Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Programming

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming
Description	Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming
Country	United States
Presented by	Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Currently held by	Moira Demos ; Laura Ricciardi, ; Making a Murderer (2016)
Website	emmys.com

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming is awarded to one television documentary or nonfiction series each year.

In the following list, the first titles listed in gold are the winners; those not in gold are nominees, which are listed in alphabetical order. The years given are those in which the ceremonies took place:

Winners and nominations

2000s

Year	Program	Episode(s)	Nominees	Network
2002–03^[1]	*Seabiscuit (American Experience)*	—	Michelle Ferrari	PBS
	Da Ali G Show	—	Sacha Baron Cohen, Dan Mazer, Anthony Hines, Jamie Glassman, James Bobin	HBO
	Journeys with George	—	Alexandra Pelosi	HBO
	The Murder of Emmett Till (American Experience)	—	David C. Taylor	PBS
	Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives	—	Mark Jonathan Harris	HBO
2003–04^[2]	*Judy Garland: By Myself (American Masters)*	—	Susan Lacy, Stephen Stept	PBS
	Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor	—	Rick Sebak	PBS
	JFK: A Presidency Revealed	—	David C. Taylor	History
	Pandemic: Facing AIDS	"Uganda/Thailand"	Mark Bailey	HBO
	Penn & Teller: Bullshit!	"War on Drugs"	Penn Jillette, Teller, Emma Webster, Star Price, Michael Goudeau	Showtime
	Terry Jones' Medieval Lives	"The Peasant"	Terry Jones	History
2004–05^[3]	*Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson*	—	Geoffrey C. Ward	PBS
	Beyond the Da Vinci Code	—	Thomas Quinn, Rob Blumenstein	History
	Broadway: The American Musical	"Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'"	JoAnn Young	PBS
	Death in Gaza	—	Saira Shah	HBO
	Penn & Teller: Bullshit!	"Profanity"	Penn Jillette, Teller, Jon Hotchkiss, Star Price, Michael Goudeau	Showtime
2005–06^[4]	*Stardust: The Bette Davis Story*	—	Peter Jones	TCM
	Ernest Hemingway: Rivers to the Sea (American Masters)	—	DeWitt Sage	PBS
	How William Shatner Changed the World	—	Alan Handel, Julian Jones	History
	John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend (American Masters)	—	Kenneth Bowser	PBS
	Penn & Teller: Bullshit!	"Prostitution"	Penn Jillette, Teller, Cliff Schoenberg, Jon Hotchkiss, Michael Goudeau, Star Price	Showtime
2006–07^[5]	*Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film (American Masters)*	—	James Sanders, Ric Burns	PBS
	Penn & Teller: Bullshit!	"Wal-Mart"	Penn Jillette, Teller, Sheryl Zohn, Jon Hotchkiss, Michael Goudeau, Star Price, Cliff Schoenberg, David Weiss	Showtime
	Planet Earth	"Mountains"	Vanessa Berlowitz, Gary Parker	Discovery Channel
	Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed	—	Steven Smith, David Comtois, Kevin Burns	History
	This American Life	"God's Close-Up"	Nancy Updike	Showtime
2007–08^[6]	*The War*	"Pride of Our Nation (June–August 1944)"	Geoffrey C. Ward	PBS
	Intervention	"Caylee"	Jeff Grogan	A&E
	Life After People	—	David de Vries	History
	This American Life	"Escape"	Ira Glass	Showtime
	Walt Whitman (American Experience)	—	Mark Zwonitzer	PBS
2008–09^[7]	*Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired*	—	Joe Bini, P.G. Morgan, Marina Zenovich	HBO
	Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About (American Masters)	—	Amanda Vaill	PBS
	Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America	"When I'm Bad, I'm Better — The Groundbreakers"	Michael Kantor, Laurence Maslon	PBS
	Penn & Teller: Bullshit!	"New Age Medicine"	Penn Jillette, Teller, Star Price, Rich Nathanson, Michael Goudeau, David Wechter, Cliff Schoenberg, Sheryl Zohn	Showtime
	The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer (American Experience)	—	David Grubin	PBS

