The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has approved updated awards rules, inclusion standards and campaign promotional regulations for the 99th Academy Awards®. For Academy Awards consideration, a feature film must have a qualifying theatrical release between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026.
Key updates to awards rules
In the Acting categories, performers may now receive multiple nominations in the same category if their performances place in the top five vote‑getters, aligning acting rules with those in other award categories. Additionally, only roles credited in the film’s legal billing and demonstrably performed by humans with their consent will be eligible, reflecting the Academy’s clear stance against AI‑generated acting performances.
In the Casting category, the maximum number of statuettes awarded will increase from two to three, expanding recognition for the casting team.
In Cinematography, the preliminary voting round will now produce a fixed shortlist of 20 films, rather than a range of 10–20.
Major changes for International Feature Film
The International Feature Film category introduces a second path to eligibility. In addition to submission as an official selection by a country or region via academy‑approved selection committees, a non‑English language film can be submitted for consideration by winning a qualifying award at an international film festival listed on the Academy’s International Feature Film Award Qualifying Festival List.
For the 99th Oscars, qualifying festivals and awards include the Berlin International Film Festival (Golden Bear for Best Film), Busan International Film Festival (Busan Award – Best Film Award), Cannes Film Festival (Palme d’Or), Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize), Toronto International Film Festival (Platform Award) and the Venice International Film Festival (Golden Lion).
The category will now also credit the film itself as the nominee rather than the country or region, with the award accepted by the director on behalf of the film’s creative team. The director’s name will appear on the statuette plaque after the film title and, where relevant, the country or region.
Clarifications across craft and music categories
In Makeup and Hairstyling, branch members must attend at least one of the two final branch meetings (roundtables) to be eligible to vote in the preliminary round. In the Original Song category, the Academy clarifies eligibility for songs placed in the end credits: for songs submitted as the first new music cue when end credits begin, the required video clip must include the last 15 seconds of the film before the credits start.
For Visual Effects, all Academy members must watch the three‑minute “Before and After” reels from the Visual Effects Bake‑Off in order to vote in the final round. In the Writing categories, the rules now codify that screenplays must be human‑authored to qualify for consideration, further reinforcing the Academy’s position on generative AI.
For Governors Awards recipients, at least three disciplines must be represented in a given awards year. Under Eligibility (Rule Two) regarding generative artificial intelligence, the Academy reserves the right to request additional information about how AI was used and to verify human authorship.
Awards calendar and key deadlines
Awards submission deadlines and key dates for the 99th Academy Awards are as follows:
- Thursday, August 13, 2026: First submission deadline for Animated Short Film, Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film and Live Action Short Film categories.
- Thursday, September 17, 2026: First submission deadline for General Entry categories, Animated Feature Film, Best Picture and the Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry (RAISE) form.
- Wednesday, September 30, 2026: Submission deadline for International Feature Film.
- Thursday, October 8, 2026: Final submission deadline for Animated Short Film, Documentary Short Film and Live Action Short Film categories.
- Wednesday, October 14, 2026: Submission deadline for Music (Original Song).
- Thursday, October 15, 2026: Final submission deadline for Documentary Feature Film.
- Wednesday, November 4, 2026: Submission deadline for Music (Original Score).
- Thursday, November 12, 2026: Final submission deadline for General Entry categories, Animated Feature Film, Best Picture and Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry (RAISE) form.
- January 8–10, 2027: Casting, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound and Visual Effects voting events (bake‑offs).
Campaign promotional regulations
The Academy has also updated and clarified formatting and language in the campaign promotional regulations for the 99th Oscars. These regulations outline how motion picture companies and individuals associated with Oscars eligible films may promote those films, achievements and performances to Academy members and how members may in turn promote eligible work.
Substantive changes include allowing screenings with Q&A sessions or panel discussions before nominations to feature up to two moderators instead of one. In addition, all e‑blasts and “For Your Consideration” calendar entries sent to Academy members via an Academy‑approved mailing house by a motion picture company, an individual associated with an eligible film or a qualifying film festival must include a contact email address or phone number so members can enquire about accessibility and disability accommodations or confirm that a screening venue offers appropriate access.
Awards rules are formulated by the Awards Committee based on recommendations from Branch Executive Committees, the International Feature Film Executive Committee and the Scientific and Technical Awards Executive Committee and are subject to final approval by the Board of Governors. All rules, regulations and dates for the 99th Academy Awards are subject to change.
The Academy Oscars night will take place next year in 2027 with these new regulations approved.
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