34th Writers Guild of America Awards

The 34th Writers Guild of America Awards honored the best television, and film writers of 1981. Winners were announced in 1982.

Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first highlighted in boldface.

Reds, Written by Warren Beatty and Trevor Griffiths * Absence of Malice, Written by Kurt Luedtke * Atlantic City, Written by John Guare * Body Heat, Written by Lawrence Kasdan	Arthur, Written by Steve Gordon * The Four Seasons; Written by Alan Alda * Raiders of the Lost Ark, Written by Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas and Philip Kaufman * S.O.B., Written by Blake Edwards
On Golden Pond, Screenplay by Ernest Thompson and Donald E. Stewart; Based on his play * Cutter's Way, Screenplay by Jeffrey Alan Fiskin; Based on the novel by Newton Thornburg * Prince of the City, Screenplay by Jay Presson Allen and Sidney Lumet; Based on the book by Robert Daley * Ragtime, Screenplay by Michael Weller; Based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow	Rich and Famous, Screenplay by Gerald Ayres; Based on the play by John Van Druten * First Monday in October, Screenplay by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee; Based on their play * For Your Eyes Only, Screenplay by Richard Maibaum, and Michael G. Wilson; Based on the stories by Ian Fleming