The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony which was supposed to take place on the 28th of February 2021 has now been pushed by 8 weeks due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. The Oscars are now scheduled to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California on April 25, 2021. Even the eligibility period for movies to be enrolled for sections has been extended to February 28 and the selected nomination list will be made public on the 21st of March 2021. The Twitter page of Academy Awards officially confirmed this news today morning - “It's true! Next year's #Oscars will happen on April 25, 2021. Here's what else you need to know: - The eligibility period for the Oscars will be extended to February 28, 2021 - Nominations will be announced on March 15, 2021 - @AcademyMuseum will open on April 30, 2021.”

This is only the 4th time in the history that the Academy Awards have been postponed, and the first time since the 6th Academy Awards in which films released in two different calendar years will be eligible for award consideration in the same ceremony. The COVID-19 pandemic had had a huge impact on the film industry. The film productions have all been stopped across the world. Closure of theatres as preventive measure to regulate public gathering, is another big setback. In particular, the Academy Awards require films to have received a theatrical release in the previous calendar year, in at least one cinema in Los Angeles County for at least seven days, in order to be eligible. The Oscar committee is yet to take a call on reworking this rule.

In a joint statement, AMPAS' President and CEO David Rubin and Dawn Hudson explained that "for over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year. Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone’s control."