Dates are set and new rules have been introduced for the 98th Academy Awards.
On Monday afternoon, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the ceremony will be held on March 15th, 2026. Meanwhile, the Academy’s board announced it had approved the updated rules and campaign promotion rules.
There are new rules for next year’s ceremony, and the board calls it “procedural changes.”
They said, “Academy members must watch all nominated films in each category so that they are eligible to vote in the final round of the Oscars. All designated candidates will also be included in the final vote.”
Next year’s awards will win a new Academy Award for casting achievements, including “a reserve round of votes to determine the nominee list for the 10 films.” Before the vote, the board said, “Branch members of the casting director will be invited to see the “bake-off” presentation of the final candidate’s achievements, including Q&A with designated candidates.”
The Academy also addressed the use of generator AI in submitted films.
“With regards to the generative artificial intelligence and other digital tools used to create films, the tool will not help or harm the possibility of achieving nominations,” Ruhr said. “The academy and each branch judge outcomes by taking into account the extent to which human beings are at the heart of a creative author when choosing which film to award.”
Those who wish to submit to the Best Picture category will release the film between January 1, 2025 and June 30, 2025 and submit a Producer Guild Guild Mark Certification or Award-only resolution by September 10, 2025.
For the animated short film category, voting privileges in the nomination round are extended to all academy members who choose to participate. Members must consider all 15 finalists to vote in the category, the press release said.
“There are preliminary rounds of voting in the cinema shoot category to determine the finalists for 10-20 films.
For films in the international feature film category, the board has updated the language “including filmmakers with refugee or asylum status.”
“The submission country must ensure that creative control of the film is primarily in the hands of citizens, residents, or individuals with refugees or asylum status in the country,” the rules further explain.
Submissions of the Music category have an early deadline of 5pm on October 15th, 2025, for song submissions. Submissions of the original scores will expire by 5pm until November 3, 2025.
The 98th Academy Award nominations are set for January 22, 2026, with final voting ending from February 26, 2026 to March 5, 2026.
The 98th Oscar will air live on ABC on March 15th, 2026 at 4pm in Hollywood.
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