BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay

History and evolution

The award was established in 1968 and continued through the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1983 the Academy reorganized its writing prizes, replacing the single category with two distinct awards: the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay and the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. This change reflected a desire to acknowledge the different skills involved in creating an entirely new script versus adapting existing material such as novels, plays or true stories.

During its run, the Best Screenplay prize highlighted the importance of storytelling within cinema and elevated the profile of screenwriters in an industry that often emphasizes directors and performers. Recognition by BAFTA could boost a writer’s reputation and lead to further opportunities within film and television.

Typical considerations for the award included narrative structure, character development, originality, quality of dialogue and effectiveness of dramatic pacing. Nominees were generally selected from films released in the United Kingdom during the relevant year and evaluated by BAFTA members and juries according to the Academy’s rules and voting procedures.

Although the single Best Screenplay category no longer exists, its legacy persists in how BAFTA and other institutions continue to separate originality from adaptation to ensure fairer recognition. The split into two awards also helped audiences and professionals better appreciate the distinct creative processes involved in writing a film from scratch versus transforming an existing work for the screen.

• Period awarded: 1968–1982.
• Successor awards: Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay (since 1983).
• Focus: excellence in film writing—structure, dialogue, and storytelling.