WGC Screenwriting Awards


The WGC Screenwriting Awards are administered by the Writers Guild of Canada, and are awarded to the best script for a feature film, television or radio project produced within the Guild's jurisdiction, written by a guild member in good standing, and broadcast or released in North America or screened at a Canadian film festival for the first time in the previous year.
In addition to the film, television and radio categories, special awards presented by the WGC include the Sondra Kelly Award for projects written by women, the Denis McGrath Service Award for distinguished contributions to the organization, and the Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize for the best unproduced new screenplay. In 2025, the program also took over administration of the Margaret Collier Award, a lifetime achievement award for television writing previously presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television under the Gemini Awards and the Canadian Screen Awards.

Awards

2006

  • Children & Preschool — Mary Crawford and Alan Templeton, King: "Stolen Voices"
  • Comedy & Variety — Brent Butt and Paul Mather, Corner Gas: "Dog River Vice"
  • Documentary — Robert Duncan, Woodward's: The Competition
  • Drama, Half-Hour — Susin Nielsen, Robson Arms: "Dancing the Horizontal Mambo"
  • Drama, One Hour — Susan Coyne, Bob Martin and Mark McKinney, Slings & Arrows: "Steeped in Blood"
  • Feature Film — Wil Zmak, The Dark Hours
  • Radio Drama — Jason Sherman, Graf: "Episode 1"
  • Youth — Jeff Biederman, Life with Derek: "The Party"
  • Alex Barris Mentorship Award — Josh Miller
  • Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize — Jason Hreno, Two Mountains
  • Writers Block Award — Fred Yackman

    2007

  • Children & Preschool — Kate Barris, If the World Were a Village
  • Comedy & Variety — Brent Butt and Kevin White, Corner Gas: "Outside Joke"
  • Documentary — Barry Stevens, The Bomber's Dream
  • Drama, Half-Hour — Laura Kosterski, Naked Josh: "Beating the Rap"
  • Drama, One Hour — Susan Coyne, Bob Martin and Mark McKinney, Slings & Arrows: "That Way Madness Lies"
  • Feature Film — Sarah Polley, Away from Her
  • MOW & Miniseries — John W. Doyle and Lisa Porter, Above and Beyond
  • Radio Drama — Andrew Moodie, Greg Nelson, Adam Pettle and Jason Sherman, Afghanada: "Episode 4"
  • Youth — Brent Piaskoski, Naturally Sadie: "Rashomon"
  • Showrunner Award — Brad White
  • Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize — Ryan Redford, Bone
  • Writers Block Award — Sondra Kelly, Sugith Varughese

    2008

  • Children & Preschool — Kenn Scott, Iggy Arbuckle: "Petition Impossible"
  • Documentary — Barri Cohen, Toxic Trespass
  • Drama Series, Half-Hour — Mark Farrell and Robert Sheridan, Corner Gas: "Seeing Things"
  • Drama Series, One Hour — Denis McGrath and Robert Wertheimer, Across the River to Motor City: "Happy Birthday, Mr. President"
  • Feature Film — Travis McDonald, Normal
  • MOW or Miniseries — Ian Weir, Dragon Boys
  • Radio Drama — Jason Sherman, Adam Pettle and Greg Nelson, Afghanada: "Episode 12"
  • Variety — Kevin White, Mark Critch, Irwin Barker, Gavin Crawford, Gary Pearson, Jennifer Whalen, Carolyn Taylor, Albert Howell, Dave Nystrom, Geri Hall, Todd Allen and Tim McAuliffe, This Hour Has 22 Minutes: "Season XIV, Episode 17"
  • Youth — Brent Piaskoski, Naturally Sadie: "In or Out of Africa"
  • WGC Showrunner Award — Peter Mohan
  • Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize — Tony Elliott, Stranger Than You
  • Alex Barris Mentorship Award — Allan Magee
  • WGC Writers Block Award — Jack Blum, Jeremy Hole and Ann MacNaughton

    2009

  • Animation — Shane Simmons, Ricky Sprocket: Showbiz Boy: "The Perfect Family"
  • Children & Preschool — Christin Simms, Captain Flamingo: "Comic Slip"
  • Documentary — John Walker, Passage
  • Episodic, Half-Hour — Brent Butt, Corner Gas: "Full Load"
  • Episodic, One Hour — Adam Barken, Flashpoint: "Who's George?"
  • Feature Film — Don McKellar, Blindness
  • MOW & Miniseries — Andrew Wreggitt, Mayerthorpe
  • Radio Drama — Greg Spottiswood, Afghanada: "The Lotus Eater"
  • Short Film — Kellie Ann Benz, Awkward
  • Variety — Mark Critch, Gavin Crawford, Kyle Tingley, Jennifer Whalen, Albert Howell, Tim McAuliffe, Dean Jenkinson, Geri Hall and Nathan Fielder, This Hour Has 22 Minutes: "Season XVI, Episode 1"
  • Youth — Brent Piaskoski, The Latest Buzz: "The Gala Issue"
  • Showrunner Award — Mark Farrell
  • Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize — Riley Adams, Cold Rush
  • Writers Block Award — Karen Walton

