AWARDS RULES AND CAMPAIGN PROMOTIONAL REGULATIONS APPROVED FOR 98TH OSCARS®
The Academy Announces Key Dates for 2025 Awards Season
Viewing All Nominated Films in Each Respective Category
Now Required in Finals Voting
Rules Codified for the Inaugural Academy Award® for Achievement in Casting
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy’s Board of Governors has approved awards rules and campaign promotional regulations for the 98th Academy Awards®. In addition, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced key dates for the 2025 awards season. As previously announced, the 98th Oscars® will air live on ABC on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
In a procedural change, Academy members must now watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final round for the Oscars®. All designated nominees will also be included on the final ballot.
Category rules for eligibility and voting for the inaugural Academy Award® for Achievement in Casting have been codified. There will be a preliminary round of voting to determine a shortlist of 10 films, and prior to nominations voting, Casting Directors Branch members will be invited to view a “bake-off” presentation of the shortlisted achievements, including a Q&A with the designated nominees.
Other substantive awards rules changes include:
In the rules for film eligibility, the following language regarding Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been introduced, as recommended by the Academy’s Science and Technology Council:
With regard to Generative Artificial Intelligence and other digital tools used in the making of the film, the tools neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination. The Academy and each branch will judge the achievement, taking into account the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship when choosing which movie to award.
- For consideration in the Best Picture category, films released from January 1, 2025, through June 30, 2025, must have shown proof of submission for Producers Guild of America (PGA) mark certification or awards-only determination no later than September 10, 2025. Films released from July 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025, must have shown proof of submission to the PGA no later than November 13, 2025.
- In the Animated Short Film category, voting privileges in the nominations round will be extended to all Academy members who opt in to participate. Members must view all 15 shortlisted films to be eligible to vote in the category.
- In the Cinematography category, there will now be a preliminary round of voting for the Cinematography award to determine a shortlist of between 10 and 20 films.
In the International Feature Film category, the eligibility requirement regarding creative control has been updated to be inclusive of filmmakers with refugee or asylum status.
The submitting country must confirm that creative control of the film was largely in the hands of citizens, residents, or individuals with refugee or asylum status in the submitting country.
- For the Music categories, there will now be a separate, earlier deadline of Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 5 p.m. PT for song submissions. Original Score submissions will be due no later than Monday, November 3, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT.
Academy key dates, including submission deadlines and voting periods, for the 2025 Oscars season are as follows:
First submission deadline for Animated Short Film, Thursday, August 14, 2025
Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film
and Live Action Short Film categories
First submission deadline for General Entry categories, Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Animated Feature Film, Best Picture and RAISE form
Submission deadline for International Feature Film Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Student Academy Awards Monday, October 6, 2025
Final submission deadline for Animated Short Film, Thursday, October 9, 2025
Documentary Short Film and Live Action Short Film
categories
Submission deadline for Music (Original Song) Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Final submission deadline for Documentary Feature Film Thursday, October 16, 2025
Submission deadline for Music (Original Score) Monday, November 3, 2025
Final submission deadline for General Entry categories, Thursday, November 13, 2025
Animated Feature Film, Best Picture and RAISE form
Governors Awards Sunday, November 16, 2025
Preliminary voting begins 9 a.m. PT Monday, December 8, 2025
Preliminary voting ends 5 p.m. PT Friday, December 12, 2025
Oscars Shortlists Announcement Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Casting, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound and Sat. Jan. 10 / Sun. Jan. 11, 2026
Visual Effects nominating screenings (bake-offs)
Nominations voting begins 9 a.m. PT Monday, January 12, 2026
Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT Friday, January 16, 2026
Oscars Nominations Announcement Thursday, January 22, 2026
Oscars Nominees Event Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Finals voting begins 9 a.m. PT Thursday, February 26, 2026
Finals voting ends 5 p.m. PT Thursday, March 5, 2026
98th Oscars Sunday, March 15, 2026
Scientific and Technical Awards Tuesday, April 28, 2026
The Academy also updated and clarified formatting and language in the campaign promotional regulations for the 98th Oscars®. The campaign promotional regulations specify how motion picture companies and individuals directly associated with Oscars-eligible motion pictures may promote such motion pictures, achievements and performances to Academy members and how Academy members may promote Oscars-eligible motion pictures, achievements and performances.
Substantive changes to the campaign promotional regulations include:
- Oscar®-qualifying film festivals may now have access to approved mailing houses to share information about festival programming with Academy members.
- Public communications (including any social media posts, reposts, shares and comments) may not disparage the techniques used in or subject matter of any motion picture. Any Academy member, motion picture company or individual directly associated with an eligible motion picture found to be in violation will be subject to penalization.
All rules and dates for the 98th Academy Awards are subject to change.
For the complete 98th Academy Awards rules and campaign promotional regulations, visit oscars.org/rules.
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