Academy Nudges Voters To Actually Watch All The Oscar Contenders This Year

Oscar voters are getting immoderate other homework this awards season.

An email obtained by NBC News shows really Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members must corroborate that they person watched each nan movies nominated successful each class successful bid to beryllium allowed to vote.

The email, which has not antecedently been made public, provided guidance connected what steps nan much than 10,000 voting academy members request to return up of nan last Oscar ballot deadline March 5.

The academy has agelong required members who ballot successful definite preliminary rounds, specified arsenic those who find nan short database for world films, to corroborate that they person watched a group of assigned movies. In April, it revised that argumentation to statement that academy members must watch every Oscar-nominated movie successful bid to vote.

The email appears to beryllium nan first clip nan statement is offering elaborate accusation connected really nan caller norm will beryllium enforced. To beryllium eligible to vote, members must watch each 5 films successful each Oscar class and each 10 successful nan champion image category, nan academy said.

“You do not request to prevention movie stubs, tickets aliases receipts,” nan academy wrote successful its Oct. 30 email to its voting members. “This is an grant system.”

A screenshot from nan email sent to academy members Oct. 30.Obtained by NBC News

With nan caller policy, films that members watch connected nan Academy Screening Room (ASR), a streaming work tally by nan academy, will beryllium automatically verified. For films that members watch elsewhere, specified arsenic astatine movie festivals, backstage for-your-consideration events aliases a section multiplex, they must manually people it “watched” connected nan streaming service, personnel website aliases academy app.

“Keep an oculus retired for eligibility notifications anterior to finals voting,” nan academy said successful its email. “Members will beryllium notified of nan categories successful which they still request to watch films to beryllium eligible to vote.”

While mostly applauding nan intent of nan caller policy, 3 academy members, who declined to speak connected nan grounds to support master relationships wrong nan organization, pointed retired that it will beryllium difficult to police. Members tin commencement a movie connected nan streaming service, for instance, but that doesn’t mean they’re really watching it.

The academy declined to comment.

Partly nan caller rule’s timing reflects an improvement successful really Oscar voters watch nan nominated films. In 2019, nan academy made its champion image nominees disposable connected Academy Screening Room, and now nan statement has its ain information astir who is — and isn’t — watching nan nominees there.

Academy members will beryllium shown erstwhile they are eligible to ballot successful categories and really galore films they person near to watch.Obtained by NBC News

The thought down nan caller norm is to curtail a arena successful which academy members who are fans of definite films ballot for it successful each class connected nan ballot, sloppy of whether they person seen each nan different films successful those categories.

For example, Neon’s “Anora” swept nan grant show this year, taking location wins successful 5 categories including champion picture, champion head for Sean Baker and champion character for Mikey Madison. But it’s unclear whether nan group who voted for “Anora” aggregate times watched other, little buzzy contenders, specified arsenic Amazon MGM’s “Nickel Boys,” which was nominated successful nan champion image and adapted screenplay categories, aliases Sony Pictures Classics’ “I’m Still Here,” which won world characteristic and was nominated successful champion character for Brazil’s Fernanda Torres.

The academy besides made respective different changes astir nan Oscars, including nan preamble of a caller grant for accomplishment successful casting, which will beryllium fixed retired successful 2026, and an grant for achievement successful stunt design, which will beryllium handed retired for nan first clip successful 2028.

The Oscar nominations will beryllium announced Jan. 26, and nan 98th yearly Academy Awards will return spot March 15. Conan O’Brien, who hosted 2025’s ceremony, will return to nan Oscars stage adjacent year.