Every year there seems to be a gap between popular and critical opinions when it comes to big film and television awards. This year, for example, Spider-Man: No Way Home was snubbed for several Academy Award nominations, even though it broke numerous box-office records in the post-COVID era and received universal praise. However, there is a chance that this snub may be rectified, at least partially, as the Academy has just announced that there will be a new, fan-voted category whose winner will be announced during the awards ceremony.
The new award will be for the fan-favorite film, and you can vote for the winner yourself. Starting today, Twitter users can vote on their favorite film of 202. To do so, Twitter users can vote by tweeting out the film's title with the hashtags #OscarsFanFavorite and #Sweepstakes. The votes will count for any film released in 2021. So, for example, if you think that Space Jam 2 didn't receive enough praise, you can tweet the film's title out with the appropriate hashtags and make your voice heard. You can vote, or tweet, up to 20 times per day, and the winning film will be announced during the Academy Awards broadcast. You can also vote on the Academy's website. Voting will take place from today, February 14, through March 3, 2022.
In addition to having the massive potential to bring Space Jam 2 to its rightful place in film history, your vote can also win you a trip to Los Angeles, as three lucky Twitter users who cast their votes will be selected for an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to present an Oscar at next year's show.
In a statement made to the press, Maryl Johnson, the Academy's vice president of digital marketing said, “We’re thrilled to partner with Twitter to help build an engaged and excited digital audience leading up to this year’s ceremony." She continued, “The Oscars are an opportunity to bring people around the world together through their shared movie love, and through these activations social media users around the world now have more opportunities to engage with the show in real-time, find a community and be a part of the experience in ways they’ve never been able to before.”
In addition to the fan-favorite movie, voters will also be able to vote on their favorite film moment of 2021. The Oscars will air on March 27, 2022. You can view the Academy's tweet announcement below.