Australian Writers' Guild (AWG)

Overview

The Australian Writers' Guild (AWG) is the professional association representing writers for screen, stage, audio, and interactive media in Australia. Founded in 1962, the AWG negotiates minimum rates with producers and broadcasters, publishes model contracts, provides industrial advice to members, runs the annual AWGIE Awards, and advocates for writers' creative and economic rights. The AWG is not a union in the legal sense: its minimum rates are not legally binding in the way WGA or DGA agreements are in the United States. However, compliance with AWG rates is the professional standard expected by Screen Australia, Screen Producers Australia (SPA), and the broader Australian screen industry.

If you are an Australian screenwriter, playwright, or interactive writer, AWG membership gives you access to the rate cards, model contracts, and industrial advice you need to negotiate fair deals. If you are a producer working in Australia, AWG rates are the baseline you are expected to meet when engaging professional writers, particularly on productions accessing Screen Australia funding or produced by SPA member companies.

Membership Levels and Costs

The AWG offers three membership levels, all with GST-inclusive pricing. Updated 2025 rates:

Full Membership

Full membership is for writers who have had produced work meeting the AWG's minimum credit requirements. Full members receive unlimited industrial advice, access to all rate cards and model contracts, AWGIE Awards eligibility, and entry to AWG-run competitions and initiatives.

One-off joining fee: $185. Monthly and quarterly payment plans require a minimum 12-month commitment.

Associate Membership

Associate membership is for unproduced writers or writers with produced work below the minimum threshold for Full membership. Associate members receive 6 hours of industrial advice per year (additional advice charged at $165/hour), access to agreements and rate cards, eligibility for the Emerging Writers' Awards, and invitations to industry events.

One-off joining fee: $120. Monthly and quarterly plans require a minimum 12-month commitment.

Student Membership

Student membership is for current students. Members get access to model contracts, rate cards, standard agreements, Emerging Writers' Awards eligibility, industry event invitations, and the AWG script registration service.

The joining fee is waived for Student members. Students must upgrade to Associate or Full membership to enter the AWGIE Awards.

Minimum Rates and Contracts (2025)

The AWG publishes 12 rate cards covering all major writing formats, updated effective January 1, 2025. These rates are available to members through the AWG member portal:

Negotiated vs. Recommended Agreements

The AWG has two categories of agreements:

Negotiated agreements (with SPA): These include the Series and Serials Agreement (SASA), Miniseries and Telemovies Agreement (MATA), and Children's Television Agreement (CTA). These were negotiated between AWG and SPA and carry the weight of industry-standard minimums.

Recommended agreements: These include the Feature Film Agreement, Feature Film Option Agreement, Short Film Writers' Contract, Brainstorming Agreement, Executive Producer Agreement, Script Editor Agreement, and several option and assignment agreements. These are model contracts the AWG recommends as favorable starting points for negotiation. They are not collectively bargained but are accepted as the industry standard for professional writing work in Australia.

Key Negotiation Guidance from AWG

The AWG provides specific advice to writers negotiating deals:

• Option fees should aim for $500 to $1,000 per period
• One year per option period is sufficient; avoid automatic extensions
• Producers should meet milestones before option extensions
• SASA fees cover individual episode scripts, not series concepts; use the TV Option agreement for series concepts
• Production companies may add schedules or annexures that modify the base agreement; always send the full contract to AWG for review

AWGIE Awards

The AWGIE Awards, presented annually since 1967, recognize outstanding achievement in Australian dramatic writing. The 58th Annual AWGIE Awards cover categories across theatrical features, television drama, comedy, documentary, children's programming, stage, radio, web series, and interactive media.

Entry Requirements

• Entrants must be financial Full or Associate Members of the AWG by the closing date and throughout the judging process
• Student Members must upgrade to Associate or Full membership to enter
• Works must be written by an AWG member who is an Australian national or resident, or have been produced or performed in Australia
• All works must be written in English (or include an English translation)
• The AWG reserves the right to determine the applicable category for any given work
• Works previously entered in earlier years are subject to disqualification

The AWGIEs are voted on by AWG members and represent the highest peer recognition for Australian screenwriters and playwrights. For productions, an AWGIE nomination signals script quality to distributors, broadcasters, and international buyers.

Emerging Writers' Awards

The AWG also runs the Emerging Writers' Awards, open to Associate and Student members. In 2026, twelve projects by 14 emerging writers were shortlisted from over 500 entries, including stage plays, television pilots, feature films, and a short film. Winners are announced at an industry event.

Script Registration

The AWG operates a script registration service that creates a timestamped record of a writer's work, providing documentary evidence of creation date useful in any subsequent authorship or plagiarism dispute. For Australian screenwriters sharing work during development, AWG registration provides basic protection that the informal nature of many development conversations makes important.

Industrial Advice

Full members receive unlimited industrial advice related to their professional work, including contract review and credit arbitration support. Associate members receive 6 hours per year, with additional advice charged at $165/hour. This advice does not include legal representation. Members can contact the AWG at industrial@awg.com.au for contract review before signing.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Australian Producers

AWG rate compliance is the professional standard expected by Screen Australia and the broader industry, even though it is not legally mandated like US union agreements. Budgeting for AWG-compliant writing fees from the earliest development stage prevents the compliance complications that arise when productions are structured around inadequate writer compensation. Access the current 2025 rate cards through the AWG member portal or contact the AWG directly for guidance on which agreement applies to your production.

For International Productions Co-Writing with Australian Writers

The AWG rate cards and model contracts provide the framework for understanding what Australian professional writers expect in terms of remuneration and credit. If your production is accessing Screen Australia funding or working with SPA member companies, AWG rates are the baseline. Use the Feature Film Agreement or Feature Film Option Agreement as your starting point for negotiation, and have the AWG review any modified contracts before signing.

For Australian Screenwriters

Full membership ($325 to $850/year depending on income) gives you unlimited industrial advice, access to all 12 rate cards, model contracts, AWGIE eligibility, and script registration. If you are unproduced, Associate membership at $210/year gives you 6 hours of industrial advice and Emerging Writers' Awards eligibility. The AWG advises sending any contract to industrial@awg.com.au for review before signing, particularly for option agreements, which should specify $500 to $1,000 option fees and one-year option periods.

See Also

For the producers association that negotiates alongside AWG, see Screen Producers Australia (SPA) in this directory. For the Australian directors guild, see Australian Directors Guild (ADG) in this directory. For help estimating production budgets that account for AWG-compliant writing fees, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator. For current rate cards and model contracts, visit awg.com.au/contracts-and-rates.