AWGIE Award nominees showcase diversity of voices currently soaring in industry

28 June, 2018

Thursday 28 June 2018

An outstanding field of Australian film, television and theatre is set to shine at the 51st Annual AWGIE Awards, showcasing a wealth of unique Australian voices at a time when our stories have never been more important.A quick glance at the nominee list reveals a class that includes acclaimed names of AWGIE-Award history alongside the exciting future of our industry, a diverse and passionate mix of stage and screen writers producing work that challenges and entertains us at home and abroad.

From stories such as Safe Harbour, Sunshine, Mystery Road, Fighting Season and The Wrong Girl that reflect and confront modern Australia, to Riot and Picnic at Hanging Rock which interrogate and celebrate our past, the television categories are an exploration of Australian screenwriting at its finest. SBS has emerged as a strong contender in the drama categories, meanwhile ABC continues to dominate Comedy, with last year’s winner Rosehaven up against Ronny Chieng: International Student, Get Krack!n, Mr Inbetween and Fucking Adelaide. 

In a strong year for theatre, works by some of the top names in the industry remind us that some of our most unique and exciting creative work happens on stages around the nation every day, with award-winning play Rice by Michele Lee up against works by Lally Katz, Tommy Murphy, Kate Mulvany and a collaboration between powerhouses Angus Cerini, Patricia Cornelius, Melissa Reeves and Wayne Macauley.Music 

Theatre also shines, with blockbuster Muriel’s Wedding the Musical by PJ Hogan nominated alongside Stephen Vizard’s Vigil and Alana Valentine and Ursula Yovich’s impassioned Barbara and the Camp Dogs. 

Children’s television is dominated by NITV productions Little J and Big Cuz and Grace Beside Me, meanwhile the Interactive Media and Web Series categories showcase how new formats for storytelling are giving voice to a generation of innovative Australian creators eager to break down technological, creative and social boundaries, with exciting works such as Inside Manus, Rumu, Freudian Slip, Homecoming Queens and Wrong Kind of Black all up for Awards.

Critically acclaimed feature film Sweet Country, written by Steven McGregor and David Tranter, will vie with Jaime Browne’s Brothers’ Nest for feature film.

Awards will be presented across 18 individual categories including feature film, television, documentary, theatre, radio, animation and interactive media, with a new theatre-style format promising a shorter, sharper and more spectacular evening.Individual category winners will be eligible for the Major Award, given to the most outstanding script of the year. Past winners have included The Drover’s Wife (2017), The Code (2014 and 2016), The Water Diviner (2015), The Sapphires (2012), Animal Kingdom (2010) and Cloud Street (1999).Individual theatre category winners are also eligible for the David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre.

AWGIE recipients will be announced at the 51st Annual AWGIE Awards on Thursday 30 August 2018 at the City Recital Hall, Sydney. Tickets are on sale now.

Since 1968 the Australian Writers’ Guild has presented the AWGIE Awards to recognise and reward the talents, triumphs and unique contributions of Australian screen and stage writers to the Australian arts. The AWGIE Awards are the only writers’ awards judged solely by writers, based on the written script – the writer’s intention rather than the finished product.

Find the full list of nominees for the 51st Annual AWGIE Awards here.

Media contact: Shannen Usher shannen@awg.com.au