Oscars Nomination Schedule Moved Up

Nominations for the 85th Academy Awards will be announced Jan. 10, five days earlier than originally planned, the Beverly Hills-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday.

According to a statement from the Academy, the shift was made "to provide members and the public a longer period of time to see the nominated films."

The Academy also announced that for the first time, its members will be able to cast their Oscar ballots electronically, using a system that has been in the works for more than a year. The Academy plans to make several resources available to its members, such as assisted voting stations and a 24-hour telephone help line during voting periods. Traditional paper ballots will also still be available.

During the pre-nominations stage, members will vote with paper ballots in eight categories due to special screening schedules—animated feature film, animated short film, live action short film, documentary feature, documentary short subject, foreign language film, makeup and hairstyling and visual effects.

The Academy Awards will be presented Feb. 24 at the renamed Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center.

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