Major Changes Are Coming to Next Year’s Academy Awards

Producers Peter Spears (from left), Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, Mollye Asher and Dan Janvey, winners of the award for best picture for
Producers Peter Spears (from left), Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, Mollye Asher and Dan Janvey, winners of the award for best picture for "Nomadland" at the Oscars 93rd Annual Academy Awards. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Pool/Shutterstock (11868957kj)

After the disappointing viewership numbers of this year’s Oscar ceremony, Academy Awards bosses are ready to shake things up. Next year’s show will feature several major changes, and here are three novelties you should keep an eye on when the Oscars return next year.

Best Picture Shake-Up

Instead of nominating between five and 10 films in the top Oscar category, the Academy is making room for a guaranteed 10 contenders for the best picture. By doing so, they’ll make room for the beloved crowd-pleasers to get nominated, and potentially draw in a bigger audience come Oscar night.

Music & Sound

The Academy introduced several changes in the music and sound categories. When it comes to the best original song, a maximum of five songs from a single movie can be submitted for this award. The best original score category is also up for a shake-up, and a score must be comprised of a minimum of 35% of original music to be eligible, down from 60%.

COVID-19 Impact

Several new rules were introduced this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic will still stay in place for the 94th Academy Awards. Direct-to-digital releases and films that open in theaters in at least one of the six major U.S. cities will be eligible for next year’s show, set to take place on March 27th, 2022.