgerald, Chaz Hawkins, Lisa Joy, Carson Mell, Jonathan Nolan, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Gursimran Sandhu, Graham Wagner; Prime Video

Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Written by Carla Ching, Adamma Ebo, Adanne Ebo, Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Schuyler Pappas, Francesca Sloane, Yvonne Hana Yi; Prime Video

WINNER: Shōgun, Written by Shannon Goss, Maegan Houang, Rachel Kondo, Matt Lambert, Justin Marks, Caillin Puente, Nigel Williams, Emily Yoshida; FX/Hulu

COMEDY SERIES

Abbott Elementary, Written by Quinta Brunson, Ava Coleman, Riley Dufurrena, Justin Halpern, Joya McCrory, Chad Morton, Morgan Murphy, Brittani Nichols, Rebekka Pesqueira, Kate Peterman, Brian Rubenstein, Patrick Schumacker, Justin Tan, Jordan Temple, Garrett Werner; ABC

The Bear, Written by Karen Joseph Adcock, Joanna Calo, Rene Gube, Will Guidara, Matty Matheson, Alex Russell, Catherine Schetina, Christopher Storer, Courtney Storer; FX/Hulu

Curb Your Enthusiasm, Written by Larry David, Jon Hayman, Justin Hurwitz, Carol Leifer, Stephen Leff, Jeff Schaffer, Nathaniel Stein; HBO | Max

WINNER: 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

What We Do in the Shadows, Written by Jake Bender, Max Brockman, Zach Dunn, Shana Gohd, Amelia Haller, Sam Johnson, Jeremy Levick, Chris Marcil, William Meny, Sarah Naftalis, Marika Sawyer, Paul Simms, Rajat Suresh, Lauren Wells; FX/Hulu

NEW SERIES

English Teacher, Written by Brian Jordan Alvarez, Wally Baram, Jake Bender, Emmy Blotnick, Zach Dunn, Dave King, Stephanie Koenig, Jonathan Krisel, Paul Simms, Samantha Shier; FX/Hulu

Fallout, Written by Jake Bender, Karey Dornetto, Zach Dunn, Kieran Fitzgerald, Chaz Hawkins, Lisa Joy, Carson Mell, Jonathan Nolan, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Gursimran Sandhu, Graham Wagner; Prime Video

Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Written by Carla Ching, Adamma Ebo, Adanne Ebo, Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Schuyler Pappas, Francesca Sloane, Yvonne Hana Yi; Prime Video

Nobody Wants This, Written by Barbie Adler, Jane Becker, Jack Burditt, Vali Chandrasekaran, Craig DiGregorio, Erin Foster, Lindsay Golder, Steven Levitan, Pat Regan, Niki Schwartz-Wright, Neel Shah, Noelle Valdivia, Ron Weiner, Ryann Werner; Netflix

WINNER: Shōgun, Written by Shannon Goss, Maegan Houang, Rachel Kondo, Matt Lambert, Justin Marks, Caillin Puente, Nigel Williams, Emily Yoshida; FX/Hulu

LIMITED SERIES

WINNER: 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

Presumed Innocent, Written by Miki Johnson, David E. Kelley, Sharr White; Apple TV+

Ripley, Written by Steven Zaillian; Netflix

Say Nothing, Written by Clare Barron, Joe Murtagh, Kirsten Sheridan, Joshua Zetumer; FX/Hulu

True Detective: Night Country, Written by Katrina Albright, Alan Page Arriaga, Namsi Khan, Issa López, Chris Mundy, Wenonah Wilms; HBO | Max

TV & STREAMING MOTION PICTURES

WINNER: The Great Lillian Hall, Written by Elisabeth Seldes Annacone; HBO | Max

Prom Dates, Written by D.J. Mausner; Hulu

Rebel Ridge, Written by Jeremy Saulnier; Netflix

Terry McMillan Presents Forever, Written by Bart Baker; Lifetime

ANIMATION

“Bottle Episode” (The Simpsons), Written by Rob LaZebnik & Johnny LaZebnik; Fox

“Cremains of the Day” (The Simpsons), Written by John Frink; Fox

“Night of the Living Wage” (The Simpsons), Written by Cesar Mazariegos; Fox

WINNER: “Saving Favorite Drive-In” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Katie Crown; Fox

“The Tina Table: The Tables Have Tina-ed” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Greg Thompson; Fox

“Winter Is Born” (Blood of Zeus), Written by Charles Parlapanides & Vlas Parlapanides; Netflix

EPISODIC DRAMA

WINNER: “Anjin” (Shōgun), Written for Television by Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks; FX/Hulu

“The Beginning” (Fallout), Written by Gursimran Sandhu; Prime Video

“Fear of the End” (Evil), Written by Rockne S. O’Bannon & Nialla LeBouef; Paramount+

“First Date” (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), Written by Francesca Sloane & Donald Glover; Prime Video

“Olivia” (Sugar), Written by Mark Protosevich; Apple TV+

“Pilot” (Elsbeth), Written by Robert King & Michelle King; CBS

EPISODIC COMEDY

“AGG” (Somebody Somewhere), Written by Hannah Bos & Paul Thureen and Bridget Everett; HBO | Max

WINNER: “Bulletproof” (Hacks), Written by Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky; HBO | Max

