Voting Process Overview.
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The Canadian Screen Awards honour outstanding achievement in the Canadian film, television, and digital media industries and are administered by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.
Important Membership Voting Dates for the 2025 Canadian Screen Awards
Deadline to Join or Update Your Membership In Order to Vote to Determine Nominees (Round 1): Monday, December 16, 2024
Vote to Determine Nominees (Round 1): Wednesday, January 15, 2025 – Thursday, February 13, 2025
Deadline to Join or Update Your Membership In Order to Vote to Determine Winners (Round 2): Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Nominee Announcement: Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Vote to Determine Winners (Round 2): Thursday, March 27, 2025 – Monday, April 14, 2025
2025 Canadian Screen Awards: Friday, May 30, 2025 – Sunday, June 1, 2025
Determining Nominations (Round 1)
In the first round of voting for the 2025 Canadian Screen Awards (Wednesday, January 15, 2025 – Thursday, February 13, 2025), nominations will be determined both by Nominating Juries and by Academy membership vote, depending on the category.
The categories available to Academy members in this voting period are dependent on the member’s professional credits and the branches of membership they belong to. Please note that, depending on their divisions and branches, not all members will vote during this voting period. Members must also be current, active members on Monday, December 16, 2024 in order to vote in this period.
A full list of categories voted on by Academy members during the voting period determining nominees can be found here.
Television & Digital Media Program, Performance Categories
Nominations for the Program, Performance, and Digital Media categories are determined by nominating jury, except in non-immersive and non-gaming Digital Media categories, which are determined by membership. However, if a Television Program* or Performance category receives fewer than or equal to 15 entries (or less than or equal to 20 hours of total entered footage), nominations will be determined by an Academy membership branch vote, rather than a jury vote.
*Excluding all news and sports categories, as well as categories 1003. Best Drama Series, 1004. Best Comedy Series, and 1007. Best Reality/Competition Program or Series which are judged by a jury of individuals selected through consultations with broadcasters.
Television Craft Categories
Nominations for the Television Craft categories will be determined by direct vote by Academy craft membership branches.
Academy Voting Members are able to cast their votes on the Academy’s online voting platform using unique credentials that will be sent in an email when voting commences.
Film Categories
The following Nominating Committees are assembled from across the country, and nominations are tabulated by the Academy’s official ballot accountants, Kay & Warburton:
- Feature Film [Best Motion Picture, Writing (Original and Adapted), Direction, and Performance (Lead and Support)];
- Feature Documentary (Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary, Editing, Cinematography, Original Music, Sound Design);
- Theatrical Shorts (Best Live Action Short Drama, Performance in a Live Action Short Drama, Best Animated Short, Best Short Documentary).
Film Craft Categories
Feature Film Craft Categories (Achievement in Cinematography, Achievement in Editing, etc.) are determined by a peer-based vote of the Cinema Membership Branch (i.e. Cinema Cinematographers branch members will view and vote in Achievement in Cinematography category, Cinema Editors in Achievement in Editing, etc).
The John Dunning Award
The John Dunning Award nominations for best first feature film are determined by a nominating jury.
Determining Winners (Round 2)
Except in the case of news and sports categories, and the John Dunning Award, winners of the Canadian Screen Awards are determined by the Academy membership in the second voting period (Thursday, March 27, 2025 – Monday, April 14, 2025). Members must be current, active members on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in order to vote in this period.
Following the nominee announcement on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, eligible members will receive an individual login to the Academy’s online voting platform where they can screen nominated projects and cast their vote. Television division members may vote on all television categories, film division members may vote on all film categories, and digital media division members may vote on all digital media categories.
Once the winner voting period ends, online ballots are confidential and will be accessed directly from the Jury site by the Ballot Auditors who will tabulate the final results.
All results remain confidential until the envelopes are opened at the Awards presentations during Canadian Screen Week 2025 taking place May 30 to June 1, 2025.
Additional Information
For complete Rules & Regulations on Voting procedure please review:
2025 Canadian Screen Awards Television & Digital Media Rules & Regulations:
– SECTION XVI – THE JUDGING PROCESS
2025 Canadian Screen Awards Film Rules & Regulations:
– SECTION IX – FEATURE FILM NOMINATING PROCESS
– SECTION XIV – THEATRICAL SHORTS & DOCUMENTARIES NOMINATING PROCESS
– SECTION XVII – FINAL MEMBERSHIP VOTE (WINNERS)
