The Screen Actors Guild Awards are changing their name. Starting with next year’s 32nd annual competition, kudocast will be known as the “Acting Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA.”
SAG-AFTRA, which announced the change on Friday, said the move was made to better align the names of the awards ceremony with the names of the statues handed out (as is already the case for the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Golden Globes). In this case, the SAG Awards’ physical trophy has been known as the “actor” since the ceremony’s inception in 1995.
“Since the beginning, our statue has been called ‘The Actor,’ and we are a show completely about actors, so this new name is the perfect next step in the evolution of the show,” said John Brockett, showrunner and executive producer of the telecast. “The SAG-AFTRA Actor Awards gives viewers in more than 190 countries an instant understanding of who we are and what we stand for.”
According to an FAQ that SAG-AFTRA planned to publish when the news broke, the decision to change the name of the SAG Awards had been under discussion for some time. The idea gained traction after the SAG Awards moved to Netflix. Currently, live broadcasts are delivered to viewers around the world through streamers, many of whom are not familiar with the meaning of “SAG.”
“We wanted domestic and international audiences to have a clearer idea of what the show is about. We celebrate actors in film and television,” the group said. “Laser-focusing our name on these two things was the clearest and easiest path forward for this new chapter of the show. And as the show’s global audience grows through Netflix, we felt this was the right time to officially make the adjustment and confidently step into the next era of the show.”
The move also allows for emphasis on the union’s official name, SAG-AFTRA. Following the merger of SAG and AFTRA in 2012, the ceremony continued to be known as the SAG Awards. “Now, with the show’s new name The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA, we are finally able to fully recognize that merger and align it with the name of our statue, The Actor,” the organization said.
The name change comes into effect in the midst of the winter awards season, with the SAG Awards campaign already in full swing. SAG-AFTRA acknowledged that the transition will take time and said FYC’s campaign materials will continue to refer to the “SAG Awards” through advance voting through January 5th. After Best Actor nominations were announced on January 7, SAG-AFTRA is asking studios, networks and platforms to switch their campaign materials to the new name.
“We understand that there will be a transition period where people, including past winners and audience members, will still refer to their awards and programs as the SAG Awards, and that is OK,” the organization said in its FAQ. “We know it takes time to adapt to change.”
Experts also note that changing the name from the unique “SAG Awards” to the more general “Actor Awards” could hurt the show’s profile and could pose challenges for search engines since “actor” is a much more common term when it comes to SEO results.
SAG-AFTRA noted that beyond the name change, all other aspects of voting, submissions and eligibility will remain as is. The organization said that “the tradition and reputation remain exactly the same” and that “the spirit and purpose of the show remains the same.”
The name change decision was overseen by SAG-AFTRA’s awards committee and organizational leadership.
“As an actor and as a long-time SAG-AFTRA member and chair of the awards committee, I have always loved that our show focuses on actors – actors voting for actors, because we inherently understand the work that goes into a performance,” JoBeth Williams said in a statement. “The Actor Awards make that clear to viewers around the world. Viewers know that when they tune in, they’re going to see their favorite actors celebrated by those who truly know their craft.”
The organization has already launched a new website for the renamed ceremony, actorawards.org, and updated its social media handles.
The 32nd Annual Actor Awards will be broadcast live on Netflix on March 1, 2026. Here’s a hot reel announcing the name change for the Best Actor award:
