No Campaigning Until After Strike – The Hollywood Reporter

How will the ongoing strike of SAG-AFTRA against AMPTP impact the SAG Awards season, during which some actors campaign for and other actors evaluate their work in productions that emanate from companies that they are currently striking against? On Tuesday morning, after a lengthy period of deliberation, the Screen Actors Guild Awards team shared its game plan, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

“Actor submissions for award show categories, by themselves, are not considered promotional under the strike order,” SAG-AFTRA has determined, according to an email sent to awards consultants and publicists. “This includes submissions for any awards show, including the SAG Awards.” The guild elaborated, “This means you can submit yourself for such awards and/or consent to studios or producers submitting your performances for such awards.”

However — and this is a big however — actors may not “participate in For Your Consideration events or any other promotional activities that discuss, tag, reference or feature struck content.” And FYC events, e-blasts and screeners “will remain on pause until further notice.”

SAG Awards submissions, which had been on pause, will open Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT, and will remain open through Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. PT. (Submission fees will be deferred until the strike has been resolved.) Rules and regulations governing this season’s SAG Awards will be posted at the same time.

SAG Awards nominating committees — one for film and one for TV — have already been formed. They do not usually begin screening much work until mid-October, by which point many believe the strike may be resolved.

Here is the full text of the email to awards consultants and publicists, which includes the key dates pertaining to the SAG Awards season.

Hello All,

We are heartened by the news of a deal between the WGA and AMPTP and hope that a fair deal for SAG-AFTRA is around the corner. That being said, we would like to share some updates regarding SAG Awards submissions and the strike order policy on general awards submissions for members.

SAG Awards Submissions

Actor submissions for award show categories, by themselves, are not considered promotional under the strike order. This includes submissions for any awards show, including the SAG Awards.

Submissions for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will open tomorrow, Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at 10 am PT at sagawards.org/awards. We will release our updated Rules and Regulations at the same time. The submission deadline is Monday, November 6, 2023, at 5 pm PT.

Submission payment will be deferred until the TV/Theatrical strike has ended. You can complete submissions, but the payment portal for invoicing and credit card payments will not be open. All submitters will receive an email notification once payment options are available.

FYC Campaigns

FYC events, e-blasts, and screeners for SAG Awards consideration will remain on pause until further notice. We will provide more information as soon as we are able.

General Awards Submissions

To provide clarity on general awards submissions during the SAG-AFTRA strike order, the following award-focused FAQs have recently been added to SAGAFTRAStrike.org under Members/Promotions:

How should we handle award show submissions based on performances in struck content? 

Submissions for award show categories, by themselves, are not considered promotional under the strike order. This means you can submit yourself for such awards and/or consent to studios or producers submitting your performances for such awards. You may not, however, participate in For Your Consideration events or any other promotional activities that discuss, tag, reference, or feature struck content. You may publicize the award show and the fact that you have been nominated, or submitted for nomination, for an award, so long as you do not tag, reference, discuss, or feature the struck content as part of the publication. As a reminder, projects covered by a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement are not struck content.

Can I participate in the selection of the clip(s) and/or images used in connection with my submission?

You may participate in the selection of clips and images used in connection with your submission for nomination only. You may not grant the studio any additional permission to use clips and/or images outside of the submission (such as at FYC events) beyond that which they may already have for struck content. As a reminder, projects covered by a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement are not struck content.

How should we handle award shows for productions covered by a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement?

Productions covered by our Interim Agreement are not struck! These are the films made by producers who were happy to accept all of our last demands rejected by the AMPTP. Our strike rules therefore do not apply to these productions. You can promote Interim Agreement projects, submit and accept awards for these projects, and attend FYC and any other promotional events related to these projects.

Questions As always, we’re here for any questions you may have. For submission or eligibility questions please email submissions@sagawards.org. For any strike-related questions please email sagaftrastrike@sagaftra.org.