Journalism drama Spotlight and dark financial comedy The Big Short were the big winners at the Writers Guild of America Awards.

Spotlight, a film about the Boston Globe investigation into sex abuse in the Catholic church, took the original screenplay award, while The Big Short, a look at the 2008 collapse in the American housing market, won the best adapted screenplay prize.

Adam McKay arrives at the 88th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton hotel
The Big Short director Adam McKay collected the best adapted screenplay award with his writing partner Charles Randolph (Jordan Strauss/AP)

The trophies were given out at dual ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles. The Big Short was honoured at the Edison Ballroom in New York half an hour before Spotlight was announced as the winner at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Los Angeles.

Accepting his trophy with co-writer Charles Randolph, The Big Short’s writer-director Adam McKay said: “This was a really horrible tragedy. Millions of people lost their homes and millions of people lost their savings and that is really what this movie was about.”

Thelma and Louise actress Geena Davis presented Spotlight’s award to co-writer Josh Singer. His fellow writer and the film’s director Tom McCarthy attended the New York ceremony with one of the film’s stars John Slattery.

Actress Geena Davis attends the 2016 Writers Guild Awards Press Room held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel
Geena Davis presented the original screenplay award to the writers of Spotlight (Richard Shotwell/AP)

The final series of Mad Men won the best drama series trophy, while political satire Veep was named best comedy series.

Fargo won the longform adapted award for its second season and Mr Robot was named best new series.

Later in the Los Angeles ceremony, Friends stars Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox presented the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for television writing achievement to the show’s creators Marta Kauffman & David Crane.