On Monday, April 21, the Academy’s Board of Governors decided to tighten voting procedures for the Oscars. The Academy will now require members to watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final round for the Oscars, according to a press release. 

These rules will take effect starting next year for the 98th Oscars, which will take place on March 15, 2026. Another rule that will be implemented is what many have dubbed the “Diane Warren rule”. This rule states that the names of all nominees will be listed on the final ballot for all categories. The rule has been named after Diane Warren, who is a singer who has received 16 best original song nominations, but has never won the category. The idea is that if more voters had realized who was featured in the song, more might have voted for it. 

The Academy also released a timeline for the 98th Oscars season. Preliminary voting for the 2026 Oscars will begin at 9 am Pacific time on December 8, 2025. The awards show will occur on March 15, 2026. 

With the new rules in place for the next Oscars, the awards for best original song, among other categories, may experience a change in winners. In addition, voting for films will be more fair as the most popular film may not win due to the new rule on voting.