Oscars 2025: Rules gets major updates and changes for nominees

HOLLYWOOD, US: The Academy awards have made some big changes which will take effect with its forthcoming ceremony.

The 97th Oscars, which will take place on March 2, 2025, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ board of governors has announced updated awards rules and campaign promotional regulations, via The Hollywood Reporter.

Notably, up to three composers can receive individual Oscar statuettes if they all significantly contribute to a film’s music.

Previously, rules required that composers had to submit as a group, as the band Son Lux for the nomination for the best picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once. Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, winners for the animated film Soul (2020), who all received one.

The Academy will no longer recognize drive-in theatres as a qualifying venue for Oscars eligibility, which was adopted during 2020 lockdown. Writers will now be required to furnish a final shooting script to nab a nomination.

For a film to be considered for best picture, it must meet the expanded theatrical requirements that were announced in 2023. Animated films eligible for the best international feature category can also be considered for best animated feature if they meet the requirements for both categories.