Oscars unveil major rule changes for 2027 ceremony

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has introduced a significant set of new and revised rules for the 99th Oscars, scheduled for 2027, reflecting updated standards on eligibility, creative authorship, and international inclusion.

A major revision has been made to the acting categories. Actors can now earn more than one nomination in the same category if their performances are among the five highest vote-getters, bringing the acting races in line with the structure used across the rest of the ballot.

This adjustment could also help curb instances of so-called “category fraud”, where studios or campaign teams place one of an actor’s performances in a supporting category to avoid splitting votes between two lead roles released in the same year.

In addition, the acting category will now only accept performances that are officially credited in the film’s legal billing and clearly performed by human actors with their consent. This update comes amid ongoing industry debate sparked by the use of Val Kilmer’s likeness in the upcoming film “As Deep as the Grave”.

The Academy also expanded its guidelines on generative AI, stating it may require filmmakers to provide further details about how such tools were used and the level of human creative input in any submitted film.

In the screenplay categories, the rules have now been formally updated to confirm that only human-written scripts are eligible for consideration. The Academy stressed that although its regulations are evolving with technological advances, its core commitment to human creativity remains the same.

Another significant update applies to the international feature category, where more than one film from the same country can now be shortlisted for nomination. This change has been informally dubbed the “Anatomy of a Fall rule”.

In addition to entries selected through official national or regional selection committees, non-English-language films can now also become eligible by winning a specified top award at one of six approved festivals.

These qualifying events include the Berlin International Film Festival (Golden Bear), the Busan International Film Festival (Best Film Award), the Cannes Film Festival (Palme d’Or), the Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize), the Toronto International Film Festival (Platform Award), and the Venice Film Festival (Golden Lion).

This means that this year’s Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear winner, “Yellow Letters”, directed by German filmmaker İlker Çatak and performed in Turkish, is now in a more secure position, regardless of whether it is submitted by Germany or Turkey.

The same applies to Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Grand Jury Prize winner “Shame and Money”, directed by Kosovan filmmaker Visar Morina. The Albanian-language drama, co-produced across Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, and Belgium, also benefits from the updated eligibility rules.

The new rule creates an opportunity for films that are not chosen by their own country’s selection committees. A well-known recent case is Justine Triet’s French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall” (2023). Although it won the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or, it was not submitted by France for the Academy Awards.

Instead, France selected the runner-up, “The Taste of Things”, which ultimately did not receive an Oscar nomination. “Anatomy of a Fall” later earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and won the award for Original Screenplay.

In the casting category, the number of possible statuettes will be expanded from a maximum of two to three. Meanwhile, the cinematography branch will now establish a fixed shortlist of 20 films during its preliminary voting stage, replacing the previous flexible range of 10 to 20 titles.

In the makeup and hairstyling category, branch members are now required to attend at least one of the two final roundtable sessions in order to participate in preliminary voting. For visual effects, all Academy members must watch the three-minute “Before and After” reels from the Visual Effects Bake-Off to be eligible to vote in the final round.

The original song category has also been refined. When a song is submitted as the first new musical cue that appears as the end credits begin, the entry must include a video clip that contains the final 15 seconds of the film before the credits start.

For the 99th Oscars, key submission deadlines have been set across several stages. Early entries for short films and documentaries are due by August 13, 2026. General entry categories, including animated feature, best picture, and the Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry (RAISE) form, must be submitted by September 17, while the international feature film deadline is September 30.

Final deadlines continue into November, and bake-off voting events for casting, makeup and hairstyling, sound, and visual effects are scheduled for January 8–10, 2027.

To qualify, feature films must have a theatrical release between January 1 and December 31, 2026.

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The 99th Oscars are scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2027, while the 100th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 5, 2028. Both events will be broadcast live at 7 pm ET on ABC and shown in more than 200 territories worldwide from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.