When it comes to battling a global pandemic and a plummeting economy, awards shows are hardly front of mind in the grand scheme. But the industry at large (and the thousands of jobs it holds) has taken a huge hit - and along with it, the red carpets and ceremonies we love to be entertained by.
Many annual ceremonies have been postponed, cancelled, or called upon for change on the heels of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement. The way we perceive things has changed in the months following the movement's ignition, after the death of George Floyd on March 25.
It's no secret and no new phenomenon that there is a representation discrepancy in Hollywood and the music industry. With inclusivity and equity priority for so many of us, it looks like the entertainment industry is finally beginning to make a shift. So we'll be intrigued to tune into the ceremonies from awards season in 2021 to see if the institutional change is reflected.
Since many of the timings of the key awards ceremonies have changed, we've rounded up all we know about the new dates and new categories.
The Grammys - March 14 2021
A number of notable changes are set to take place ahead of the 63rd annual awards ceremony which came inevitably off the back of the Black Lives Matter movement. After being consistently called out for racial bias inequality, and pigeonholing they have finally announced a number of changes, with the Best Urban Contemporary Album category changed to Best Progressive R&B Album among them. In a statement, Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy said: "I’m excited to announce our latest changes, as we're constantly evaluating our Awards process and evolving it to ensure the GRAMMY Awards are inclusive and reflect the current state of the music industry".
“Rain or shine, COVID-19 vaccine or not… Whether or not there will be a live audience or red carpet will be determined and revealed closer to the big day,” said the Grammys website.
The Golden Globes - February 28 2021
The 2021 Golden Globes have reportedly been pushed back to February 28, 2021. Often seen as a predication for what might take place at The Oscars, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has stated they would “provide further guidance around eligibility, voting period and revised nominations announcement timing in the coming weeks”.
The BAFTAs - April 11 2021
The BAFTAs have followed suit to The Oscars this year by postponing their 2021 ceremony by two months, according to the BBC. To keep in line with The Oscars which usually takes place two weeks following the BAFTAs the new ceremony date is set for April 11. In addition, organisers have agreed to extend the eligibility window beyond 31 December 2020 to the end of February.
The Spirit Awards - April 24 2021
The 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards will additionally take place in line with the 2021 Oscars, taking place one day prior to the Oscars, taking place on April 24, 2021.
The Oscars - April 25 2021
Regarding the date of the next annual Academy Awards, Variety reported on June 15 that the date for the 93rd Academy Awards would be pushed back from February 28, 2021, to April 25, 2021. Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson explained in a statement that the date change was down to COVID-19 and that the date change would allow “flexibility to filmmakers who need to finish and release their films without being penalised for something beyond anyone’s control”.
When it comes to inclusivity regulations, in June we touched on the Academy's announcement of new “inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility”, which will hopefully increase representation across the board of the entire industry at-large.
The SAG Awards - April 4 2021
The annual 27th Screen Actors Guild Award has been pushed back once again due to COVID-19 from it's usual February date to April 4, 2021 to presumably make way for the Grammy's new date. In terms of eligibility requirements, these have been modified for the TV shows and films to be considered for the SAG Awards.
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