“Linda” (English Teacher), Written by Jake Bender & Zach Dunn; FX/Hulu

“Napkins” (The Bear), Written by Catherine Schetina; FX/Hulu

“Once Upon a Time in the West” (Only Murders in the Building), Written by John Hoffman & Joshua Allen Griffith; Hulu

“Petiole” (The Sticky), Written by Brian Donovan & Ed Herro; Prime Video

COMEDY/VARIETY SERIES – TALK OR SKETCH

The Daily Show, Head Writer Dan Amira Senior Writers Lauren Sarver Means, Daniel Radosh Writers David Angelo, Nicole Conlan, Devin Delliquanti, Zach DiLanzo, Jennifer Flanz, Jason Gilbert, Dina Hashem, Scott Hercman, Josh Johnson, David Kibuuka, Matt Koff, Joe Opio, Randall Otis, Zhubin Parang, Kat Radley, Lanee’ Sanders, Scott Sherman, Jon Stewart, Ashton Womack, Sophie Zucker; Comedy Central

John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A., Writers Anna Drezen, David Ferguson, Fran Gillespie, Langston Kerman, Jeremy Levick, John Mulaney, Alex Scordelis, Rajat Suresh; Netflix

The Kelly Clarkson Show, Head Writer Jordan Watland Writers Kevin Hurley, Nik Robinson; Syndicated

WINNER: 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

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Head Writers Ariel Dumas, Jay Katsir Writers Delmonte Bent, Michael Brumm, Aaron Cohen, Stephen T. Colbert, Paul Dinello, Glenn Eichler, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Michael Cruz Kayne, Eliana Kwartler, Matt Lappin, Caroline Lazar, Pratima Mani, Felipe Torres Medina, Opus Moreschi, Carley Moseley, Asher Perlman, Michael Pielocik, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux, Steve Waltien; CBS

Saturday Night Live, Head Writers Alison Gates, Streeter Seidell, Kent Sublette Writers Rosebud Baker, Dan Bulla, Megan Callahan-Shah, Steven Castillo, Michael Che, Mike DiCenzo, Alex English, Jimmy Fowlie, Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, Steve Higgins, Vannessa Jackson, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Ben Marshall, Dennis McNicholas, Lorne Michaels, Jake Nordwind, Ceara O’Sullivan, Josh Patten, Gary Richardson, Pete Schultz, KC Shornima, Asha Ward, Auguste White, Celeste Yim; NBC

COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS

The 77th Annual Tony Awards, Written by Dave Boone; CBS

A Closer Look with Seth Meyers: Primetime Live Election Special, Head Writer Alex Baze Writing Supervised by Mike Scollins Closer Look Writing Supervised by Sal Gentile Written by Alex Baze, Bryan Donaldson, Sal Gentile, Matt Goldich, Allison Hord, Mike Scollins, Seth Meyers, Mike Shoemaker; NBC

WINNER: Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die, Written by Nikki Glaser; HBO | Max

Ramy Youssef: More Feelings, Written by Ramy Youssef; HBO | Max

QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

Jeopardy!, Writers Marcus Brown, Michael Davies, John Duarte, Mark Gaberman, Debbie Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC

WINNER: 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

DAYTIME DRAMA

Days of Our Lives, Head Writer Ron Carlivati Writers Sonja Alarr, Kirk Doering, Christopher Dunn, Jamey Giddens, David Kreizman, Henry Newman, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Katherine D. Schock; Peacock

General Hospital, Head Writers Elizabeth Korte, Chris Van Etten Writers Nigel Campbell, Ashley Cook, Emily Culliton, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Catherine LePard, Patrick Mulcahey, Dan O’Connor, Shannon Peace, Stacey Pulwer, Anne Schoettle, Scott Sickles, Micah Steinberg; ABC

WINNER: 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 +

CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS

“A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers” (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Written by Rick Riordan & Jonathan E. Steinberg; Disney+

“I’m Pogey” (Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock), Written by Charley Feldman; Apple TV+

Out of My Mind, Written by Daniel Stiepleman; Disney+

“The Sign Language ABCs” (Sesame Street), Written by Jessica Carleton; HBO | Max

WINNER: “Welcome to Spiderwick” (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Written by Aron Eli Coleite; Roku Channel

SHORT FORM STREAMING

WINNER: Die Hart 3: Hart to Kill, Written by Tripper Clancy; Roku Channel

Tiny Time Travel, Written by Annabeth Bondor-Stone, Cynthia Furey, Tim McKeon, Nikki Palumbo, Connor White, Moujan Zolfaghari; PBS Kids

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT

“The American Vice President” (American Experience), Written by Michelle Ferrari; PBS

“The Cancer Detectives” (American Experience), Written by Gene Tempest; PBS

WINNER: “Part One: Inferno to Paradise” (Dante), Written by Ric Burns and Riccardo Bruscagli; PBS

“Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal” (American Experience), Written by Jamila Ephron; PBS

The Space Race, Written by Mark Monroe; National Geographic Channel



This post was last modified on April 2, 2025 8:53 pm

Rebecca Murray: Journalist covering the entertainment industry for 23+ years, including 13 years as the first writer for About.com's Hollywood Movies site. Member of the Critics Choice Association (Film & TV Branches), Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and Past President of the San Diego Film Critics Society.
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