Even though the TV schedule made it through 2020 relatively unscathed — we’ll see if the same can be said for 2021 — the Winter TV Awards Season has found itself just as uprooted by the rescheduling of the Academy Awards as everything else in Hollywood. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced in June that it had pushed back the date of the Oscars until April 25, 2021, a full eight weeks after it was originally scheduled. The date shift meant that the entirety of the Oscar race had to shift with it, with the guild awards and Golden Globes reworking their calendars accordingly.
Since most of those ceremonies also honor TV programs, despite having a largely undisrupted eligibility period, television needs to cool its jets for a few months until the film awards season is ready to reconvene. For ease of access, we’ve created an extensive and ever-changing calendar which reflects many of the adjusted dates for the Winter TV Awards.
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences released its timeline for the 2020-2021 Emmy Awards race last week, confirming what was previously suspected, with the Emmy race directly abutting the Winter TV awards season. Specifically, the entry deadline for the Emmy Awards is scheduled for May 13, not even three weeks after the ceremony for the Film Independent Spirit Awards — which, in addition to independent film, is celebrating TV programming for the first time in its history.
Beyond the promise of a truly year-round TV awards cycle for 2021, nothing in particular stands out about the TV Academy’s calendar. Next year’s dates largely follow the same timeline trajectory as the original schedule for 2020, before inevitable adjustments were made in consideration of global events.
The below dates are subject to change. More information about the 2021 Emmy calendar will be added as time and information permits.
Monday, December 7, 2020
Art Directors Guild (ADG) Awards TV submissions close.
Friday, December 11, 2020
Deadline for Writers Guild (WGA) submissions: Series (Drama, Comedy, New); TV-Radio/Audio-New Media Scripts and Paul Selvin Award (WGAW)
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Submissions close for Critics Choice Awards TV.
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Deadline for TV nomination ballots to be mailed to all Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) members by Ernst & Young
Monday, January 4, 2021
Preliminary online voting for WGA Series (Drama, Comedy, New) begins.
Costume Designers Guild Awards (CDGA) submissions close at 5 p.m. PST.
Critics Choice Awards TV nominating committees begin consideration.
Monday, January 11, 2021
Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination voting opens.
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Deadline for Golden Globes TV nomination ballots to Ernst & Young, by 5 p.m. PT
Friday, January 15, 2021
Critics Choice Awards TV nominating committees render recommendations.
Monday, January 18, 2021
Critics Choice Awards TV nominations announced
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Deadline for WGA preliminary Series (Drama, Comedy, New) online voting
Tuesday, January 25, 2021
American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) TV nomination balloting begins.
Monday, February 1, 2021
SAG nominations voting closes at 12 p.m. PT.
ADG Awards TV nomination voting begins.
Critics Choice nomination ballots go to members.
Deadline for Annie Awards submissions
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Golden Globe Awards nominations announced at 5 a.m. PT
WGA TV, New Media, News, Radio/Audio, and Promotional Writing Nominations Announced
Thursday, February 4, 2021
SAG Awards nominations announced
Friday, February 5, 2021
Critics Choice nomination ballots due
Sunday, February 7, 2021
Critics Choice Awards nominations announced
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Final SAG Awards voting opens.
Final Golden Globes ballots mailed to all HFPA members by Ernst & Young.
CDGA nomination ballot voting opens online at 6 a.m. PST.
Thursday, February 11, 2021
PGA Awards TV Programs (Sports, Children’s and Short Form Programs) nomination polls open.
Emmy Awards online entry process begins.
Friday, February 12, 2021
Deadline for preliminary WGA screenplay online voting
ACE Eddie Awards submissions close.
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
WGA screenplay nominations announced
Friday February 19, 2021
Final WGA Series (Drama, Comedy, New) online voting begins.
ACE Eddie Awards nominations ballots sent
Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards TV nomination voting opens.
