Writers took centre stage in Hollywood as the 2026 Writers Guild Awards honoured the year’s best storytelling in film and television, with major wins for Ryan Coogler, Paul Thomas Anderson and the television drama The Pitt.
Coogler won the award for Best Original Screenplay for Sinners, a film that has drawn widespread praise during the awards season for its powerful narrative and strong character writing. The win further strengthens the film’s position in the ongoing race for the Oscars.
In the Best Adapted Screenplay category, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson was honoured for One Battle After Another. The film is based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, and Anderson’s screenplay was recognised for successfully bringing the complex story to the screen. The victory adds another accolade to Anderson’s celebrated career as a writer-director.
In documentary filmmaking, Ukrainian journalist and filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov won the Documentary Screenplay award for 2,000 Meters to Andriivka. The film captures the harsh realities of war reporting and offers an intimate look at life on the front lines.
Television categories were largely dominated by the medical drama The Pitt. The series won the awards for Best Drama Series and Best New Series, reflecting strong support from writers across the industry and highlighting its impact on television audiences.
In the comedy category, Apple TV+ series The Studio won Best Comedy Series. The show, a satire set in the entertainment industry, has been widely praised for its sharp and witty writing.
Meanwhile, the limited series award went to Dying for Sex, which was recognised for its emotionally engaging storytelling in the short-format series category.
Presented annually by the Writers Guild of America East and West, the Writers Guild Awards recognise excellence in writing across film, television and other media. The awards are often seen as an important indicator during Hollywood’s awards season and can influence the momentum leading up to the Academy Awards.
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