Oscar voters are getting some extra homework this awards season.
An email obtained by NBC News shows how Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members must confirm that they have watched all the movies nominated in each category in order to be allowed to vote.
The email, which has not previously been made public, provided guidance on what steps the more than 10,000 voting academy members need to take ahead of the final Oscar ballot deadline March 5.
The academy has long required members who vote in certain preliminary rounds, such as those who determine the short list for international films, to confirm that they have watched a group of assigned movies. In April, it revised that policy to note that academy members must watch every Oscar-nominated film in order to vote.
The email appears to be the first time the organization is offering detailed information on how the new rule will be enforced. To be eligible to vote, members must watch all five films in each Oscar category and all 10 in the best picture category, the academy said.
“You do not need to save movie stubs, tickets or receipts,” the academy wrote in its Oct. 30 email to its voting members. “This is an honor system.”
With the new policy, films that members watch on the Academy Screening Room (ASR), a streaming service run by the academy, will be automatically verified. For films that members watch elsewhere, such as at film festivals, private for-your-consideration events or a local multiplex, they must manually mark it “watched” on the streaming service, member website or academy app.
“Keep an eye out for eligibility notifications prior to finals voting,” the academy said in its email. “Members will be notified of the categories in which they still need to watch films to be eligible to vote.”
While largely applauding the intent of the new policy, three academy members, who declined to speak on the record to maintain professional relationships within the organization, pointed out that it will be difficult to police. Members can start a movie on the streaming service, for instance, but that doesn’t mean they’re actually watching it.
The academy declined to comment.
Partly the new rule’s timing reflects an evolution in how Oscar voters watch the nominated films. In 2019, the academy made its best picture nominees available on Academy Screening Room, and now the organization has its own data about who is — and isn’t — watching the nominees there.
The idea behind the new rule is to curtail a phenomenon in which academy members who are fans of certain films vote for it in every category on the ballot, regardless of whether they have seen all the other films in those categories.
For example, Neon’s “Anora” swept the award show this year, taking home wins in five categories including best picture, best director for Sean Baker and best actress for Mikey Madison. But it’s unclear whether the people who voted for “Anora” multiple times watched other, less buzzy contenders, such as Amazon MGM’s “Nickel Boys,” which was nominated in the best picture and adapted screenplay categories, or Sony Pictures Classics’ “I’m Still Here,” which won international feature and was nominated in best actress for Brazil’s Fernanda Torres.
The academy also made several other changes around the Oscars, including the introduction of a new award for achievement in casting, which will be given out in 2026, and an award for achievement in stunt design, which will be handed out for the first time in 2028.
The Oscar nominations will be announced Jan. 26, and the 98th annual Academy Awards will take place March 15. Conan O’Brien, who hosted 2025’s ceremony, will return to the Oscars stage next year.
