Screenwriters Association to institute Awards for Best Writing

Submissions now open for SWA Awards 2020 for screenwriters and lyricists in 15 categories

December 20, 2019 : On the occasion of its Diamond Jubilee year in 2020, the Screenwriters Association of India (SWA) announces the launch of SWA Awards 2020 – the only awards in India dedicated entirely to screenwriters and lyricists of Hindi Feature Films, Television Shows and Web series. Judged by a jury of eminent screenwriters, these awards will be the most coveted and prestigious awards for writers in India, much like the awards of other prestigious international writers’ guilds and literary organisations.

The Screenwriters Association, with a membership of 30 thousand, has consistently been in the forefront of the cause of writers, proactively fighting to protect the rights of all its members. Its goal has been to get the film and TV industries to acknowledge the central role that writers play in the creation of cinema and TV shows.

While India has a plethora of awards events, by some puzzling logic, writing awards are generally relegated to the unimportant stages of the ceremony, with a generally dismissive attitude. Not just that, often the jury is forced to succumb to the organizers’ pressure to award the most popular or box-office successes.

SWA awards, on the other hand, will celebrate the outstanding writing of the year by having knowledgeable, experienced and credible writers on the jury, following a fair and accountable process of assessing, selecting and awarding quality writing. We do believe that a writer is best equipped to appreciate the nuances of the art and craft of another writer. Being judged and awarded by one’s own fraternity is indeed a writer’s greatest honour.

Current SWA President, Robin Bhatt (with more than 75 writing credits) says, ‘Acknowledging and awarding good writing is more than overdue in an industry that has doggedly ignored writers. SWA awards brings the writer centre-stage!’

The General Secretary, Sunil Salgia says, ‘Applause, Praise, Appreciation and Awards are the only rewards a writer cherishes, and there can be no bigger Award than one given by your Competitors, Friends and Peers.’

The first SWA Award ceremony will be held on May 16, 2020 at St. Andrews Auditorium, Bandra. Hindi Feature Films, Television Shows & Web series released in 2019 will be eligible to compete in 15 categories including best script, screenplay, dialog, best lyrics, and so on. While all feature films released in 2019 will automatically be considered for the awards in the Feature Film categories, there will be a call for submissions for Television Shows, Web series and Lyrics. The form and other details will be available at  https://awards.swaindia.org/  and open to submissions from December 20th to January 20th.

This diamond jubilee let’s celebrate the Kohinoor of content – the Screenwriter.