'The Help' Writer-Director Tate Taylor to Receive WGA West's 2012 Paul Selvin Award

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The Help writer-director Tate Taylor will be the recipient of the Writers Guild of America, West’s 2012 Paul Selvin Award for his adapted screenplay. He will be honored at the WGAW ceremony Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Hollywood Palladium.

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The Selvin Award recognizes work that "embodies the spirit of constitutional rights and civil liberties."

“Tate Taylor’s adapted screenplay for The Help artfully distills the empowering essence and core emotional truths of Kathryn Stockett’s novel, translating it into a film that forcefully illustrates how ordinary people can impact positive social change," said WGAW president Christopher Keyser. "Evoking a specific time and place, the film’s message is ultimately universal and remains relevant today. Tate’s honor is well-deserved – and his script does Paul Selvin’s legacy proud by conveying the continuing power of the written word."

Taylor's screenplay has also been nominated for a WGA award.

Previous Selvin award recipients include Eric Roth, Michael Mann, Dustin Lance Black, Anthony Peckham and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth.