Oscar Voters Must Now Watch All Nominees to Vote in a Category, Academy Confirms

Along with the announcement of the 2026 Oscars date, the Academy Awards are making major changes for the ceremony the following year.

 The 98th Academy Awards will be held on 15th March, 2026, and the nominees will be revealed on 22nd January.  In December 2025, the shortlists for the different categories will be made public.

 New voting laws are one of the most significant developments.  Academy members will only be able to vote in categories if they have seen every film that is nominated, starting next year.  In contrast to other years, when voters were not obligated to see every entry, this represents a change.  The goal of the rule is to guarantee more informed and equitable voting in all categories, even if the Academy has not yet specified how compliance would be tracked.

Image Courtesy: theacademy/ Instagram

The application of artificial intelligence to filmmaking is the subject of another important update.  The Academy has made it clear that using generative AI or other digital tools in a movie won’t make it more or less likely to receive a nomination.  Instead, each picture will be evaluated based on the artistic achievement, with particular attention paid to how much of the creative process was led by people.

 The deadlines for music-related categories have also changed.  In the future, songs for consideration as Best Original Songs must be submitted by 15th October, while those for Best Original Score must be submitted by 3rd November.

These changes come after a more comprehensive revision of Oscar rules, which recently revealed a new category for stunt design that will make its debut at the 2028 event.

–Farheen Ali