The Oscars just made a major change to their voting rules – here's how

Los Angeles, California - Oscar voters will be required to demonstrate that they have watched all the in each category before they cast their final ballots, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday.

Oscar voters will be required to demonstrate that they have watched all the films in each category before they cast their final ballots, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday. © Unsplash/Felipe Bustillo

The new rule, which addresses a longstanding concern that voters are skipping some films, will apply for the next Oscars ceremony in March 2026, the Academy said in a statement.

The Academy previously operated under an honor system that voters would see every Oscar-nominated film before casting their ballots.

However, with the number of nominees growing in recent years, some voters have admitted to not fully fulfilling that duty.

Under the new system, Academy members will be tracked on the organization's voters-only streaming platform to make sure they have watched each film.

For movies seen elsewhere, such as in cinemas or at festival screenings, voters will be required to "fill out a form" vouching for when and where it was watched, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

For the Best Picture category alone, which has 10 nominated films, competing studios traditionally host glitzy events to woo voters during their awards campaigns, with parties, screenings, and festival showings, sometimes followed by Q&A sessions with the and filmmakers.

The Academy also weighed in on a controversy that arose during the last voting season, which was marred by questions about the use of artificial intelligence in movies, such as The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez.

In guidance issued Monday, the Academy said AI and other digital tools will "neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination."

The Academy is now implementing a new rule that members must now watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final round for the Oscars. pic.twitter.com/f4uV7UbQZl

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) April 21, 2025

So now Oscar voters are required to actually watch the movies before voting? The first Academy Awards were in 1929, so for almost a century, what exactly were they voting on? Trailers? Hype? How was that even normal? pic.twitter.com/kn7pN6Bjch

— the blue (@thebluestshade) April 22, 2025

The new rule clarifies that the use of technology is not disqualifying.

"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."