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With the Golden Globes done and dusted this year, attention turns to the awards show that people actually care about: the Academy Awards. Typically held in February, the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic led the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to delay the Oscars ceremony to April 25.

This delay also necessitated a corresponding delay in the announcement of this year’s nominees. Since the Academy Awards nominees are usually announced a short while after the Golden Globes ceremony airs, here’s when you can expect theAMPAS to reveal the Oscars 2021 nominees.

When will the 2021 Oscar nominees be announced?

Overview of Oscar statues on display at "Meet the Oscars" at the Time Warner Center on February 25, 2010 in New York City.
Overview of Oscar statues on display at “Meet the Oscars” at the Time Warner Center on February 25, 2010 in New York City. | Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

In order to accommodate the film industry as it grappled with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the AMPAS extended to eligibility window for the 2021 Oscars until the end of February. This has allowed studios and streamers to stretch out a bit and release contenders including Nomadland, Judas and the Black Messiah, I Care a Lot, Pieces of a Woman, The Little Things, Malcolm & Marie, Minari, and The Father in 2021.

As such, the nominee announcement broadcast was set for March 15, according to the AMPAS. In the past, celebrity presenters have taken part in the announcement, but it is unknown if this will be the case once more this year. In 2020, the nominees were revealed during a live-stream by actors John Cho and Issa Rae.

“For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times,” AMPAS President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a joint statement. “They certainly have this year… This coming Oscars and the opening of our new museum will mark an historic moment, gathering movie fans around the world to unite through cinema.” 

Who are the frontrunners for the Oscars 2021?

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Gold Derby is the entertainment industry standard for reporting on awards season. It maintains a list of odds for all of the Oscars’ categories each year that is often accurate.

Based on its current odds, Nomadland is the favorite (13/2) to win Best Picture. The film has long been seen by many as the frontrunner, a position cemented when it won Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director for Chloe Zhao at the Golden Globes. Other frontrunners likely to score nominations are The Trial of the Chicago 7, Minari, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, One Night in Miami, and Mank. Zhao is also the overwhelming favorite to win Best Director at the Oscars, which would make her only the second woman in history to do so.

Chadwick Boseman and Carey Mulligan are the current favorites for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Promising Young Woman. Boseman recently pulled ahead of Anthony Hopkins in the odds ranking, setting him on a course for a rare posthumous Oscar win.

Olivia Colman and Daniel Kaluuya are the favorites to win Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, for The Father and Judas and the Black Messiah. Colman previously pulled off an upset win in 2019, taking home Best Actress for The Favourite. Kaluuya was previously nominated for Best Actor in 2018 for Get Out.

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