Nebula Award for Best Script
{{Infobox award
| name = Nebula Award for Best Script
| image =
| imagesize =
| alt =
| caption =
| current_awards =
| awarded_for = The best science fiction or fantasy movie or television episode script released in the prior calendar year
| presenter = Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association
| country =
| location =
| year = 1974
| year2 = 2009
| website = [http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/ sfwa.org/nebula-awards/]
}}
The Nebula Award for Best Script was given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy scripts for movies or television episodes. Awards are also given out for published literary works in the novel, novella, novelette, and short story categories. The Nebula Award for Best Script was awarded annually from 1974 through 1978, and from 2000 through 2009. It was presented under several names; in 1974, 1975, and 1977 the award was for Best Dramatic Presentation, while in 1976 the award was for Best Dramatic Writing. The award was discontinued in 2010 and replaced with Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation; this award was not originally a Nebula but was made one retroactively in 2019, and is presented at the Nebula Awards Ceremony and follows Nebula rules and procedures. The Nebula Awards have been described as one of "the most important of the American science fiction awards" and "the science-fiction and fantasy equivalent" of the Emmy Awards.
Selection process
Nebula Award nominees and winners are chosen by members of the SFWA, though the authors of the nominees do not need to be a member. Works are nominated each year between November 15 and February 15 by published authors who are members of the organization, and the six works that receive the most nominations then form the final ballot, with additional nominees possible in the case of ties. Members may then vote on the ballot throughout March, and the final results are presented at the Nebula Awards ceremony in May. Authors are not permitted to nominate their own works, and ties in the final vote are broken, if possible, by the number of nominations the works received. Beginning with the 2009 awards, the rules were changed to the current format. Prior to then, the eligibility period for nominations was defined as one year after the publication date of the work, which allowed the possibility for works to be nominated in the calendar year after their publication and then reach the final ballot in the calendar year after that. Works were added to a preliminary ballot for the year if they had ten or more nominations, which were then voted on to create a final ballot, to which the SFWA organizing panel was also allowed to add an additional work.
Award statistics
During the 15 nomination years, 14 awards for Best Script have been given, including the special award given to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in 1978 but not including 1977, since no nominee was given the award. No winner was declared that year as "no award" received the highest number of votes. With three awards The Lord of the Rings film trilogy earned the most awards or nominations of any franchise. The Christopher Nolan Batman movies, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Doctor Who franchises have each had two nominations, but no wins. Hayao Miyazaki, Christopher Nolan, Joss Whedon, and The Lord of the Rings screenwriters have had the most nominations, with three each.
Winners and nominees
SFWA currently identifies the awards by the year of publication, that is, the year prior to the year in which the award is given. Entries with a yellow background and an asterisk (*) next to the writer's name have won the award; the other entries are the other nominees on the shortlist. Entries with a gray background and a plus sign (+) mark a year when "no award" was selected as the winner.
* Winners and joint winners
+ No winner selected
| class="sortable wikitable" width="85%" cellpadding="5" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|+ {{sronly|Winners and nominees}} | ||
| width="4%" scope="col"|Year
! width="45%" scope="col"|Writer(s) ! width="25%" scope="col"|Work ! width="23%" scope="col"|Publisher ! width="4%" scope="col" class="unsortable"|Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="4" style="font-weight:normal;"| 1973 | {{sortname|Stanley R.|Greenberg|nolink=1}} (script), Harry Harrison (original novel)* | Soylent Green | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| {{sortname|Michael|Crichton}} | Westworld | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| {{sortname|Bruce Jay|Friedman}} | Steambath | PBS |
| {{sortname|Brian|Moore|Brian Moore (novelist)}} (script, original novel) | Catholics | ITV |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="3" style="font-weight:normal;"| 1974 | {{sortname|Woody|Allen}}* | Sleeper | United Artists |
| {{sortname|Christopher|Isherwood}} and Don Bachardy (script), Mary Shelley (original novel) | Frankenstein: The True Story | NBC |
| {{sortname|René|Laloux}} and Roland Topor (script), Stefan Wul (original novel) | Fantastic Planet | Argos Films |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="4" style="font-weight:normal;"| 1975 | {{sortname|Mel|Brooks}} and Gene Wilder (script), Mary Shelley (original novel)* | Young Frankenstein | United Artists |
| {{sortname|John|Carpenter}} and Dan O'Bannon | Dark Star | Jack H. Harris Enterprises |
| {{sortname|L. Q.|Jones}} (script), Harlan Ellison (original novella) | {{sort|Boy and His Dog|A Boy and His Dog}} | LQ/JAF |
| {{sortname|William|Harrison|William Harrison (author)}} (script, original story) | Rollerball | United Artists |
| style="background:lightgray;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="4" style="font-weight:normal;"| 1976 | (no award)+ | !style="text-align:center; background:lightgray;"| | |
| {{sortname|Harlan|Ellison}} | Harlan! Harlan Ellison Reads Harlan Ellison | Alternative World Recordings |
| {{sortname|David Zelag|Goodman}} (script), William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson (original novel) | Logan's Run | United Artists |