    2010

  • Animation — Shelley Scarrow, Total Drama Action: "The Sand Witch Project"
  • Children & Preschool — Kate Barris, Max & Ruby: "Max Says Goodbye"
  • Documentary — Robert Lower, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet: 40 Years of One Night Stands
  • Episodic, Half-Hour — Garry Campbell, Less Than Kind: "The Daters"
  • Episodic, One Hour — Robert C. Cooper, Stargate Universe: "Time"
  • Feature Film — Jacob Tierney, The Trotsky
  • MOW & Miniseries — John Krizanc, The Summit
  • Radio Drama — Barbara Samuels, Afghanada: "Episode 61"
  • Short Subject — Jessie Gabe, Being Erica: "Webisodes"
  • Variety — Ed Macdonald, Mark Critch, Gavin Crawford, Kyle Tingley, Albert Howell, Dean Jenkinson, Joanne O’Sullivan, Tara Doyle, Erik van Wyck, Mike Allison and Joey Case, This Hour Has 22 Minutes: "Season XVII, Episode 6"
  • Youth — Anita Kapila, How to Be Indie: "How to Be a Mehta"
  • Alex Barris Mentorship Award — Peter Mitchell
  • Showrunner Award — Heather Conkie
  • Writers Block Award — Rebecca Schechter

    2011

  • Animation — Karen Moonah, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!: "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Maps"
  • Children & Youth — Barbara Haynes, The Latest Buzz: "The Extreme Shakespeare Issue"
  • Comedy — Chris Sheasgreen, Less Than Kind: "Coming Home"
  • Documentary — Christine Nielsen, The Pig Farm
  • Drama — Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern, Flashpoint: "Jumping at Shadows"
  • Feature Film — Michael Konyves, Barney's Version
  • Shorts & Webseries — Lisa Hunter, You Are So Undead
  • Showrunner Award — Tassie Cameron
  • Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize — Denise Blinn, 1936
  • Writers Block Award — Peter Grant

    2012

  • Animation — Darrin Rose, Scaredy Squirrel: "Nothing But the Tooth"
  • Children & Youth — Alice Prodanou, My Babysitter's a Vampire: "ReVamped"
  • Comedy — Craig David Wallace, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil: "A Farewell to Curtis' Arm"
  • Documentary — Gary Marcuse, Waking the Green Tiger: A Green Movement Rises in China
  • Drama — Larry Bambrick, Flashpoint: "Shockwave"
  • Movies & Miniseries — Bruce Smith, John A.: Birth of a Country
  • Shorts & Webseries — Patrick Tarr, Murdoch Mysteries: The Curse of the Lost Pharaohs
  • Showrunner Award — Mark McKinney
  • Alex Barris Mentorship Award — Barbara Samuels
  • Writers Block Award — Chuck Lazer

    2013

  • Animation — Dan Williams and Lienne Sawatsky, Sidekick: "I, Sidebot"
  • Children & Youth — John May and Suzanne Bolch, How to Be Indie: "How to Make a Christmas Miracle"
  • Comedy — Kim Coghill, Less Than Kind: "Jerk Chicken"
  • Documentary — Mitch Miyagawa, A Sorry State
  • Drama — Martin Gero, The L.A. Complex: "Down in L.A."
  • Movies & Miniseries — Andrew Wreggitt, The Phantoms
  • Shorts & Webseries — Julie Strassman-Cohn and Jill Golick, Ruby Skye P.I.: The Haunted Library: "#Creepy"
  • Showrunner Award — Mark Ellis, Stephanie Morgenstern
  • Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize — Adam Garnet Jones, Wild Medicine
  • Writers Block Award — Anne-Marie Perrotta, Simon Racioppa, Lienne Sawatsky

    2014

  • Animation — Hollis Ludlow-Carroll, Almost Naked Animals: "The Rotation Situation"
  • Children & Youth — Lisa Hunter, Finding Stuff Out: "Babies and Families" and Cole Bastedo, Mr. Young: "Mr. Love Letter"
  • Comedy — Marvin Kaye and Chris Sheasgreen, Less Than Kind: "I'm Only Nineteen"
  • Documentary — Barry Stevens, Sector Sarajevo
  • Drama — Will Pascoe, Orphan Black: "Variations Under Domestication"
  • Movies & Miniseries — Elan Mastai, The F Word
  • Shorts & Webseries — Jill Golick and Julie Strassman, Ruby Skye P.I.: The Haunted Library: "The Final Clue"
  • Alex Barris Mentorship Award — Susin Nielsen
  • Showrunner Award — Peter Mitchell
  • Writers Block Award — Maureen Parker

    2015

  • Animation — Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott, Fangbone!: "The Warbrute of Friendship"
  • Children & Youth — Melody Fox, The Haunting Hour: The Series: "Mrs. Worthington"
  • Comedy — Andrew De Angelis, Mr. D: "Old School"
  • Documentary — Michael McNamara, The Cholesterol Question
  • Drama — Tony Elliott, Orphan Black: "Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est"
  • Movies & Miniseries — Nicolas Billon, Elephant Song
  • Shorts & Webseries — Jason Leaver, Out with Dad: "Outed"
  • Showrunner Award — Bruce Smith
  • Sondra Kelly Award — Alison Lea Bingeman
  • Writers Block Award — Denis McGrath

    2016

  • Children — Evan Thaler Hickey, Numb Chucks: "Witless to the Prosecution"
  • Comedy — Amanda Walsh, Schitt's Creek: "The Cabin"
  • Documentary — Josh Freed, Deluged by Data
  • Drama — Russ Cochrane, Orphan Black: "Newer Elements of Our Defense"
  • Feature Film — James Kee, Sarah Larsen, Doug Taylor and Pascal Trottier, A Christmas Horror Story
  • MOW & Miniseries — Clement Virgo and Lawrence Hill, The Book of Negroes
  • Shorts & Webseries — Michael Konyves, Goldfish
  • Tweens & Teens — Jennica Harper, Some Assembly Required: "Rocket with a Pocket"
  • Showrunner Award — Frank van Keeken
  • Sondra Kelly Award — Penny Gummerson
  • Writers Block Award — Peter Mohan
  • Alex Barris Mentorship Award — Clive Endersby