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Deadline for receipt of final Golden Globes ballots by Ernst & Young, at 5 p.m. PT
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Cinema Audio Society nomination ballot voting ends.
ADG Awards TV nomination voting ends.
CDGA nomination ballots voting closes at 5 p.m. PST
Thursday, February 25, 2021
PGA Awards Television Programs (Series/Specials and Televised/Streamed Motion Pictures) nomination polls open.
PGA Awards Television Programs (Sports, Children’s and Short Form Programs) nomination polls close.
ADG Awards TV nominations announced
Friday, February 26, 2021
AFI Awards celebration
PGA Awards TV Programs (Sports, Children’s and Short Form Programs) nominations announced. Final polls open.
Sunday, February 28, 2021
Presentation of the 78th Annual Golden Globe® Awards
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Annie Awards nominations announced at 8 a.m. PT
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Final ballots go to Critics Choice voters.
Official announcement of CDGA nominees
Friday, March 5, 2021
Critics Choice ballots due
Deadline for final WGA series (Drama, Comedy, New) online voting
ASC nomination polls close for Television and Feature Film.
DGA TV Awards nomination voting closes.
Sunday, March 7, 2021
PGA Awards Television Programs (Series/Specials and Televised/Streamed Motion Pictures) nomination polls close, at 2 p.m. PT.
Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards nominations announced
Monday, March 8, 2021
ACE Eddie Awards nomination ballots due
PGA Awards Television Programs (Series/Specials and Televised/Streamed Motion Pictures) nominations announced. Final polls open.
PGA Awards Television Programs (Sports, Children’s and Short Form Programs) final polls close.
DGA TV Awards nominations announced.
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
ASC nominations announced for TV, Documentary, Spotlight and Theatrical.
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
SAG Awards voting ends 12 p.m. PT
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Final online ADG Awards TV voting begins.
ACE Eddie Awards nominations announced.
Friday March 12, 2021
Final ASC ballots mailed for Television, Documentary, Spotlight and Theatrical
Sunday March 14, 2021
27th SAG Awards announced
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Final CDGA ballot voting opens online at 6 a.m. PT.
Friday, March 19, 2021
Final ACE Eddie Ballots sent
PGA Awards Television Programs (Series/Specials and Televised/Streamed Motion Pictures) final polls close.
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Writers Guild Awards
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
PGA Awards
Friday, March 26, 2021
Final ACE Eddie Awards ballots due
Monday, March 29, 2021
Final CDGA ballot voting closes at 5 p.m. PT.
Annie Awards online balloting opens.
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
VES Awards Gala
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Final ADG online voting ends at 5 p.m. PT.
Annie Awards online balloting closes, at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Saturday, April 10, 2021
ADG Awards Gala
DGA Awards Ceremony
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Winners announced at the CDGA Awards.
Final ASC polls close (all categories).
Friday, April 16, 2021
Annie Awards
Sunday, April 18, 2021
ACE Eddie Awards
ASC Awards (winners announced)
Saturday, April 24, 2021
Film Independent Spirit Awards
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Emmy Awards entry deadline for ALL entries that were originally presented 6 p.m. – 2 a.m., June 1, 2020 – May 31, 2021 (including hanging episodes).
Emmy Awards upload deadline for all entry materials
Thursday, June 17, 2021
Emmy Awards nominations-round voting begins.
Monday, June 28, 2021
Emmy Awards nominations-round voting ends, at 10 p.m. PT.
Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Emmy Awards nominations announced.
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Deadline for errors and omissions to the Emmy Awards nominations.
Friday, August 13, 2021
Final-round Emmy Awards videos available for viewing.
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Emmy Awards final-round voting begins.
Monday, August 30, 2021
Emmy Awards final-round voting ends, at 10 p.m. PT.
September 2021
Creative Arts Emmy Awards and Ball, at TBD
CBS Primetime Emmy Awards telecast and Governors Ball, at TBD
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