Oscar voters will have extra time to ponder their nomination ballots and final voting choices next year.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and ABC announced Monday that next year's 86th Annual Academy Awards will take place Sunday, March 2. While recent Oscars shows have been held on the last Sunday of February, that date next year already has been taken by the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. So rather than move ahead on the calendar, the Academy is shifting to March as it did to avoid the 2010 Olympics closer.
The Academy also announced Monday that the 2015 Academy Awards will move back to the last Sunday in February, which that year will be Feb. 22. The choice of dates for the next two Oscars effectively ends any speculation that the show could move to an earlier date on the Hollywood awards calendar.
In setting key dates for next year, the Academy has built a little more time into its voting schedule than was the case this past season.
Nomination voting will begin Dec. 27, and the nominations voting deadline will be Wednesday, Jan. 8. This past season, during which the Academy inaugurated electronic voting, nominations voting began Dec. 17 and originally was set to end on Jan. 3, though that deadline was extended by a day.
Nominations for the 86th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 16, a week later than they were unveiled this year, when the announcement took place Jan. 10.
Next year, the final balloting will begin Feb. 14, with ballots due Feb. 25. This past season, final voting began Feb. 8 and ended Feb. 19.
The 86th and 87th Academy Awards again will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland and broadcast live by ABC.
The key dates for the 86th Academy Awards are as follows:
Saturday, Nov. 16: The Governors Awards
Monday, Dec. 2: Official Screen Credits due
Friday, Dec. 27: Nominations voting begins
Wednesday, Jan. 8: Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT
Thursday, Jan. 16: Oscar nominations announced
Monday, Feb. 10: Nominees Luncheon
