Every year it’s the same: as December approaches, the industry shifts gears. The “summer movies” are already behind us, the loudest festival titles begin to gain real traction in their campaigns, and interviews start carrying that tension disguised as spontaneity. Awards season doesn’t begin when the statuettes go up on stage — it begins when the lists come out. And in 2026, that trigger already has a set date.

On December 8, 2025, the nominees for the Golden Globe Awards will be announced, traditionally the first major public thermometer of the season. From that point on, speeches are fine-tuned, favorites solidify — or collapse — and underdogs begin to gain a narrative. Less than a month later, on January 11, 2026, the ceremony itself takes place, officially opening the awards year with that familiar mix of celebration, marketing, and backstage politics.

Between these two dates, the machinery is already running at full speed. On January 4, the Critics’ Choice Awards are handed out, often functioning as a kind of season “dress rehearsal” — frequently anticipating favorites that later confirm themselves at the Oscars. It’s also when the critical discourse begins to line up (or clash) with the studios’ narratives.

February enters the scene as the month of the guilds and of Europe’s most influential prize — the true technical and political battleground of the season. In mid-February, the BAFTA Film Awards take place in London, often reshuffling the race with their distinct sensibility and international weight. The BAFTAs frequently function as a bridge between critics’ prizes and the industry vote, and their winners can either confirm a frontrunner or suddenly propel a new contender into the Oscar spotlight.

On February 7, the Directors Guild of America Awards (DGA) take place, one of the most reliable predictors of the Oscar for Best Director. On February 28, it’s time for the Producers Guild Awards (PGA), which often point with remarkable accuracy to the eventual Best Picture winner. These awards may not have the media glamour of the Golden Globes, but they are where the industry speaks to itself — and usually tells the truth.

Then, on March 1, the actors step into the spotlight with the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG Awards). This is always one of the most decisive moments of the season, because actors make up the largest voting body within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A SAG win changes trajectories, rewrites odds, and strengthens campaigns that were still fragile.

The grand finale comes on March 15, 2026, when the world once again revolves around the red carpet of the Oscars. It is the symbolic closing of a season that, in practice, has already stretched across nearly a full year — since the first premieres at festivals like Sundance, Cannes, Venice, and Toronto.

In the midst of all this, other fundamental prizes still orbit the race: the Writers Guild Awards (WGA), usually in March, sharpening the discourse around screenplays; the technical awards, such as the Golden Reels (sound) and the Academy’s scientific honors; not to mention the festivals that, while not campaign prizes per se, completely shape the playing field — like Sundance at the start of 2026 and Cannes in the first half of the year.

Outside the strictly cinematic circuit, there is also the cultural impact of awards such as the People’s Choice Awards, which measure a different kind of temperature: that of the audience, of fandom, of mass reach — often in direct contrast to the choices of critics and the industry itself.

What can already be said, even before any list is released, is that the 2026 season will be long, dense, and fiercely competitive. Campaigns begin discreetly, then grow aggressive, and end in a nearly psychological game of narratives: who “deserves” it, who has “already won before,” who is overdue, who represents the new generation, who symbolizes an industry reckoning with itself.

For those who cover culture, from December onward, there is no such thing as true downtime. Every interview becomes a clue. Every fashion choice becomes a strategy. Every speech is read in layers. And as always, when March finally arrives, the feeling is paradoxical: exhaustion and melancholy — because another season ends — mixed with that strange and persistent desire to do it all over again the following year.

Critics’ Choice Awards

December 4, 2025 – Official Nominees Announcement
January 4, 2026 – Ceremony

Golden Globe Awards

December 8, 2025 – Official Nominees Announcement
January 11, 2026 – Ceremony

Directors Guild of America Awards (DGA)

January 7, 2026 – Official Nominees Announcement
February 7, 2026 – Ceremony

Producers Guild of America Awards (PGA)

February 7, 2026 – Official Nominees Announcement
February 28, 2026 – Ceremony

Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) – now called the Actors’ Awards

January 7, 2026 – Official Nominees Announcement
March 1, 2026 – Ceremony

Writers Guild of America Awards (WGA)

January 27, 2026 – Official Nominees Announcement
March 8, 2026 – Ceremony

BAFTA Film Awards

January 27, 2026 – Official Nominees Announcement
February 22, 2026 – Ceremony

Academy Awards – Oscars

January 22, 2026 – Official Nominees Announcement
March 15, 2026 – Ceremony

Emmy Awards

September 14, 2026 – Ceremony

Other Awards

Gotham Film Awards – Ceremony on December 1, 2025

Independent Spirit Awards –
Nominees announced on December 3, 2025
Ceremony on February 15, 2026

National Board of Review (NBR) –
Nominees announced on December 3, 2025
Ceremony – date to be announced

Costume Designers Guild Awards –
Nominees announced on December 12, 2025
Ceremony on February 27, 2026

People’s Choice Awards (PCA) –
February 18, 2026