The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released eligibility rosters for Documentary Feature, Animated Feature, and International Feature Film, with Deadline first reporting the publication.

What three races just received their eligible lists? The Academy posted rosters covering:

• Documentary Feature
• Animated Feature
• International Feature Film

Each list fixes which titles qualified under branch rules and remain in contention for the corresponding Oscar.

Why do eligibility lists matter this early in the race? Publication of the eligible roster closes the door on late additions. Films missing from the list — whether they failed to meet a qualifying run, missed submission deadlines, or did not satisfy branch criteria — cannot compete in that category this cycle. Titles that appear on the list have cleared an early technical hurdle and remain in contention through the shortlist and nomination stages.

For studios running awards campaigns, eligibility status dictates the next round of "For Your Consideration" trade-press advertising buys. Dropped titles see their FYC spend dialed back. Surviving contenders become the focus of remaining campaign money.

How does the Oscars eligibility list lead to nominations? Each branch's members screen eligible entries in the weeks following publication. The Academy's shortlisting process narrows the eligible field in each category before nominees are chosen by the relevant voting body.

International Feature Film follows a distinctive multi-stage path: the committee produces a shortlist, and the full Academy membership votes to select the final nominees. Documentary and Animation follow standard shortlist-then-nomination paths, with the relevant branch determining the shortlist.

What changes now that the lists are out? Publicists and trade editors compare the eligible rosters against prediction lists, flagging dark-horse titles that survived submission and presumed contenders that failed to qualify. Trade outlets including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, and Awards Daily run breakdowns of the eligible titles, marking surprises on both ends of the spectrum.

Why these three categories and not others? Best Picture nominees come from a broader eligible pool. Documentary, Animation, and International Feature each carry specialized qualification requirements that distinguish them from other races. International Feature entries must come through each country's official submission channel, capping the field at one entry per nation. Documentary submission rules typically require a minimum theatrical run in qualifying U.S. markets; Animated Feature submissions must clear the Academy's animation threshold.

What should awards-watchers track next? Three signals will tell the trade how the race is moving:

• Branch screening schedules and member Q&A lineups in the weeks ahead
• Shortlist chatter in trade outlets, expected in December
• FYC ad spend from individual studios across the trade press

The eligibility list is the first signal. The shortlist is the second. Final nominations are the third.