Emmys 2021: TV academy to allow nominees to opt for ‘non-gendered’ description for first time ever
Nominees in the ‘Actor’ or ‘Actress’ categories can request that their nomination certificate and statuette carry the term ‘Performer’
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Your support makes all the difference.The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has declared that all Emmy nominees will be allowed to opt for non-gendered descriptions from 2021.
This move will change the description of the nominees to be perceived as “performer” rather than “actor” or “actress”.
This decision was reportedly made in response to calls to eliminate gendered acting classifications in acknowledgment of sexes past male and female.
“No performer category titled ‘Actor’ or ‘Actress’ has ever had a gender requirement for submissions,” the Television Academy said in a statement on Monday (21 June). “Now, nominees and (or) winners in any performer category titled ‘Actor’ or ‘Actress’ may request that their nomination certificate and Emmy statuette carry the term ‘Performer’ in place of Actor or Actress.”
Furthermore, in another drastic change, it has been declared that any movies entered for the best documentary feature or best documentary short category at the Oscars will be ineligible for Emmy recognition from next season.
“Any film placed on the AMPAS viewing platform will be deemed a theatrical motion picture and thus ineligible for the Emmy competition,” the statement reads.
This move comes after criticism raised in 2020 about the TV Academy’s choice to consider documentaries that were nominated for an Oscars but to still consider documentaries that submitted for an Oscar nomination but were not nominated.
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