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Veteran film-maker Woody Allen has won the original screenplay prize at the Writers Guild awards for his romantic comedy Midnight in Paris.

The best adapted screenplay award went to Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash for The Descendants.

TV honours went to Modern Family, Breaking Bad and Homeland.

Voters honoured The Help director Tate Taylor with a special award recognising work that embodies the spirit of civil rights and liberties.

Taylor told reporters the movie had been a "labour of love" and that its success this awards season had been "fantastic".

"It's my first adaptation, which I think was a blessing because I just went for it," said the director, who based his script on Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel.

The Writers Guild Awards, held at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunday, are often seen as a good indicator of which films will win writing plaudits at the Oscars.

Due to the organisation's own rules, though, Oscar favourite The Artist had been rendered ineligible.

Talk show The Colbert Report, which reportedly went off air last week due to the ailing health of host Stephen Colbert's mother, won best comedy/variety series.

General Hospital was crowned best daytime drama, while Simpsons episode Homer the Father was named best animation.

Elsewhere, Steven Spielberg enjoyed success at the Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards on Sunday, earning honours for both The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse.

WWI drama War Horse took the award for sound effects and foley - the reproduction of everyday sounds - in a feature film.

The Adventures of Tintin, meanwhile, won for sound effects, foley, dialogue and ADR - Automated Dialogue Replacement - in an animation film.

Martin Scorsese's Hugo won best sound for music in a film, while The Muppets took the award for music in a musical feature film.

Scorsese was cited again when his George Harrison film Living in the Material World was recognised in the feature documentary category