The Canadian Screen Awards are going gender-neutral, as the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television has announced it will no longer have separate performance categories for men and women.
All "Actor" and "Actress" categories have been folded into a single award for "Performer," and the total nominees for these categories have been expanded from five to eight. This will come into effect for the 2023 awards; submissions open on September 14, 2022.
"It has been just over 10 years since the very first Canadian Screen Awards, and the evolution that our screen-based industries have made since then is immeasurable," said interim Academy CEO Louis Calabro in a statement. "As the Canadian Academy, we recognize it is our duty to ensure that every performer has the opportunity to fully participate in our awards programs and the industry, in general, and this move brings us closer to that goal."
Academy Chair John Young called it "a progressive, necessary step towards an equitable screen-based industry by ensuring all Canadian performers are eligible to be honoured by their peers," adding that the Canadian Academy "are thrilled to be among the first Academy of its kind in the world to implement this format."
This change follows a five-year consultation. The new categories are below:
Television
Best Lead Performer, Comedy
Best Lead Performer, Drama Series
Best Lead Performer, TV Movie
Best Supporting Performer, Comedy
Best Supporting Performer, Drama
Film
Performance in a Leading Role
Performance in a Supporting Role
All "Actor" and "Actress" categories have been folded into a single award for "Performer," and the total nominees for these categories have been expanded from five to eight. This will come into effect for the 2023 awards; submissions open on September 14, 2022.
"It has been just over 10 years since the very first Canadian Screen Awards, and the evolution that our screen-based industries have made since then is immeasurable," said interim Academy CEO Louis Calabro in a statement. "As the Canadian Academy, we recognize it is our duty to ensure that every performer has the opportunity to fully participate in our awards programs and the industry, in general, and this move brings us closer to that goal."
Academy Chair John Young called it "a progressive, necessary step towards an equitable screen-based industry by ensuring all Canadian performers are eligible to be honoured by their peers," adding that the Canadian Academy "are thrilled to be among the first Academy of its kind in the world to implement this format."
This change follows a five-year consultation. The new categories are below:
Television
Best Lead Performer, Comedy
Best Lead Performer, Drama Series
Best Lead Performer, TV Movie
Best Supporting Performer, Comedy
Best Supporting Performer, Drama
Film
Performance in a Leading Role
Performance in a Supporting Role