2010s

Year	Program	Episode(s)	Nominees	Network
2009–10^[8]	*The National Parks: America's Best Idea*	"The Last Refuge (1890–1915)"	Dayton Duncan	PBS
	America: The Story of Us	"Division"	Jenny Ash, Ed Fields	History
	Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations	"Prague"	Anthony Bourdain	Travel Channel
	The Buddha	—	David Grubin	PBS
	Life	"Challenges of Life"	Paul Spillenger	Discovery Channel
2010–11^[9]	*Freedom Riders (American Experience)*	—	Stanley Nelson Jr.	PBS
	Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations	"Haiti"	Anthony Bourdain	Travel Channel
	Gasland	—	Josh Fox	HBO
	Gettysburg	—	Richard Bedser, Ed Fields	History
	Moguls & Movie Stars	"The Birth of Hollywood"	Jon Wilkman	TCM
2011–12^[10]	*Prohibition*	"A Nation of Hypocrites"	Geoffrey C. Ward	PBS
	Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations	"Cuba"	Anthony Bourdain	Travel Channel
	Clinton (American Experience)	—	Barak Goodman	PBS
	Johnny Carson: King of Late Night (American Masters)	—	Peter Jones
	Sesame Street: Growing Hope Against Hunger	—	Christine Ferraro
2012–13^[11]	*Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God*	—	Alex Gibney	HBO
	Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown	"Libya"	Anthony Bourdain	CNN
	The Dust Bowl	"The Great Plow-Up"	Dayton Duncan	PBS
	Ethel	—	Mark Bailey	HBO
	The Men Who Built America	"A New War Begins"	Stephen David, Patrick Reams, David C. White, Keith Palmer, Randy Counsman, Ed Fields	History
2013–14^[12]	*Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey*	"Standing Up in the Milky Way"	Ann Druyan, Steven Soter	Fox
	Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown	"Congo"	Anthony Bourdain	CNN
	JFK (American Experience)	—	Mark Zwonitzer	PBS
	The World Wars	"Trial by Fire"	Stephen David, David C. White, John Ealer, Alec Michod, Chelsea Coates, Randy Counsman, Russ McCarroll, Jordan Rosenblum, David Schaye	History
	Years of Living Dangerously	"The Surge"	Adam Bolt	Showtime
2014–15^[13]	*Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief*	—	Alex Gibney	HBO
	Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown	"Iran"	Anthony Bourdain	CNN
	Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck	—	Brett Morgen	HBO
	Last Days in Vietnam (American Experience)	—	Keven McAlester, Mark Bailey	PBS
	The Roosevelts: An Intimate History	"The Rising Road (1933–1939)"	Geoffrey C. Ward	PBS
2015–16^[14]	*Making a Murderer*	"Eighteen Years Lost"	Laura Ricciardi, Moira Demos	Netflix
	Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown	"Borneo"	Anthony Bourdain	CNN
	Everything Is Copy - Nora Ephron: Scripted & Unscripted	—	Jacob Bernstein	HBO
	Jackie Robinson	—	David McMahon, Sarah Burns	PBS
	Walt Disney (American Experience)	—	Mark Zwonitzer (telescript), Sarah Colt (story), Tom Jennings (story)	PBS

References

^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 14, 2016.

External links

Academy of Television Arts and Sciences website

[1] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[2] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[3] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[4] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[5] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[6] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[7] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[8] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[9] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[10] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[11] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[12] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[13] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.

[14] "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 14, 2016.

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v t e Primetime Emmy Award categories
Programs	Comedy Series Drama Series Limited or Anthology Series Television Movie Reality Competition Program Talk Series Scripted Variety Series Animated Program Documentary or Nonfiction Series Documentary or Nonfiction Special Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking Game Show Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series Structured Reality Program Unstructured Reality Program Variety Special (Live) Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
Performance	Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Lead Actor in a Drama Series Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Lead Actress in a Drama Series Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Guest Actor in a Drama Series Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Guest Actress in a Drama Series Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Character Voice-Over Performance Host for a Game Show Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program Narrator
Directing	Directing for a Comedy Series Directing for a Drama Series Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Directing for a Variety Series Directing for a Variety Special Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program Directing for a Reality Program
Writing	Writing for a Comedy Series Writing for a Drama Series Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Writing for a Variety Series Writing for a Variety Special Writing for a Nonfiction Program
Animation	Individual Achievement in Animation
Casting	Casting for a Comedy Series Casting for a Drama Series Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Casting for a Reality Program
Choreography	Choreography for Scripted Programming Choreography for Variety and Reality Programming
Cinematography	Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program Cinematography for a Reality Program Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour) Cinematography for a Series (One Hour)
Commercials	Commercial
Costume Design	Contemporary Costumes Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes Period Costumes Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Programming
Hairstyling	Contemporary Hairstyling Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Hairstyling
Lighting	Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Series Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special
Main Title / Motion Design	Main Title Design Motion Design
Makeup	Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) Prosthetic Makeup
Music	Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score) Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) Music Direction Music Supervision Original Main Title Theme Music Original Music and Lyrics
Picture Editing	Picture Editing for a Multi-Camera Comedy Series Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series Picture Editing for a Drama Series Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program Picture Editing for a Structured or Competition Reality Program Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program Picture Editing for Variety Programming
Production Design	Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program (One Hour or More) Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour or Less) Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series Production Design for a Variety Special
Sound Editing	Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour) Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program
Sound Mixing	Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour) Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program Sound Mixing for a Reality Program Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special
Special Effects	Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie / Special and Visual Effects in a Single Episode
Stunts	Stunt Coordination Stunt Performance
Technical Direction	Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Series Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Special
Engineering	Engineering Philo T. Farnsworth Award
Retired	Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series Children's Program Costumes for a Series Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program Interactive Program Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) New Series Program of the Year Short Form Animated Program Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Short Form Variety Series Super Emmy Variety Series Voice-Over Performance
Emmy categories Primetime Daytime International Sports Children's and Family