Five Students Honored with Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards

Awards recognize dramatic writing and carry cash prizes

The 55th annual Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards recognizing excellence in dramatic writing were announced Monday by the Samuel Goldwyn Foundation.

The foundation honored four UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television students and one UCSB student this year.

This year’s winners are:

First Place: Meg Gifford (UCLA), "Paint It Black"

Second Place: Branden Cahn (UCSB), "Burnt Bridges of Cartwright"

Third Place: Owen Donovan Yarde (UCLA), "Hit and Run"

First Honorable Mention: Matt Wheeler (UCLA), "How to Leave Your Lover"

Second Honorable Mention: Ryan Finnerty (UCLA), "Short Stories"


The awards carry prizes of: $15,000 for first place, $7,500 for second place, $4,000 for third place, $2,000 and $1,000 for honorable mention.

The annual writing competition is open to all University of California students. It was originated by movie pioneer Samuel Goldwyn, Sr. to encourage young stage, film, and television writers.

The judges were: Rich Green, Agent, CAA; Elizabeth Guider, journalist and former editor of The Hollywood Reporter; and Hutch Parker, Chairman, New Regency Productions.

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