305 Films to Compete for 2016 Oscars
305 films have been deemed eligible to compete for the 2016 Oscars, down from 323 last year. For the full list go here.
To be eligible, a film must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31st, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days. The Academy defines a feature film as one with a running time of more than 40 minutes, which has been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format.
Ballots go out to AMPAS voters on December 30th, 2015. Nominations for the 88th Academy Awards will be announced Thursday, January 14th, 2016 and awards handed out on Sunday, February 28th, 2016.
Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
Latest posts by Erik Anderson (see all)
- FINAL Frontrunner Friday Oscar Predictions of the 2025/2026 Season - March 13, 2026
- FINAL 2026 Oscar Predictions: BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTOR - March 13, 2026
- Satellite Awards Winners: ‘Hamnet, ‘Marty Supreme,’ ‘The White Lotus,’ Andor’ and More - March 10, 2026
FINAL Frontrunner Friday Oscar Predictions of the 2025/2026 Season 
FINAL 2026 Oscar Predictions: BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTOR 
‘I Love Boosters’ Review: Boots Riley’s Dressed to Excess Cartoon Revolution is Too Much and Not Enough [B-] SXSW 
‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’ Season One Review: Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer Momedy Hits the Mark [B+]