Funding Initiatives and Awards
- Bell Media Diverse Screenwriters Program
The Writers Guild runs a program called the Diverse Screenwriters Program in collaboration with Bell Media. This program is geared towards encouraging diversity within the Canadian artistic landscape. The program is divided into two sessions, one for Eastern Canada and one for Western Canada. Up to eight up-and-coming screenwriters participate in each weeklong session or training, and two are offered a paid internship as a writer on one of Bell Media’s TV shows. Participants are also connected with an experienced scriptwriter for three months in order to hone their pitching skills and ideas.
- WGC Screenwriting Awards
These awards have been given out since 1996 to honor the achievements of Guild members in television, film, short film, documentary and writing for the web.
- Sondra Kelly Award
This award is given annually to a female screenwriter who already has several writing credits and a current project in the works. The award gives this screenwriter $5000 to develop a self-initiated project. The winner of the 2012 award will be announced in December.
- Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize
The Jim Burt Prize rewards promising unproduced feature-length screenplays that tell uniquely Canadian stories. The award is named for the late Jim Burt, who was known to champion Canadian films such The Boys of St. Vincent and The War Between Us during his time at the CBC. The winner is awarded a $1,500 cash prize and $2,000 to go towards an experienced story editor to help in the development of their work.
- WGC Showrunner Award
This annual award is given to an exemplary writer/producer that has success in applying their creative vision to the screen.
Recipients:
2012: Mark McKinney
2011: Tassie Cameron
2010: Heather Conkie
2009: Mark Farrell
2008: Peter Mohan
2007: Brad Wright
- Alex Barris Mentorship Award
Writers can nominate a person that has helped them get a start in the industry. This could be anyone, from a teacher to a producer to a story editor.
- WGC Writers Block Award
The recipient of this award is decided by the Council and is someone who has contributed significantly to the Writers Guild and the Canadian screenwriting community.
Read more about this topic: Writers Guild Of Canada
Famous quotes containing the word initiatives:
“It is well known, that the best productions of the best human intellects, are generally regarded by those intellects as mere immature freshman exercises, wholly worthless in themselves, except as initiatives for entering the great University of God after death.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)