On Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released its updated rules and campaign guidelines for the 98th Academy Awards, scheduled to take place on March 15, 2026.
Among the most notable changes is the Academy is introducing new rules that will prevent members from voting in Oscar categories unless they’ve shown that they’ve viewed all the nominated films.
While the Academy hasn't given specific details, this marks a significant shift from previous practices. Now, how they plan to verify compliance is a whole other story, and I’ll be very curious to hear about the system they will have in place to monitor that a voter has seen all 10 nominated films.
This rule change comes, not coincidentally, as Oscar ballots leaked this past awards season with a handful voters actually admitting, anonymously, of course, that they refused to watch films such as “Dune: Part II,” and “The Brutalist.”
UPDATE From THR
Moving forward, though, the Academy’s e-voting system, in the final round of voting, will not allow members to access the ballot for categories in which they have not demonstrated that they have watched all of the nominees. The Academy will track viewing via the members-only Academy Screening Room streaming app; as for films consumed elsewhere — like at screenings, film festivals, etc. — members will have to fill out a form declaring when and where they watched a film.