2026 Oscars Announcement Dates and Official Timeline
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has set the key dates for the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, with nominations announced on February 3, 2026, and the main ceremony scheduled for March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The official Oscars website confirms that the ceremony will be broadcast live, and the Academy has published the full timeline of deadlines for submissions, eligibility windows, and voting rounds on its official calendar page at https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2026. The nominations announcement date is fixed for early February, while the final ceremony date is locked for mid-March, aligning with the Academy's recent multi-year scheduling pattern that places the event on a Sunday in mid-March.
For the 98th Oscars, the Academy has confirmed that the ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with the show starting at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time, and the broadcast window expected to run for approximately three and a half hours. The nominations announcement will occur earlier in the day at the Academy's headquarters in Beverly Hills, with the exact start time set by the organization and communicated to nominees and credentialed press in advance. The Academy's official ceremony page at https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2026 provides the full schedule, venue details, and broadcast partner information.
Oscar Voting Windows and Eligibility Rules for 2026
Academy voting for the 2026 awards opens after the nominations announcement and runs through early March, with the final voting period for the Best Picture and other categories closing roughly two weeks before the ceremony. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sets specific eligibility windows that require films to have a qualifying theatrical run in Los Angeles County during the previous calendar year, and the organization publishes the official rules and deadlines on its awards administration page at https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2026. Members receive ballots electronically, and the Academy uses a secure online voting system managed by an independent tabulation firm to ensure the integrity of the results.
The Academy's voting body comprises thousands of members across branches such as actors, directors, writers, and producers, and each branch votes only within its own category except for the Best Picture award, where all eligible voting members can cast a ballot. The exact number of voting members and the final ballot deadlines are confirmed by the Academy each season, and the organization's official page at https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2026 provides the current rules and procedures. The tabulation process is handled by an independent auditing firm, and the Academy typically releases a summary of the voting timeline and procedures on its official awards page.
How to Watch the 2026 Oscars and Follow Nomination News
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC in the United States and streamed internationally through the official Oscars website and partner platforms, with the Academy confirming the broadcast schedule on its official page at https://www