WGA West Cancels Los Angeles Award Show as Staff Continues to Strike
#WGA Awards#WGA West strike#Writers Guild Staff Union#Michele Mulroney#Los Angeles awards cancellation#Entertainment labor news
📌 Key Takeaways
WGA West canceled the 2026 Los Angeles Writers Guild of America Awards due to a staff strike.
The New York ceremony will proceed as scheduled because WGA East staff are not on strike.
WGAW President Michele Mulroney stated the union would not ask guests to cross a picket line.
The strike began on February 17 and involves 110 non-supervisory staff members.
📖 Full Retelling
The Writers Guild of America West officially canceled its Los Angeles portion of the 2026 Writers Guild of America Awards on March 1, 2026, due to a continuing strike by the organization’s staff. The event, originally planned for March 8 in downtown Los Angeles, was scrapped after 110 non-supervisory employees represented by the Writers Guild Staff Union commenced a labor strike on February 17. In a press release, WGAW President Michele Mulroney explained that the leadership could not in good conscience require guests, nominees, and honorees to cross a picket line to attend the festivities.
As a result of this cancellation, the annual awards presentation will deviate from its traditional format and proceed as a single-coast event for the first time in recent memory. The East Coast ceremony is set to continue at the Edison Ballroom in New York next Sunday without interruption. This divergence is possible because the Writers Guild of America East functions under a distinct collective bargaining agreement, and its staff members are not currently on strike. Despite the geographic cancellation, the voting process remains unaffected, as winners are selected by the general membership of the entire WGA rather than by the specific local branches.
The Writers Guild Staff Union responded to the news on Instagram, voicing sadness over the cancellation of an event they take pride in producing, while urging guild management to return to negotiations. The strike has halted preparations for the Los Angeles gala, which was set to be hosted by comedian Atsuko Okatsuka. WGAW leadership thanked the creative teams and crew members who had already invested time into the production and stated they hope to celebrate the 2026 nominees at a later date once the labor dispute is resolved and a fair agreement is reached.
Award for film, television, radio and video game writing
The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949.