Emmy Awards give nominees option to be recognised as performers instead of actors or actresses

The update came as part of two rule changes approved by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

Nominees at the Emmy Awards can opt to have their nomination certification and Emmy statue carry the term 'performer' instead of actor or actress. AFP 

Nominees at the Emmy Awards can now opt to have their nomination certification and statue carry the term "performer" instead of actor or actress.

The move comes as part of two rule changes approved by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

“No performer category titled ‘actor’ or ‘actress’ has ever had a gender requirement for submissions,” the academy said in a statement.

The rule change will take effect at this year’s Emmy Awards. Nominations for the coveted television awards will be announced on Tuesday, July 13. The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, September 19.

The rule change comes four years after Billions performer Asia Kate Dillon, considered to be the first nonbinary person to play a nonbinary character on a major TV series, criticised the gendered acting categories at the awards.

The Academy had responded by saying there weren’t any actual gender requirements for any category, so anyone could, in theory, put themselves in the running in either the actor or actress categories.

With the rule change, the award category names will remain the same but the description of nominees and winners will be flexible.

The eligibility criteria for documentary films has also been revised. Documentaries that had been selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will no longer be eligible for the Emmy Awards. "Any film placed on the AMPAS viewing platform will be deemed a theatrical motion picture and thus ineligible for the Emmy competition."

Had the rule change been implemented years ago, it would have eliminated winners of the award such Free Solo and OJ: Made in America. This year's Oscar nominees such as Crip Camp, The Mole Agent and winner My Octopus Teacher are not going to be considered for the Emmys.