April 29, 2020
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ (AMPAS) board of governors have voted to change the eligibility rules for the 93rd Oscars due to the significant impact of the corona virus that has to the complete closure of movie theaters and postponement of film releases.
Prior to the Corona virus,, to be eligible, theatrical releases were required to have a continuous 7-day, 3 screening per day release in Los Angeles for Oscar eligibility.
For the 2021 Oscars, films that had a scheduled theatrical release but have gone straight to VOD/Streaming are now eligible for an Academy Award.
The board of governor also voted to consolidated the Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing into a new category Best Sound.
The 93rd Academy Award is schedule for February 28, 2021, at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, CA.