As part of its commitment to clarity and transparency, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has published a new, revised edition of rules and regulations for the Golden Globe Awards. The new document, valid immediately, is yet another step in an ongoing process of revising and refining the requirements and qualifications for the Globes.

The document contains very few completely new entries. Most of the additions and modifications have been part of the Golden Globes internal procedures and rules for years. That is the case of the new language defining “original score”, specifying who should receive the screenplay award and the procedures to determine what qualifies an entry in the “foreign language” category.

In the same way, the possibility of a “special” Golden Globe awards, the strict requirements of disclosures by voters and the blackout period for attending parties and social functions during the voting period for a long time have been part of the HFPA’s bylaws and internal rules.

These are the truly new additions for this year’s Golden Globes cycle:

• New language that more clearly defines the drama/comedy distinction, which now contemplates the hybrid genre of the dramedy and similar pictures with a more precise description: “dramas with comedic overtones should be entered as dramas.”
• For the same reason – making life easier for foreign language entrants – submitted films are no longer required to provide screeners in addition to showing the picture at a special screening. (Screeners, however, are highly encouraged).
• Due to the expansion of viewing platforms, the rules were refined to establish distinctions between motion picture and television categories in pay-per-view windows.

The 74^th Golden Globe Awards will be held on Sunday, January 8, 2017.Download the rules for the 2017 Golden Globes here: golden_globe_awards_eligibility_descriptions_2016_revisionsapproved_by_members_4-4-16.pdf