| {{sortname|Paul|Mayersberg}} (script), Walter Tevis (original novel) | {{sort|Man Who Fell to Earth|The Man Who Fell to Earth}} | Columbia Pictures |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="row" align="center" style="font-weight:normal;"| 1977 | {{sortname|George|Lucas}}* | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope{{efn|In 1978, Star Wars was given a special Nebula Award for the publication year 1977. No other works were nominated.}} | 20th Century Fox |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="5" style="font-weight:normal;"| 1999 | {{sortname|M. Night|Shyamalan}}* | {{sort|Sixth Sense|The Sixth Sense}} | Hollywood Pictures |
| {{sortname|Robert J.|Avrech}} (script), Jane Yolen (original novel) | {{sort|Devil's Arithmetic|The Devil's Arithmetic}} | Showtime Networks |
| {{sortname|Brad|Bird}} and Tim McCanlies (script), Ted Hughes (original novel) | {{sort|Iron Giant|The Iron Giant}} | Warner Bros. |
| {{sortname|John|Millerman|nolink=1}} | {{sort|Uranus Experiment: Part 2|The Uranus Experiment: Part 2}} | Private Black Label |
| {{sortname|Larry and Andy|Wachowski|The Wachowskis}} | {{sort|Matrix|The Matrix}} | Warner Bros. |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="6" style="font-weight:normal;"| 2000 | {{sortname|David|Howard|nolink=1}} and Robert Gordon* | Galaxy Quest | DreamWorks |
| {{sortname|Frank|Darabont}} (script), Stephen King (original novel) | {{sort|Green Mile|The Green Mile}} | Warner Bros. |
| {{sortname|Hayao|Miyazaki}} (script) and Neil Gaiman (English translation) | Princess Mononoke | Studio Ghibli/Miramax Films |
| {{sortname|Charlie|Kaufman}} | Being John Malkovich | Propaganda Films |
| {{sortname|M. Night|Shyamalan}} | Unbreakable | Touchstone Pictures |
| {{sortname|Kevin|Smith}} | Dogma | View Askew Productions |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="4" style="font-weight:normal;"| 2001 | {{sortname|James|Schamus}}, Kuo Jung Tsai, and Hui-Ling Wang (script), Wang Dulu (original novel)* | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Sony Pictures Classics |
| {{sortname|Ethan and Joel|Coen|Coen brothers}} | O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Touchstone Pictures |
| {{sortname|Tom|DeSanto}} and Bryan Singer (story), David Hayter (screenplay) | X-Men | 20th Century Fox |
| {{sortname|Joss|Whedon}} | Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "The Body" | Fox Television Studios/Mutant Enemy Productions |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="4" style="font-weight:normal;"| 2002 | {{sortname|Fran|Walsh}}, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson (script), J. R. R. Tolkien (original novel)* | {{sort|Lord of the Rings 1|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring}} | New Line Cinema |
| {{sortname|Ted|Elliott|Ted Elliott (screenwriter)}} and Terry Rossio | Shrek | DreamWorks |
| {{sortname|Michael|Taylor|Michael Taylor (screenwriter)}} (script), Stephen King (original concept) | {{sort|Dead Zone|The Dead Zone}}: "Unreasonable Doubt" | DreamWorks |
| {{sortname|Joss|Whedon}} | Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "Once More, With Feeling" | Warner Bros. |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="5" style="font-weight:normal;"| 2003 | {{sortname|Fran|Walsh}}, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson (script), J. R. R. Tolkien (original novel)* | {{sort|Lord of the Rings 2|The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers}} | New Line Cinema |
| {{sortname|Scott|Frank}} and Jon Cohen (script), Philip K. Dick (original story) | Minority Report | 20th Century Fox/DreamWorks |
| {{sortname|David A.|Goodman}} | Futurama: "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" | Fox Broadcasting Company |
| {{sortname|Hayao|Miyazaki}} (script), Cindy Davis Hewitt, and Donald H. Hewitt (English translation) | Spirited Away | Studio Ghibli/The Walt Disney Company |
| {{sortname|Andrew|Stanton}}, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds | Finding Nemo | Pixar/The Walt Disney Company |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="4" style="font-weight:normal;"| 2004 | {{sortname|Fran|Walsh}}, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson (script), J. R. R. Tolkien (original novel)* | {{sort|Lord of the Rings 3|The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King}} | New Line Cinema |
| {{sortname|Brad|Bird}} | {{sort|Incredibles|The Incredibles}} | Pixar/The Walt Disney Company |
| {{sortname|J. Mackye|Gruber}} and Eric Bress | {{sort|Butterfly Effect|The Butterfly Effect}} | New Line Cinema |
| {{sortname|Charlie|Kaufman}} & Michel Gondry | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Focus Features |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="2" style="font-weight:normal;"| 2005 | {{sortname|Joss|Whedon}}* | Serenity | Universal Studios/Mutant Enemy Productions |
| {{sortname|Carla|Robinson}}, Bradley Thompson, and David Weddle | Battlestar Galactica: "Act of Contrition/You Can't Go Home Again" | Sci-Fi Channel |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="4" style="font-weight:normal;"| 2006 | {{sortname|Hayao|Miyazaki}} (script), Cindy Davis Hewitt, and Donald H. Hewitt (English translation) | Howl's Moving Castle | Studio Ghibli/The Walt Disney Company |
| {{sortname|Christopher|Nolan}} and David S. Goyer | Batman Begins | Warner Bros. |
| {{sortname|Michael|Taylor|Michael Taylor (screenwriter)}} | Battlestar Galactica: "Unfinished Business" | Sci-Fi Channel |
| {{sortname|Steven|Moffat}} | Doctor Who: "The Girl in the Fireplace" | BBC Cymru Wales/BBC One |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="6" style="font-weight:normal;"| 2007 | {{sortname|Guillermo|del Toro}}* | Pan's Labyrinth | Picturehouse |
| {{sortname|Alfonso|Cuarón}}, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, and Hawk Ostby (script), P. D. James (original novel) | Children of Men | Universal Studios |
| {{sortname|Steven|Moffat}} | Doctor Who: "Blink" | BBC Cymru Wales/BBC One |
| {{sortname|Christopher|Nolan}} and Jonathan Nolan (script), Christopher Priest (original novel) | {{sort|Prestige|The Prestige}} | Touchstone Pictures |
| {{sortname|Larry and Andy|Wachowski|The Wachowskis}} (script), David Lloyd (original graphic novel) | V for Vendetta | Warner Bros. |
| {{sortname|Marc Scott|Zicree}} and Michael Reaves | Star Trek: New Voyages: "World Enough and Time" | Cawley Entertainment Company/The Magic Time Company |
| style="background:lightyellow;"
