Writer’s Guild Awards: Sean Baker “Anora” and RaMell Ross “Nickel Boys”

WGAW’s 2025 Writers Guild Awards West ceremony was hosted by comedian-writer-producer Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island) at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Presenters at this year’s show included: Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts), Eric Bauza (Looney Tunes Cartoons), Clancy Brown (The Penguin), Jordan Firstman (Ms. Marvel), Edwin Lee Gibson (The Bear), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Don Jon, Mr. Corman), Ernie Hudson (The Family Business, Ghostbusters), Diarra Kilpatrick (Diarra from Detroit), Franklin Leonard (creator of the Black List), Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians),  Justine Lupe (Succession), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet), Joe Manganiello (True Blood, One Tree Hill), Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul, Bad Boys: Ride or Die), Kiernan Shipka (The Last Showgirl), Luke Tennie (Shrinking), Lisa Ann Walter (Abbot Elementary), Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 9-1-1) With special appearances by Gillian Anderson (X-Files, The Crown), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Bill Pullman (Lost Highway), and Naomi Watts ( Feud: Capote vs. The Swans).

The evening saw Anora, written by Sean Baker; NEON take home the top award for Original Screenplay. For Adapted Screenplay, the award went to Nickel Boys, Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes, Based on the Book The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead; Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios. Other big winners included Hacks for Best Comedy Series and Shōgun for Best New Series.

The WGAW presented several honorary special achievement awards:

Legendary screenwriter and director David Lynch (Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man) was posthumously awarded the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, presented by Kyle MacLachlan who also accepted the award on Lynch’s behalf.

Groundbreaking TV creator Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) received the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement, presented by Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul, Bad Boys: Ride or Die).

RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes received the Paul Selvin Award for their film Nickel Boys (Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes, based on the Book The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead), presented by Black List creator Franklin Leonard. The Selvin Award is given to the script that best embodies the spirit of the constitutional and civil rights and liberties that are indispensable to the survival of free writers everywhere.

For the full list of winners, visit awards.wga.org