The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the dates for the 2026-2027 Oscar season. To say almost no one will be happy is an understatement. The 99th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2027. That’s effectively the same weekend as this past year. The 100th Oscars will be held two weeks earlier, on Sunday, March 5, 2028.
READ MORE: The Oscars Are Leaving Hollywood And Headed To The Peacock Theater In Downtown Los Angeles
AMPAS has also kept the same voting windows and nominations release announcement dates as this past season. That means nominations will be revealed on Thursday, January 21, 2027, which also coincides with the opening of the 2027 Sundance Film Festival. An event beginning a new life in a new city, Boulder, Colorado. The fact that the Academy will not reveal the nominations a day prior, or on Monday or Tuesday afterward, is simply embarassing. Not to let Sundance have one day to shine when it enters a new era, after being the launchpad for so many Oscar nominees, winners, and, yes, members’ careers, is head-scratching.
But wait, there’s more. At the end of March, representatives from every major studio, distributor, and publicity agency met with the Academy to communicate their concerns about the long 2025-2026 season. Not only were the longer seasons causing high costs, but nominees were burnt out and having to turn down work to campaign. They practically begged the Academy to shorten the season, even by a few weeks. No dice. That change won’t occur now until the 2027-2028 season.
For reference, the highest-rated telecast since the pandemic, the 97th Oscars, took place on Sunday, March 2, 2025.
Additionally, the Governors’ Awards are set for Sunday, November 15, 2026, and the Oscars shortlist day is Tuesday, December 15.
The Academy preliminary voting and submission schedule for next season is as follows:
| Eligibility period begins | Thursday, January 1, 2026 |
| Final submission deadline for General Entry categories, Animated Feature Film, Best Picture and RAISE form | Thursday, November 12, 2026 |
| Governors Awards | Sunday, November 15, 2026 |
| Preliminary voting begins 9 a.m. PT | Monday, December 7, 2026 |
| Preliminary voting ends 5 p.m. PT | Friday, December 11, 2026 |
| Oscars Shortlists Announcement | Tuesday, December 15, 2026 |
| Eligibility period ends | Thursday, December 31, 2026 |
| Nominations voting begins 9 a.m. PT | Monday, January 11, 2027 |
| Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT | Friday, January 15, 2027 |
| Oscars Nominations Announcement | Thursday, January 21, 2027 |
| Oscars Nominees Luncheon | Tuesday, February 16, 2027 |
| Finals voting begins 9 a.m. PT | Thursday, February 25, 2027 |
| Finals voting ends 5 p.m. PT | Thursday, March 4, 2027 |
| 99th Oscars | Sunday, March 14, 2027 |
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Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry's most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he's the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.