!scope="rowgroup" align="center" rowspan="3" style="font-weight:normal;"| 2008 | {{sortname|Andrew|Stanton}}, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter* | WALL-E | Pixar/The Walt Disney Company |
| {{sortname|Christopher|Nolan}}, Jonathan Nolan, and David S. Goyer | {{sort|Dark Knight|The Dark Knight}} | Warner Bros. |
| {{sortname|Brad|Wright}} | Stargate Atlantis: "The Shrine" | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
See also
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
{{cite web |title=Nebula Rules |url=http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/rules/ |publisher=Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America |access-date=2011-12-12 |date=October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701111708/http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/rules/ |archive-date=2011-07-01 |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |last=Flood |first=Allison |title=Ursula K Le Guin wins sixth Nebula award |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/apr/28/ursula-k-le-guin-nebula |work=The Guardian |access-date=2011-12-12 |date=2009-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801031449/http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/apr/28/ursula-k-le-guin-nebula |archive-date=2009-08-01 |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |last=Garmon |first=Jay |title=Geek Trivia: Science-fiction double feature |url=http://www.techrepublic.com/article/geek-trivia-science-fiction-double-feature/6122314 |publisher=TechRepublic |access-date=2011-12-12 |date=2006-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214164526/http://www.techrepublic.com/article/geek-trivia-science-fiction-double-feature/6122314 |archive-date=2012-02-14 |url-status=live }}
{{cite web |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |title=Ray Bradbury Award |url=http://www.locusmag.com/News/2009/01/ray-bradbury-award.html |access-date=2011-12-12 |date=2009-01-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605211851/http://www.locusmag.com/News/2009/01/ray-bradbury-award.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: About the Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713224818/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula.html |archive-date=2011-07-13 |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula1974.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1974 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231355/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula1974.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula1975.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1975 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231345/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula1975.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula1976.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1976 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605230953/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula1976.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula1977.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1977 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231450/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula1977.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula1978.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1978 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231013/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula1978.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2000.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2000 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231523/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2000.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2001.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2001 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231030/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2001.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2002.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2002 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231818/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2002.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2003.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2003 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231420/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2003.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2004.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2004 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713224755/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2004.html |archive-date=2011-07-13 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2005.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2005 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231308/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2005.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2006.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2006 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231553/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2006.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2007.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2007 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605230659/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2007.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2008.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2008 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231349/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2008.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2009.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2009 Nebula Awards |work=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus |access-date=2011-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231125/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2009.html |archive-date=2011-06-05 |url-status=dead }}
}}
External links
- [http://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/ Nebula Awards official site]
{{Nebula Awards}}
{{Nebula Award for Best Script/Bradbury Award}}
{{featured list}}
Category:1974 establishments in the United States
Category:2010 disestablishments in the United States
Category:Awards established in 1974