USC Scripter Award
The USC Scripter Award is the name given to an award presented annually by the University of Southern California to honor both authors and screenwriters. Starting in 1988, the USC Libraries Board of Councilors award the year's best film adaptation of a printed work, recognizing the original author and the screenwriter. In 2016, a television adaption Scripter award was added as well as the Literary Achievement Award. The Ex Libris Award is occasionally presented to long-time supporters of the USC Libraries. USC Libraries website writes, "Scripter celebrates writers and writing, collaboration, and the profound results of transforming one artistic medium into another. It stands as an emblem of libraries’ ability to inspire creative and scholarly achievement."
Winners and nominees
1988
- 84 Charing Cross Road
- * Hugh Whitemore ; Helene Hanff
1989
- The Accidental Tourist
- * Anne Tyler ; Frank Galati and Lawrence Kasdan
1990
- Awakenings
- * Oliver Sacks ; Steven Zaillian
1991
- Fried Green Tomatoes
- * Fannie Flagg ; Carol Sobieski
1992
- A River Runs Through It
- * Norman Maclean ; Richard Friedenberg
1993
- Schindler's List
- * Thomas Keneally ; Steven Zaillian
1994
- The Shawshank Redemption
- * Stephen King ; Frank Darabont
1995
- Sense and Sensibility
- * Jane Austen ; Emma Thompson
1996
- The English Patient
- * Michael Ondaatje ; Anthony Minghella
1997
Winner
- L.A. Confidential
- * Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland ; James Ellroy
Nominees
- Donnie Brasco
- * Paul Attanasio ; Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley
- The Rainmaker
- * Francis Ford Coppola ; John Grisham
- The Sweet Hereafter
- * Atom Egoyan ; Russell Banks
- The Wings of the Dove
- * Hossein Amini ; Henry James
1998
Winner
- A Civil Action
- * Jonathan Harr ; Steven Zaillian
Nominees
- Gods and Monsters
- * Christopher Bram ; Bill Condon
- Primary Colors
- * Joe Klein ; Elaine May
- A Simple Plan
- * Scott B. Smith
- The Thin Red Line
- * James Jones ; Terrence Malick
1999
Winner
- The Hurricane
- * Rubin Carter ; Sam Chaiton ; Terry Swinton ; Armyan Bernstein and Dan Gordon
Nominees
- The Cider House Rules
- * John Irving
- The End of the Affair
- * Graham Greene ; Neil Jordan
- The Green Mile
- * Stephen King ; Frank Darabont
- The Talented Mr. Ripley
- * Patricia Highsmith ; Anthony Minghella
2000
Winner
- Wonder Boys
- * Steve Kloves ; Michael Chabon
Nominees
- All the Pretty Horses
- * Cormac McCarthy ; Ted Tally
- Chocolat
- * Joanne Harris ; Robert Nelson Jacobs
- High Fidelity
- * Nick Hornby ; D. V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack, and Scott Rosenberg
- The House of Mirth
- * Edith Wharton ; Terence Davies
2001
Winner
- A Beautiful Mind
- * Akiva Goldsman ; Sylvia Nasar
Nominees
- Bridget Jones's Diary
- * Helen Fielding ; Andrew Davies and Richard Curtis
- In the Bedroom
- * Robert Festinger and Todd Field ; Andre Dubus
- * Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, and Philippa Boyens ; J. R. R. Tolkien
- The Shipping News
- * Robert Nelson Jacobs ; E. Annie Proulx
2002
Winner
- The Hours
- * David Hare ; Michael Cunningham
Nominees
- About Schmidt
- * Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor ; Louis Begley
- Adaptation.
