The Academy board has introduced the upcoming awards season timetable culminating within the 98th Oscar ceremony on March 15 2026 and authorised guidelines concerning a number of classes and generative synthetic intelligence.
Within the guidelines for movie eligibility, the next language has been launched on the recommendation of the Academy’s science and expertise council: “With regard to Generative Synthetic Intelligence and different digital instruments used within the making of the movie, the instruments neither assist nor hurt the probabilities of reaching a nomination. The Academy and every department will choose the achievement, making an allowance for the diploma to which a human was on the coronary heart of the artistic authorship when selecting which film to award.”
A procedural change now signifies that Academy members should watch all nominated movies in every class to qualify to vote within the last spherical for the Oscars. All designated nominees can even be included on the ultimate poll.
The preliminary voting window is December 8-12, 2025, and the shortlists can be introduced on December 16, 2025. The nominations voting window is January 12-16, 2026, and the nominations are introduced on January 22, 2026. The ultimate voting window runs February 26-March 6, 2026.
In different modifications:
Achievement in casting
The board has established a preliminary spherical of voting to find out a shortlist of 10 movies within the inaugural class. Previous to nominations voting, casting administrators department members can be invited to view a “bake-off” presentation of the shortlisted achievements, together with a Q&A with nominees.
Worldwide function movie
The eligibility requirement concerning artistic management has been up to date to incorporate filmmakers with refugee or asylum standing. A submitting nation should affirm that “artistic management of the movie was largely within the arms of residents, residents, or people with refugee or asylum standing within the submitting nation”.
Greatest image
For consideration on this class, movies launched between January 1 2025 by June 30 2025 should present proof of submission for Producers Guild of America (PGA) mark certification or awards-only willpower no later than September 10, 2025. Movies launched between July 1 2025 and December 31 2025 should present proof of submission to the PGA no later than November 13, 2025.
Cinematography
The board has launched a preliminary spherical of voting for the Oscar to find out a shortlist of between 10 and 20 movies.
Music classes
There’ll now be a separate, earlier deadline of October 15 2025 by 5pm PT for music submissions. Unique rating submissions can be due no later than November 3 2025 by 5pm PT.
Animated brief movie
Voting privileges within the nominations spherical can be prolonged to all Academy members who decide in to take part. Members should view all 15 shortlisted movies to be eligible to vote within the class.
Marketing campaign promotion
The board has up to date and clarified marketing campaign promotional laws for the 98th Oscars season. These specify how movie corporations and people straight related to Oscars-eligible movies can promote to Academy members, and the way members can promote Oscars-eligible movies, achievements and performances.
Oscar-qualifying festivals could now have entry to authorised mailing homes to share details about pageant programming with Academy members.
Public communications (together with any social media posts, reposts, shares and feedback) could not disparage the strategies utilized in or subject material of any movement image. Any Academy member, movement image firm or particular person straight related to an eligible movement image discovered to be in violation can be topic to penalszation.
All guidelines and dates for the 98th Academy Awards are topic to alter.
Key dates
August 14, 2025: First submission deadline for animated brief movie, documentary function movie, documentary brief movie and dwell motion brief movie classes
September 10, 2025: First submission deadline for normal entry classes, animated function movie, finest image and RAISE kind
October 1, 2025: Submission deadline for worldwide function movie
October 6, 2025: Scholar Academy Awards
October 9, 2025: Ultimate submission deadline for animated brief movie, documentary brief movie, and dwell motion brief movie classes
October 15, 2025: Submission deadline for music (unique music)
October 16, 2025: Ultimate submission deadline for documentary function movie
November 3, 2025: Submission deadline for music (unique rating)
November 13, 2025: Ultimate submission deadline for normal entry classes, animated function movie, finest image, and RAISE kind
November 16, 2025: Governors Awards
December 8, 2025: Preliminary voting begins 9am PT
December 12, 2025: Preliminary voting ends 5pm PT
December 16, 2025: Oscars shortlists announcement
January 10/11, 2026: Casting, make-up and hairstyling, sound and visible results nominating screenings (bake-offs)
January 12, 2026: Nominations voting begins 9am PT
January 16, 2026: Nominations voting ends 5pm PT
January 22, 2026: Oscars Nominations Announcement
February 10, 2026: Oscars Nominees Occasion
February 26, 2026: Ultimate voting begins 9am PT
March 6, 2026: Ultimate voting ends 5pm PT
March 15, 2026: 98th Oscars
April 28, 2026: Scientific and Technical Awards.