The Evelyn F. Burkey Award (previously called the Evelyn F. Burkey Memorial Award) is an honorary award presented by the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE). While most WGA Awards are conferred by the WGA West, the Burkey Award is one of three WGA Awards for which the WGAE chooses winners. The award is named for Evelyn F. Burkey, who helped found the WGAE in 1953 and served as its first executive director until she retired in 1972. Since the 30th Writers Guild of America Awards in 1978, WGAE has presented the Burkey Award annually, except for the following years when no award was presented: 2012–13, 2017–18, 2020–21, and 2023.
The award recognizes a person or organization "whose contributions have brought honor and dignity to writers everywhere." According to WGAE President Michael Winship, the WGAE "has presented the Burkey Award to celebrate the achievements of leaders—in the arts or politics—who have advanced the causes of creativity and freedom of speech." Unlike other WGA Awards, which focus on professional film and television writing, the Burkey Award can be won by people who are not WGA members. It has been won by political figures; for example, in 2004 the WGAE presented the award to John McCain, citing his opposition to FCC rule changes on the issue of media cross-ownership in the United States.
Winners 1970s Year Recipient(s) 1978 1979
1980s Year Recipient(s) 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s Year Recipient(s) 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s Year Recipient(s) 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Museum of Television and Radio 2007 2008 2009 Committee to Protect Journalists
2010s Year Recipient(s) 2010 2011 Archive of American Television 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020s Year Recipient(s) 2020 2021 2022 2023
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