- * Charlie Kaufman ; Susan Orlean
- * Fran Walsh, Stephen Sinclair, Peter Jackson, and Philippa Boyens ; J. R. R. Tolkien
- The Pianist
- * Ronald Harwood ; Władysław Szpilman
2003
Winner
- Mystic River
- * Brian Helgeland ; Dennis Lehane
- Seabiscuit
- * Gary Ross ; Laura Hillenbrand
Nominees
- Cold Mountain
- * Anthony Minghella ; Charles Frazier
- '
- * Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson, and Philippa Boyens ; J. R. R. Tolkien
- '
- * Peter Weir and John Collee ; Patrick O'Brian
2004
Winner
- Million Dollar Baby
- * F.X. Toole ; Paul Haggis
Nominees
- The Bourne Supremacy
- * Robert Ludlum ; Tony Gilroy
- The Door in the Floor
- * John Irving ; Tod Williams
- Friday Night Lights
- * H. G. Bissinger ; Peter Berg, Buzz Bissinger, and David Aaron Cohen
- Sideways
- * Rex Pickett ; Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor,
2005
Winner
- Capote
- * Dan Futterman ; Gerald Clarke
Nominees
- Brokeback Mountain
- * Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana ; E. Annie Proulx
- The Constant Gardener
- * Jeffrey Caine ; John le Carré
- A History of Violence
- * Josh Olson ; John Wagner and Vince Locke
- Syriana
- * Stephen Gaghan ; Robert Baer
2006
Winner
- Children of Men
- * David Arata, Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, and Timothy J. Sexton ; P. D. James
Nominees
- The Devil Wears Prada
- * Aline Brosh McKenna ; Lauren Weisberger
- The Illusionist
- * Neil Burger ; Steven Millhauser
- The Last King of Scotland
- * Jeremy Brock and Peter Morgan ; Giles Foden
- Notes on a Scandal
- * Patrick Marber ; Zoë Heller
2007
Winner
- No Country for Old Men
- * Joel Coen and Ethan Coen ; Cormac McCarthy
Nominees
- Atonement
- Into the Wild
- There Will Be Blood
- Zodiac
2008
Winner
- Slumdog Millionaire
- * Simon Beaufoy ; Vikas Swarup
Nominees
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Iron Man
- The Reader
- Revolutionary Road
2009
Winner
- Up in the Air
- * Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner ; Walter Kirn
Nominees
- Crazy Heart
- District 9
- An Education
- Precious
2010
Winner
- The Social Network
- * Aaron Sorkin ; Ben Mezrich
Nominees
- 127 Hours
- The Ghost Writer
- True Grit
- Winter's Bone
2011
Winner
- The Descendants
- * Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, and Nat Faxon ; Kaui Hart Hemmings
Nominees
- A Dangerous Method
- Jane Eyre
- Moneyball
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2012
Winner
- Argo
- * Chris Terrio ; Antonio J. Mendez, Joshuah Bearman
Nominees
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Life of Pi
- Lincoln
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- Silver Linings Playbook
2013
Winner
- 12 Years a Slave
- * John Ridley ; Solomon Northup
Nominees
- Captain Phillips
- Philomena
- The Spectacular Now
- What Maisie Knew
2014
Winner
- The Imitation Game
- * Graham Moore ; Andrew Hodges
Nominees
- Gone Girl
- Inherent Vice
- The Theory of Everything
- Wild
2015
Winner – Film
- The Big Short
- * Adam McKay and Charles Randolph ; Michael Lewis
Nominees – Film
- Brooklyn
- The End of the Tour
- The Martian
- Room
Winner – TV
- Show Me a Hero
- * David Simon and William F. Zorzi ; Lisa Belkin
Nominees – TV
- Game of Thrones
- The Leftovers
- The Man in the High Castle
- Masters of Sex
2016
Winner – Film
- Moonlight
- * Barry Jenkins ; Tarell Alvin McCraney
Nominees – Film
- Arrival
- Fences
- Hidden Figures
- Lion
Winners – TV (TIE)
- The Night Manager
- * David Farr ; John le Carré
- * Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski ; Jeffrey Toobin
Nominees – TV
- Game of Thrones
- The Man in the High Castle
- Orange Is the New Black
2017
Winner – Film
- Call Me by Your Name
- * James Ivory ; André Aciman
Nominees – Film
- The Disaster Artist
- Logan
- The Lost City of Z
- Molly's Game
- Mudbound
- Wonder Woman
Winner – TV
- The Handmaid's Tale
- * Bruce Miller ; Margaret Atwood
Nominees – TV
- Alias Grace
- Big Little Lies
- Genius
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
- Mindhunter
Lifetime Achievement
- Francis Ford Coppola
Ex Libris
- Valerie and Ronald Sugar
2018
Winner – Film
- Leave No Trace
- * Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini, Peter Rock
Nominees – Film
- Black Panther
- Can You Ever Forgive Me?
- The Death of Stalin
- If Beale Street Could Talk
Winner – TV
- A Very English Scandal
- * Russell T Davies, John Preston
Nominees – TV
- The Handmaid's Tale
- The Looming Tower
- Patrick Melrose
- Sharp Objects
2019
Winner – Film
- Little Women
- * Greta Gerwig, Louisa May Alcott
Nominees – Film
- Dark Waters
- The Irishman
- Jojo Rabbit
- The Two Popes
Winner – TV
- Fleabag
- * Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Nominees – TV
- Fosse/Verdon
- Killing Eve
- Unbelievable
- Patrick Melrose
- Watchmen