Oscar Rule Changes: AI Crackdown, Actors Can Get Multiple Nominations in Same Category and International Film Eligibility Expands

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has approved a substantive slate of new and updated rules for the 99th Oscars, set for 2027, showing its evolving standards around eligibility, authorship and global inclusion.

Headlining the updates is a notable shift in the acting categories. Performers may now receive multiple nominations in the same category if their performances rank among the top five vote-getters, a move that finally aligns the acting races with the rest of the ballot. The change has the potential to neutralize some of the presumed “category fraud,” at least for performers with two performances in play in the same year, in which a campaign team strategically pushes one turn into supporting to dodge a vote split.

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One of the most notable examples was Kate Winslet’s 2008 run, when she campaigned in lead for “Revolutionary Road” and supporting for “The Reader,” winning Golden Globes in both. By the time Oscar nominations were announced, “The Reader” had been elevated to lead, and “Revolutionary Road” was shut out. She would eventually win best actress. Under the previous rules in place until now, if a performer landed in the top five with two performances in the same category, the higher-vote-getter would be declared the nominee, and the other would be removed. There’s a fair assumption that both of Winslet’s performances were in the top five of her given year.

The acting rule mechanism dates to the earliest days of the Academy Awards. The last notable acting rule change came at the 17th Academy Awards in 1945, when Barry Fitzgerald became the only performer in Oscar history to receive nominations for both lead and supporting actor for the same role, Father Fitzgibbon in “Going My Way” (1944). The Academy soon after limited each performance to a single nomination.

In effect, the new framework removes the “body of work” nod. It could encourage more double submissions within the same category. Last year, Paul Mescal had two arguable lead performances in “The History of Sound” and “Hamnet,” with his team submitting him for supporting actor in the latter. On nomination morning, he was one of the most shocking snubs. Under this rule, that fear might have been alleviated, allowing Mescal to campaign in lead for his turn as playwright William Shakespeare.

Another example would be Sebastian Stan, who was double-nominated at the 2024 Golden Globes in the lead drama and comedy categories for the films “The Apprentice” and “A Different Man,” winning for the latter but garnering an Oscar nomination for the former. Could he have been a double nominee that year? In this new world order, very likely.

Other potential beneficiaries had this rule existed earlier include Leonardo DiCaprio, who delivered acclaimed turns in both “Blood Diamond” and the best picture winner “The Departed” (2006); Sean Penn, who appeared in “21 Grams” the same year he won for “Mystic River” (2003); and Jessica Chastain, whose breakout in 2011 (in seven movies) yielded a supporting nomination for “The Help” and easily could have produced a second slot for “The Tree of Life” or “Take Shelter.” Alicia Vikander could have been a double-dipper the year she won the Oscar for “The Danish Girl,” with her acclaimed work in the sci-fi drama “Ex Machina” landing Golden Globe and BAFTA nods that same season.

The Academy further addressed generative AI more broadly, reserving the right to request additional information about the nature of its use and the extent of human authorship on any submitted film. In the writing categories, the rules now formally codify that screenplays must be human-authored to qualify. The organization emphasized that while its rules continue to evolve alongside technology, its commitment to human artistry remains unchanged. This has been a major source of tension in the industry following the use of Val Kilmer’s likeness in an upcoming film, “As Deep as the Grave.”

Another major change arrived in the international feature category, where multiple films from the same country can now qualify for a nomination, a shift we are dubbing the “Anatomy of a Fall” rule.

In addition to submissions from official country or regional selection committees, non-English-language films can now qualify by winning a designated top prize at one of six approved festivals. The qualifying festivals and prizes are the Berlin International Film Festival (Golden Bear), Busan International Film Festival (Best Film Award), Cannes Film Festival (Palme d’Or), Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize), Toronto International Film Festival (Platform Award) and Venice International Film Festival (Golden Lion).

That means this year’s Golden Bear winner, “Yellow Letters,” from German director İlker Çatak, but performed in Turkish, can now breathe a little easier, regardless of whether Germany or Turkey opts to submit it. The same goes for Sundance’s World Cinema Grand Jury Prize winner, “Shame and Money,” from Kosovan director Visar Morina, an Albanian-language drama with a co-production footprint spanning Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia and Belgium.

The rule offers a real pathway for films passed over by their own countries’ submission committees. The most notorious recent example was Justine Triet’s French legal drama “Anatomy of a Fall” (2023), which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, but was not selected to represent France for the Academy Awards. The country went instead with the runner-up, “The Taste of Things,” which failed to land a nomination. “Anatomy of a Fall” went on to score five Oscar nominations, including best picture, and won the original screenplay award.

It also relieves some pressure from filmmakers operating in fraught political circumstances, like last year’s Palme d’Or winner Jafar Panahi, whose “It Was Just an Accident” was always an unlikely candidate for submission by Iran given his long-standing conflicts with the country’s government. France ultimately stepped in as a friendly third-country submitter, the same workaround Germany used a year earlier with Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.”

As a result, the category’s crediting structure is also being tweaked. The film itself will now be credited as the nominee, rather than the country or region, and the award will be accepted by the director on behalf of the creative team. The director’s name will appear on the statuette plaque after the film title and, if applicable, the country or region.

In the casting category, the number of statuettes awarded will increase from a maximum of two to three. The cinematography branch will produce a fixed shortlist of 20 films in its preliminary voting round, replacing the prior range of 10 to 20.

In makeup and hairstyling, branch members must attend at least one of the two final branch roundtables to be eligible to vote in the preliminary round. In visual effects, all Academy members must view the three-minute Before and After reels from the Visual Effects Bake-Off to vote in the final round. The original song category also received a precision update. For songs submitted as the first new music cue once end credits begin, the submitted video clip must include the final 15 seconds of the film before the credits roll.

For the Governors Awards, a minimum of three disciplines must now be represented among honorees in any given year.

The Academy also updated its promotional regulations for its campaign. Pre-nomination screenings with Q&A sessions or panel discussions may now feature up to two moderators, an increase from one. All eblasts and FYC calendar entries distributed to Academy members through an approved mailing house must include an email address or phone number for inquiries about accessibility and disability accommodations, including whether the host theater meets relevant requirements.

The rules are formulated by the Awards Committee in collaboration with branch executive committees, the International Feature Film Executive Committee and the Scientific and Technical Awards Executive Committee, and are subject to final approval by the Board of Governors. All rules, regulations and dates remain subject to change.

Key submission deadlines for the 99th Oscars include Aug. 13, 2026, for early short film and documentary entries; Sept. 17 for general entry categories, animated feature, best picture and the Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry (RAISE) form; and Sept. 30 for international feature film. Final deadlines extend into November, with bake-off voting events for casting, makeup and hairstyling, sound and visual effects scheduled for Jan. 8-10, 2027. To be eligible, a feature film must have a qualifying theatrical release between Jan. 1, 2026, and Dec. 31, 2026.

The forthcoming 2026 contender slate already shows immense promise, thanks to box-office hits such as “Project Hail Mary” from Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and highly anticipated potential vehicles such as Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Digger.”

The 99th Oscars will take place Sunday, Mar. 14, 2027, followed by the 100th Oscars on Sunday, Mar. 5, 2028. Both ceremonies will air live at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

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