<<< 38th Writers Guild of America Awards (1986) >>>

Film
Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screenplay
Witness, Written by Earl W. Wallace and William Kelley; Story by Earl W. Wallace, Pamela Wallace and William Kelley
Back to the Future, Written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale
Cocoon, Written by Tom Benedek; Story by David Saperstein
Mask, Written by Anna Hamilton Phelan
The Purple Rose of Cairo, Written by Woody Allen
Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Prizzi's Honor, Screenplay by Richard Condon and Janet Roach; Based on the novel by Richard Condon
Agnes of God, Screenplay by John Pielmeier; Based on his play
The Color Purple, Screenplay by Menno Meyjes; Based on the novel by Alice Walker
Out of Africa, Screenplay by Kurt Luedtke; Based on the book Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Story Teller by Judith Thurman and the book Silence Will Speak by Errol Trzebinski
The Trip to Bountiful, Screenplay by Horton Foote; Based on his play
Television
Episodic Drama
"Unusual Occurrence" - Cagney & Lacey (CBS) - Georgia Jeffries
"Brother's Keeper" - Miami Vice (NBC) - Anthony Yerkovich
"Who Says It's Fair" - Cagney & Lacey (CBS) - Patricia Green
"Child Witness" - Cagney & Lacey (CBS) - Deborah Arakelian
"A Wind from the East" - Call to Glory (ABC) - Josef Anderson
"Watt a Way to Go" - Hill Street Blues (NBC) - David Milch, Roger Director, Steven Bochco and Jeffrey Lewis
"Sweet Dreams" - St. Elsewhere (NBC) - John Masius and Tom Fontana
Episodic Comedy
"Pilot" - Moonlighting (ABC) - Glenn Gordon Caron (Tie with Steambath)
"Madison Avenue Madness" - Steambath (Showtime) - David Pollock and Elias Davis (Tie with Moonlighting)
"Fairy Tales Can Come True" - Cheers (NBC) - Sam Simon
"The Executive's Executioner" - Cheers (NBC) - Heide Perlman
"Goodbye, Mr. Fish" - The Cosby Show (NBC) - Earl Pomerantz
"The Uh-Oh Feeling" - Webster (ABC) - Steven Sunshine and Madeline Sunshine
Daytime Serials
One Life to Live (ABC) - Peggy O'Shea, Sam Hall, S. Michael Schnessel, Lanie Bertram, Ethel Brez, Mel Brez, Barbara Morgenroth, Don Wallace, Peter Swet and Eugenie Hunt
Guiding Light (CBS) - Pete T. Rich, Elaine Potwardoski, Emily Squires, John Kuntz, N. Gail Lawrence, Stephen Demorest, Christopher Whitesell, Megan McTavish, Trent Jones, Jeff Ryder, Addie Walsh and Robin Amos
The Edge of Night (ABC) - Lee Sheldon, David Snell, Marty Ross and Eric Rubinton
Adapted Drama Anthology
The Burning Bed (NBC) - Rose Leiman Goldemberg
Original Drama Anthology
Do You Remember Love (CBS) - Vickie Patik
Not My Kid (CBS) - Christopher Knopf and Beth Polson
Original/Adapted Comedy Anthology
The Ratings Game (Showtime) - Michael Barrie and Jim Mulholland
Special Awards
Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement
Waldo Salt
Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement
Richard Levinson, and William Link
Valentine Davies Award
Ronald Austin
Morgan Cox Award
Arthur E. Orloff