93rd Academy Awards Moved to April 2021
BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN
Another day, another Oscars announcement from the Academy. On the heels of the recent new Board of Governors announcement and the introduction of Aperture 2025 (an initiative tackling diversity and inclusion), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that the 93rd Academy Awards will take place April 25, 2021, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. The ceremony was originally scheduled for February 28, 2021.
In the press release, which shared the announcement with ABC Television Network, the Academy confirmed the new date as a result of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is also delaying its opening date to April 30, 2021 to coincide with the new ceremony schedule. The long-anticipated museum had been scheduled to open to the public in December of this year.
Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson released a joint statement: “For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year. Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone’s control. This coming Oscars and the opening of our new museum will mark an historic moment, gathering movie fans around the world to unite through cinema.”
As stated, the eligibility period for the 93rd Oscars has been updated. Traditionally, a December 31st deadline has been in place. For the 2021 awards, a feature film must now have a qualifying release date between January 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021. The submission deadline for specialty categories (Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, International Feature Film, Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film) is December 1, 2020. The submission deadline for general entry categories (Best Picture, Original Score, Original Song) is January 15, 2021.
The press release states that future eligibility windows and the Oscars show date for 2022 will be announced at a later date. The Scientific and Technical Awards presentation (originally scheduled for June 20, 2020) has been postponed. A later date is still to be determined. The Governors Awards have been canceled for the fall. News of a potential ceremony and selection of honorees is expected soon.
Here’s a rundown of each currently scheduled Academy Awards date:
Preliminary voting begins - Feb. 1, 2021
Preliminary voting ends - Feb. 5, 2021
Oscar Shortlists Announcement - Feb. 9, 2021
Nominations voting begins - Mar. 5, 2021
Nominations voting ends - Mar. 10, 2021
Oscar Nominations Announcement - Mar. 15, 2021
Oscar Nominees Luncheon - Apr. 15, 2021
Finals voting begins - Apr. 15, 2021
Museum Gala - Apr. 17, 2021
Finals voting ends - Apr. 20, 2021
93rd Academy Awards - Apr. 25, 2021
Museum Public Opening - Apr. 30, 2021
