Considering the year we’ve all had, it’s weird to think that awards season 2020 went off without a hitch.
Last year, weeks before the world went into lockdown, Parasite was named best picture in a room filled with Hollywood’s biggest names, BTS, Nas and the yodelling kid hopped on a remix of Old Town Road with Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus at the Grammys, and Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston reunited and sent us all into meltdown at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
And, well, you all know what happened next.
A year on, the pandemic is still ongoing, the UK is still in lockdown and not only were there barely any films released to judge in awards season, our usual calendar has been ripped up.
However, the show must go on – whether that’s on Zoom or IRL – and awards season is still happening, albeit on a different schedule and with a whole lot of constraints.
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Here’s when we can expect some of the biggest awards shows of the year, including the Oscars, Grammys and Golden Globes, to go ahead.
January 2021
January 26: National Board of Review winners announced
February 2021
February 3: Golden Globe Awards nominations announced
February 3: Writers Guild of America Awards TV screenplay nominations announced
February 4: Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations announced
February 7: Critics Choice Awards film nominations announced
February 16: Writers Guild of America Awards film screenplay nominations announced
February 28: Golden Globe Awards
Taking the Oscars’ original place in the awards season schedule, the Golden Globes will be held at the end of February, rather than in their usual January slot. While the eligibility guidelines for films have been tweaked, TV programmes will still have to stick to the original December 31 2020 deadline. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are set to host.
March 2021
March 2: Art Directors Guild nominations announced
March 3: Annie Awards nominations announced
March 7: Critics Choice Awards
March 14: Grammys
Due to a surge in coronavirus cases in Los Angeles, where the Grammys are held, the biggest night in music was shifted back from January 31 until March 14. The show, hosted by Trevor Noah, was already going to be scaled back for its original date. The move in the Grammys date meant that the SAG Awards – which were to take place on the same night – were also pushed back.
March 15: Oscar nominations announced
March 21: Writers Guild of America Awards ceremony
March 24: Producers Guild of America Awards
April 2021
April 4: Screen Actors Guild Awards
The SAG Awards usually take place in January, but have been pushed back three months due to various scheduling difficulties. The awards, which recognise excellence in film and TV, were supposed to take place on March 14, but after the Grammys moved to that date, the SAGs shifted forwards by another three weeks to avoid a huge clash.
April 6: Visual Effects Society Awards ceremony
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April 10: Art Directors Guild Awards ceremony
April 10: Directors Guild of America Awards ceremony
April 11: Baftas
The Baftas had been slated to take place on Valentine’s Day, but will now take place two weeks before the Oscars… but in April. The date change comes with an extended eligibility period.
April 16: Annie Awards ceremony
April 24: Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony
April 25: Oscars
The big one. The Oscars usually bookend awards season way earlier, and were supposed to take place on February 28. However, after the eligibility period for movies was extended into early 2021, the ceremony was pushed back by two months to allow for release alterations and cinema closures the world over. While films usually have to have had a theatre release to qualify for Oscar nominations, films that had planned for a theatre release but went straight to streaming due to the pandemic will be permitted this year.
May 2021
May 11: Brit Awards
The Brits normally take place in February, but will now take place in May, with chief executive Geoff Taylor saying: ‘We want to make sure that the Brits delivers the outstanding production levels, superstar performances and live excitement that make it the biggest night in music.’ Eligibility deadlines for the awards have also been amended. At the moment, it is hoped that the show will go ahead at the O2 Arena in London with a live audience.
July
July 13: Emmys nominations announced
There is still no date for the 2021 Emmys ceremony; the show took place last year virtually.
September 2020
September 9: National Television Awards
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The NTAs were supposed to take place in January, before they were pushed back to April 20. However, the date has now been postponed by a further five months, with the O2 Arena ceremony now scheduled for September 9.
MORE : Ghosts’ Charlotte Ritchie on why series Dead Pixels is perfect lockdown bingeing
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