AMPAS Announces 2016 Oscar Deadlines

Doesn't it feel like awards season wrapped up only yesterday? Even so, if you're looking to get in on next year's awards race, it pays to start planning early — as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced today, the first deadlines for the 2016 Oscars are fast approaching.

Submissions for the Scientific and Technical Awards have the earliest deadline — those entries are due no later than 5 p.m. PT next Wednesday, July 13. Next up are the due dates for documentary short and documentary feature submissions, which must be in by September 1 and 20, respectively.

Animated and live-action shorts, plus foreign-language films, must be submitted by October 3 for consideration. Animated features are due November 1, and original score and original song submissions close December 1. The General Entry/Official Screen Credits form is also due December 1.

Submissions for many of these categories — excluding foreign-language films and animated features — may be made online at the Academy's Awards Submissions web page. Make sure you read the official rules document, as a few of them have changed since last year, including the all-important guidelines for what constitutes a "qualifying run" in Los Angeles. (To qualify, your film must screen at least once between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. every day during its run, eliminating a recent trend toward matinee-only engagements.)

Last week, AMPAS announced a few more key dates for this year's Oscars. Final ballots will be due Tuesday, February 21, in advance of the Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held Sunday, February 26. The Scientific and Technical Awards take place two weeks earlier, on Saturday, February 11.