The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is ringing in a wave of fresh changes for the 98th annual Oscars, aiming to strengthen both the credibility and transparency of the voting process while keeping pace with the evolving nature of filmmaking. The new rules, which will come into effect for the 2026 ceremony, mark some of the most notable shifts in the Academy’s guidelines in recent years.
One of the headline changes focuses squarely on accountability. Moving forward, Academy members will now be required to officially confirm that they’ve viewed every nominated film in a specific category before casting their final vote. The move is designed to ensure that voting members are fully informed and engaged rather than casting ballots based on hearsay, popularity, or partial screenings. This change mirrors similar policies employed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), which implemented a comparable rule to encourage thorough evaluation by its voting body.
To help enforce this commitment, the Academy plans to monitor viewing habits through its exclusive Academy Screening Room, a digital platform accessible only to its members. This step ensures that voters aren’t simply claiming to have watched the nominated titles, but that there’s verifiable evidence of their participation. The Academy hopes this approach will elevate the standards of judgment and respect the work of the artists involved by leveling the playing field.
In addition to revamping voting rules, the Academy also announced the introduction of a brand-new category: Achievement in Casting. This long-anticipated acknowledgment of casting directors recognizes the pivotal role they play in shaping the performances and overall impact of a film. Under the new structure, the Academy’s dedicated Casting Directors Branch will carefully shortlist up to ten standout films, assessing the creativity, vision, and collaborative spirit reflected in each film’s casting choices.
Once the shortlist is set, the process will enter a unique phase known as the “Bake-Off,” where five-minute curated reels from each of the ten films will be showcased, accompanied by a Q&A session with the respective casting teams. After viewing these presentations, eligible members of the branch who have seen all the showcased films will cast their votes to select the final five nominees. The full Academy membership will later participate in the final voting round, but only after being shown a condensed version of these presentations.
But the innovations don’t stop there. The Academy is also expanding its use of the shortlist system to the Best Cinematography category. For the first time, between 10 and 20 films will be shortlisted in this technical category, offering cinematographers more visibility before nominations are finalized. This update brings the number of crafts and technical categories that use a shortlist process to 12, leaving just production design, costume design, and film editing as the few major categories that still skip this preliminary round.
Another headline-grabbing development is the Academy’s decision to address one of the industry’s most hotly debated topics: the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in film production. As AI-powered tools are increasingly embedded in the creative workflow of visual effects, script development, and even performance enhancement, the Academy has now outlined its initial position. According to the new guideline, the use of generative AI — or any advanced digital tools — in the making of a film will neither improve nor diminish a project’s odds of securing a nomination. Instead, the core metric for evaluation will remain focused on human creative authorship and artistic intent. Each Academy branch will consider how much a human artist was at the heart of the film’s creative direction when determining its eligibility for an Oscar.
The Academy also confirmed the eligibility deadlines for the upcoming award season. For films vying for the coveted Best Picture title, the deadlines fall on September 10 and November 13, 2025, depending on the timing of their theatrical release. These dates will allow the Academy to ensure that films released both early and late in the calendar year receive appropriate consideration.
The cinematic world is now officially on the road to March 15, 2026 — the date when the 98th Academy Awards will be held, promising another night of glamour, surprises, and celebration of global filmmaking talent.
