The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled a major change to its voting process, implementing a new rule that will impact all categories for the 98th Academy Awards in 2026. The updated guideline mandates that Academy members must verify they have watched all nominated films within a category before they are eligible to cast a final vote in that race. The announcement, made Monday, April 21, marks a significant shift in the Oscars’ voting system — one that many film fans have been calling for over the years.
The new policy affects all 24 competitive categories, including the highly scrutinized Best Picture race, which includes up to 10 nominees, as well as individual acting, directing, and technical categories that typically include five films each. Under the new rule, voters must confirm they’ve viewed every nominated film in a category before their electronic ballot will unlock for final voting. Verification will be conducted through the Academy’s digital portal or through attendance records at sanctioned screenings. Members who fail to meet this requirement will be unable to participate in that specific category’s vote.
The rule change sparked an immediate and passionate reaction across social media platforms, with many users expressing disbelief that such a policy wasn’t already in place. “Absolutely insane this wasn’t already a thing,” one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Others echoed the sentiment, viewing the rule as a long-overdue step toward fairness in Oscar voting. “We did it, film Twitter,” another user shared. “The Oscars just made it mandatory for voters to actually watch all the nominated films in a category before voting.”
The response highlighted an often-cited issue within the industry — that Academy members do not always watch all of the nominated films before casting votes, a concern that has led to accusations of bias, favoritism, and lack of diversity in nominations and wins over the years. “This explains why movies like The Color Purple, What’s Love Got to Do with It, and Malcolm X were snubbed,” another comment read. “These voters were NOT watching Black films??!!!!”
While many online praised the Academy’s new rule, others were quick to question its effectiveness. Some critics pointed out potential loopholes in the verification process. “The rule literally just imposes a requirement that you either watch a movie on the Academy portal or fill out a form saying you watched it at a screening,” one user wrote. “It will still be very easy to get around if you’re this hypothetical voter who doesn’t have time to watch a single movie.” The Academy has not yet disclosed details about how it plans to enforce the rule or audit compliance, though the implementation of portal-based verification suggests an effort to ensure at least some accountability.
The new rule will take effect with the 2026 Oscars cycle. Preliminary voting for next year’s ceremony is scheduled to begin in December 2025, followed by the nominations announcement on January 22, 2026. The 98th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026. Conan O’Brien, who hosted the ceremony in 2025 to widespread acclaim, is set to return as host for a second consecutive year.
This marks another move by the Academy to evolve and modernize its processes amid ongoing criticism over lack of representation and transparency. In recent years, the organization has expanded its membership to include more women and people of color and has introduced diversity standards for Best Picture eligibility.
Actress Kirsten Dunst, a longtime Academy member, may be part of the minority who already comply with the new standard. Speaking with Variety during the 2022 awards season, Dunst said, “I’ve seen everything. I’m a member of the Academy — I take it seriously.” Her comments underscore a broader issue: while some members are diligent about watching nominated films, others have been criticized for voting based on personal relationships, industry politics, or simply reputation — without ever seeing the work.
The Academy’s decision appears to be part of a broader effort to improve the credibility and integrity of the Oscars. The awards show has faced declining viewership and growing skepticism over the years, particularly concerning its handling of diversity and transparency in the voting process. By requiring members to actually watch the work they’re voting on, the Academy hopes to ensure more informed, equitable, and artistically grounded outcomes.
In addition to the new voting requirements, the Academy also shared insights into its approach to artificial intelligence in filmmaking — an increasingly hot topic in Hollywood, where AI played a major part in labor negotiations during the 2023 writers and actors strikes. Going forward, generative AI and other digital tools “neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination,” according to the new regulation. “The Academy and each branch will judge the achievement, taking into account the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship when choosing which movie to award.”
For the first time, casting directors will receive their own Oscars statuettes in the 2026 Oscars. They are required to submit “written descriptions of the casting process unique to their films,” and to include “a photo grid of the cast and/or the full cast list.” Additionally, to be eligible for consideration in the international feature film category, countries will now have to confirm that “creative control of the film was largely in the hands of citizens, residents, or individuals with refugee or asylum status in the submitting country.”
As the 97th Academy Awards, held March 2, 2025, featured several celebrated moments, including Denzel Washington’s win for Best Actor and the viral “Barbenheimer” tribute, the upcoming ceremony on March 15, 2026, promises to be equally significant. With Conan O’Brien returning to host and the Academy doubling down on accountability, the stage is set for a potentially transformative year in Oscar history.
