The Writers Guild of America has become the latest Hollywood guild to announce the timeline for its 2012 awards, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 19 in Los Angeles and New York.
The schedule will make the WGA the last of the major Hollywood guilds to present its awards, exactly one week before the Academy Awards.
Under a timeline released on Wednesday by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West, submission deadlines begin in October and run to the beginning of December, depending on the category; nominations will be announced on Dec. 7 for television, radio, news, promotional writing and graphic animation, on Jan. 5 for theatrical features (including documentaries), and tentatively on Jan. 11 for new media and videogame writing.
The awards will be handed out simultaneously at ceremonies at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles and a yet-to-be-determined location in New York.
The eligibility period for theatrical features is the calendar year 2011, while the period for broadcast submissions varies depending on the category. Additional information is available at www.wgaeast.org and www.wga.org.
Curiously, the WGA timeline also includes a notation for February 26 as the date of the Academy Awards – a curious inclusion because unlike most other guilds, the WGA only opens its awards to screenplays written under guild jurisdiction. As a result, the WGA Awards draw from a far smaller field than the Oscars, making them one of the least-reliable predictors of Oscar success.
The timeline:
Oct. 14, 2011: Deadline for submissions: TV-Radio and Paul Selvin Award scripts
Oct. 14: Deadline for submissions: Drama, Comedy, and New TV Series
Oct. 25: Preliminary Drama/Comedy/New TV Series online voting begins
Nov. 18: Deadline for submissions: Theatrical and Documentary Screenplays
Nov. 18: Deadline for submissions: New Media Writing
Nov. 29: Deadline for Preliminary Drama, Comedy, and New TV Series online voting
Dec. 1: Deadline for submissions: Videogame Writing
Dec. 2: Preliminary Screenplay online voting begins
Dec. 7: Television, Radio, News, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation nominees announced
Dec. 31: Theatrical eligibility period ends (Original/Adapted/Documentary Screenplays)
Jan. 3, 2012: Deadline for preliminary screenplay online voting
Jan. 5: Theatrical and Documentary Screenplay nominees announced
Jan. 6: Final Screenplay and Drama, Comedy, and New TV Series online voting begins
Jan. 10 – January 19: "The Contenders" – WGA-nominated films screening series
Jan. 11: New Media and Videogame Writing nominees announced (Tentative)
Jan. 27: Deadline for Final Screenplay and Drama/Comedy/New TV Series online voting
Feb. 8: Deadline for reservations and ticket sales for 2012 WGA L.A. ceremony
Feb. 16: "Beyond Words" – WGA-nominated screenwriters panel & reception
Feb. 19: 2012 Writers Guild Awards
