Oscars Submission Deadline Fell Thursday as Governors Awards Honorary Oscars for Glenn Close and Ridley Scott Are Set for Nov. 15

Three days later, the same Academy looks set to open new doors with its Governors Awards, where Glenn Close and Ridley Scott, two of the most admired names in film and neither a competitive Oscar winner, are due to receive honorary statuettes. And in that fashion, the week is about to become a sharp cutoff and a long-awaited end for the artists at the same time!

Table of Contents

1. The Deadline That Closed on Thursday

2. Sunday's Honorees at a Glance

3. Glenn Close: Eight Nominations, One Long Wait

4. Ridley Scott: A Best Picture Winner Without a Statuette

5. Honorary Versus Competitive Oscars

6. Why Governors Weekend Matters for the Race

7. The Road to the 99th Oscars

8. Conclusion

The Deadline That Closed on Thursday

Thursday, November 12, marked the last day for distributors and producers to submit Oscars Submission Forms in the Best Picture, Animated Feature and general entry categories. With the cutoff set at 5 p.m. PT, each submission required a carefully filled and signed form submission along with the complete on-screen credits, uploaded through the Academy's submission website. Within the eligibility outlines, Films could open in commercial theatres until December 31, 2026 in one of six qualifying U.S. markets: Los Angeles County, New York City, the Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta. The film’s cinematic run must also extend for at least seven consecutive days, with at least three screenings daily and one starting between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Best Picture comes with a few extra conditions. A film must submit the confidential Representation and Inclusion Standards Entry (RAISE) form and meet two of its four standards, although a distributor may opt out of Best Picture altogether. It must also complete an expanded theatrical run in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets by January 21, 2027.

Sunday's Honorees at a Glance

On the other side of the weekend, the Academy's Board of Governors voted to present Honorary Oscars to Glenn Close, Ridley Scott and Floyd Norman, while producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler are set to receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Amongst last year’s honorees, Dollar Parton had received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, along with Debbie Allen, Tom Cruise and production designer Wynn Thomas, who received Honorary Awards as well. This year, the event is scheduled to be held on Sunday, November 15, the 17th Governors Awards will take place at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood, in partnership with Rolex.

In Picture: Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler

 

Glenn Close: Eight Nominations, One Long Wait

Hollywood is often studded with brilliant performances which makes few consistent performers become consistently overlooked. Glenn Close, has notably received a whopping eight competitive Oscars without ever winning one, a record that further led her to earn the label of being the perennial bridesmaid. Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor while announcing the honoree acknowledged Glenn Close’s contribution by claiming that Close's emotional range has brought some of cinema's most complex characters to life and while an Honorary award couldn’t make up or rewrite the Oscar evenings she spent waiting her chance in the audience, it can surely assure an actress that people knew and remained in awe of what they were watching.

Ridley Scott: A Best Picture Winner Without a Statuette

Ridley Scott underwent a journey of its own before reaching the honorees list. Having been nominated as best director for three previous projects including the likes of Thelma & Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down and being nominated for Best Picture as a producer of The Martian, Scott’s 2000 epic Gladiator also won five Oscars, while Scott has lived a life without the statuette, an acclaim that has consistently evaded Scott throughout his journey. After spending roughly six decades making cinema from behind the camera, an honorary Oscar is the final reward and acknowledgement for the director and his notable contributions in the Academy’s history.

Honorary Versus Competitive Oscars

Why Governors Weekend Matters for the Race

The Governors Awards are officially a tribute, but at the same time, they also become an opportunity for an informal campaign stop. Throughout the history of the award night, contenders often strategically utilize the evening to meet the Academy's governors, three from each of its 19 branches, who range from actors and directors to artisans and executives. Thus, the weekend is carefully shaped with a deadline that outlines who competes while the Governor Awards puts those competing in a room with those who are likely to vote eventually. And while this is an observation, it’s important to know that the process runs uniquely by itself as well. Nothing about the governor’s evening changes eligibility, and honorees are chosen for their careers rather than for this year's slate.

The Road to the 99th Oscars

Conclusion

This November week has been eventful for those closely following the Oscars every year. The week saw the emergence of Academy’s two faces while Thursday remained procedural with formal documentation with a timely cutoff that carried no expectations. Come Sunday, the mood could quickly change as an evening of gratitude for people who have spent decades shaping how stories look and feel takes place while Close and Scott finally receive the acknowledgement and acclaim that could be the jewel to their artistic legacy. For everyone else competing for the Oscar’s, December 15’s shortlist becomes the next milestone in the race.