Winners announced in premier Awards for future of Australian screenwriting

27 February, 2019

Screenwriters Nir Shelter and Jules Duncan have been announced the 2018 Monte Miller Award winners, taking home the top prizes in Australia’s premier awards for unproduced screenplays last night in Melbourne.  

In a competitive year of over 450 entries, Shelter was awarded the prize in the Short Form category for the thriller Home, while Duncan received the Long Form Award for the comedic feature The Big Yarn. 

Proving once again that well-crafted stories come in all genres and sizes, their scripts could not be more different: Home grapples with the weight of fear and moral responsibility on an IDF soldier facing a possible attack on a civilian bus in Israel, while The Big Yarn draws us into the small town of Karratha in Western Australia, where a pedantic journo and wannabe cop embroil themselves in comedic chaos and conspiracy. 

‘The Monte Miller Awards have fast become one of the top nights on the industry calendar, showcasing a diverse range of styles and genres by the future of Australian screenwriting,’ said Group CEO Jacqueline Elaine. ‘We’re proud to introduce these talented writers to the industry as the latest Monte Miller cohort of exceptional rising talent.’

The Awards were presented last night to a packed room of screenwriters, entrants, producers and industry decision makers, with AWG President Shane Brennan announcing the winners and comedian Tom Ballard acting as host.

Supported by Screen Australia, the Awards are an Australian Writers’ Guild tradition stretching back to the 70s and each year recognise excellence in screenwriting and playwriting from within the Guild’s Associate Membership.  

The eight shortlisted scripts are now showcased on Pathways Showcase, and can be found linked below. 

The 2018 Monte Miller Awards

Short Form Category 

Winner

Nir Shelter for Home

Shortlist

Michael Gupta for If Pain Persists

Alice Jones for Any Different

Steven J. Tandy and Melissa Fletcher for Junk

Long Form Category 

Winner

Jules Duncan for The Big Yarn

Shortlist

Steven Arriagada, Michael Bates and Bryan Chau for The Anti-Socials

Catherine Prosser and Paul Bissett for Hoop

Alex Von Hofmann for Locked In

The Monte Miller Awards are made possible with support from Screen Australia