The 2026 Writers Guild Awards was a night of unforgettable storytelling, where ‘Sinners’ and ‘One Battle After Another’ shone brightly as the best screenplays, with luminaries Ryan Coogler and Paul Thomas Anderson taking the crown. Meanwhile, in a stunning display of talent, ‘The Pitt’ swept the television categories, bagging honors for both Drama Series and New Series.
‘Sinners’ and ‘One Battle After Another’ emerged as the top film winners at the 2026 Writers Guild Awards, while ‘The Pitt’ dominated the television side with a clean sweep in all three categories where it was nominated. The 78th annual ceremony took place Sunday at the Edison Ballroom in Manhattan, with the screenplay prizes landing in one of the final major stops before the Oscars on March 15.Ryan Coogler won Original Screenplay for ‘Sinners,’ and Paul Thomas Anderson won Adapted Screenplay for ‘One Battle After Another’ at the 78th annual WGA Awards. The official winners list also shows ‘The Pitt’ winning Drama Series, New Series, and Episodic Drama.
WGA Awards 2026 film winners and top screenplay prizes
The film categories delivered a strong night for ‘Sinners’ and ‘One Battle After Another’. ‘Sinners’ won Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler, while ‘One Battle After Another’ took Adapted Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson, whose script was credited as being inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel ‘Vineland’. In the documentary, Mstyslav Chernov won for ‘2,000 Meters to Andriivka’.The ceremony unfolded during an unusual year for the guild. The West Coast event was canceled, while the New York ceremony went ahead. The awards came as contract talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers were set to begin on March 16. WGA East President Tom Fontana also addressed the bigger moment from the stage, saying, “Democracy is at stake.”
WGA Awards 2026 TV winners and full results
On the television side, ‘The Pitt’ had the strongest showing. The series won Drama Series, New Series, and Episodic Drama for ‘7:00 A.M.’. ‘The Studio’ won Comedy Series, while ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ took Episodic Comedy. Other major winners included ‘Dying for Sex’ for Limited Series, ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’ for Comedy/Variety Series – Talk or Sketch, and ‘Marc Maron: Panicked’ for Comedy/Variety Specials.The wider winners list also included ‘The Young and the Restless’ in Daytime Drama, ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’ in Quiz and Audience Participation, ‘Deep Cover’ in TV and Streaming Motion Pictures, and ‘The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel’ in Short Form Streaming. Stephen Colbert received the Walter Bernstein Award, while Terry George received the Ian McLellan Hunter Award. Roy Wood Jr. hosted the ceremony.
Winner list
Original Screenplay: ‘Sinners’Adapted Screenplay: ‘One Battle After Another’Documentary Screenplay: ‘2,000 Meters to Andriivka’Drama Series: ‘The Pitt’Comedy Series: ‘The Studio’Limited Series: ‘Dying for Sex’New Series: ‘The Pitt’Episodic Drama: ‘7:00 A.M.’ (‘The Pitt’)Episodic Comedy: ‘Prelude’ (‘The Righteous Gemstones’)Comedy/Variety Series – Talk or Sketch: ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’Comedy/Variety Specials: ‘Marc Maron: Panicked’Documentary Script – Other Than Current Events: ‘Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP’Documentary Script – Current Events: ‘Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law’Animation: ‘Shira Can’t Cook’TV & Streaming Motion Pictures: ‘Deep Cover’Daytime Drama: ‘The Young and the Restless’Quiz and Audience Participation: ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’Children’s Episodic, Long Form and Specials: ‘When We Lose Someone’News Script – Analysis, Feature, or Commentary: ‘Remembering Palestinian Journalists Killed by Israeli Forces’News Script – Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin, or Breaking Report: ‘Devastating Flooding in Texas’Digital News: ‘An Isolated Boarding School Promised to Help Troubled Girls. Former Students Say They Were Abused.’Short Form Streaming: ‘The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel’Promotional Writing: ‘CBS Comedy’Radio/Audio News Script – Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin, or Breaking Report: ‘ABC News Radio Top of the Hour News’Radio/Audio News Script – Analysis, Feature, or Commentary: ‘The Life and Legacy of Jimmy Carter’Radio/Audio Documentary: ‘Jerry Lewis’ Lost Holocaust Clown Movie’ Go to Source
