Awards season is super busy for us entertainment journalists (think multiple Super Bowls without the snacks that come along with that big game) and while there are plenty, the big three when it comes to acting are the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the granddaddy if them all, the Academy Awards a.k.a. the Oscars.
But how are they different?
Glad you asked.
The Oscars: The oldest having begun in 1929, this award celebrates the best in film achievement which includes everything from acting to directing to best sound editing.
The statues are awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with the winners chosen by the voting members of the Academy. That’s not just anyone, by the way, membership to the Academy is by invitation only.
It’s usually the final awards show of the season.
The Golden Globe Awards: They began in 1944, and these awards go to the best in television and domestic and international film as determined by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).
Not long after its founding, the awards ceremony made some changes.
“In 1951 the association decided to divide the best film, actor and actress nominees into two categories — drama, and musical or comedy — so that no genre would be slighted,” according to its site. “In 1952, the HFPA created the Cecil B. deMille Award to recognize ‘outstanding contribution to the entertainment field.’ The award’s first recipient was deMille himself.”
There are less than 100 members of HFPA and they are the voting body for the awards.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards: The SAG Awards as they are commonly known are presented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists shorthanded SAG-AFTRA.
According to its site the union “represents approximately 160,000 performers and media professionals across 25 locals in the United States who work in film and digital motion pictures, television programs, commercials, video games, corporate/educational and non-broadcast productions, new media, television and radio news outlets, as well as major label recording artists.”
Awards are voted on by the union membership and recognizes excellence in film and prime time television. The ceremony was founded in 1952, but the show didn’t become a thing until it started airing in 1995.
It is currently aired on TNT and TBS which is owned by CNN’s parent company.