As the United States begins to emerge from the COVID-19 era, some things may return to normal, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is still feeling the catch up.
It was announced today that the 94th-annual Oscars ceremony will be delayed about a month to Sunday, March 27, and the eligibility period has been shortened. The ceremony is set to air on ABC, live from Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre. The show was originally scheduled for Feb. 27.
What sounds like a shake up is just a reverberation of changes made last year. More than a few major release dates were pushed in the early days of the pandemic, and the Academy chose to elongate the eligibility period for films released during quarantine. The new shortened period ensures that no film can qualify for more than one award season.
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Only films released from March 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 will be considered for the 2022 awards. The Academy will also continue its addendum rules from the 93rd-annual Oscars, which allow for the Best Picture consideration of feature films meant for theatrical release and first made available via streaming platforms with a few key considerations.
Special category submission deadlines are still to come in June, but the Academy does intend to expand the qualifying requirements for the 2023 awards.
Check below for a full list of important dates on this year’s Oscar schedule.
General entry categories submission deadline Monday, November 15, 2021
Preliminary voting begins 9 a.m. PT Friday, December 10, 2021
Preliminary voting ends 5 p.m. PT Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Oscar Shortlists Announcement Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Eligibility period ends Friday, December 31, 2021
Governors Awards Saturday, January 15, 2022
Nominations voting begins 9 a.m. PT Thursday, January 27, 2022
Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT Tuesday, February 1, 2022
Oscar Nominations Announcement Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Oscar Nominees Luncheon Monday, March 7, 2022
Finals voting begins 9 a.m. PT Thursday, March 17, 2022
Finals voting ends 5 p.m. PT Tuesday, March 22, 2022
94th Oscars Sunday, March 27, 2022
Photography by: Pexels/Engin Akyurt
