The matchup schedule is FINALIZED! The film awards fantasy landscape isn’t boring like…ahem…other fantasy sports where matchups are the same duration and the games within each matchup have been scheduled for months. Not so with RCR! In fact, some ceremonies don’t even announce WHEN they dole out awards, leading to plenty of surprise announcements. However, we’re at a point now where there are enough ceremonies with fairly firm announcement dates that allow for a finalized matchup schedule for all of our head-to-head matchups. Here’s the schedule:
Matchup 1: 10/27/2026 – 12/03/2026 (38 days)
Matchup 2: 12/04/2026 – 12/07/2026 (4 days)
Matchup 3: 12/08/2026 – 12/14/2026 (7 days)
Matchup 4: 12/15/2026 – 12/18/2026 (4 days)
Matchup 5: 12/19/2026 – 12/23/2026 (5 days)
Matchup 6: 12/24/2026 – 01/05/2027 (13 days)
Matchup 7: 01/06/2027 – 01/08/2027 (3 days)
Matchup 8: 01/09/2027 – 01/13/2027 (5 days)
Matchup 9: 01/14/2027 – 01/20/2027 (7 days)
1st Round of Playoffs: 01/21/2027 (1 day)
2nd Round of Playoffs: 01/22/2027 – 02/07/2027 (17 days)
3rd Round of Playoffs: 02/08/2027 – 02/21/2027 (14 days)
4th Round of Playoffs: 02/22/2027 – 03/13/2027 (20 days)
Championship: 03/14/2027 (1 day)
Also new this year is a database-backed ceremony calendar that shows results as they are announced throughout the season. The ceremonies for each matchup are also displayed on your starting lineup page so you can make informed decisions to maximize your point potential, because some ceremonies have quirks that could lead you to start one player over another. What are those quirks, you ask? Let’s take an early look at these matchup quirks to see what to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
And while I’m at it, let me remind you that waiver requests are processed at 8:00 pm ET on the night before EACH matchup. Plan accordingly.
Matchup 1: 10/27 – 12/3
Matchup #1 is, by far, the quirkiest matchup. We ALWAYS start with the Gotham Award nominations, which usually happen on a late October Tuesday morning. And now that there are more playoff rounds, this is the longest matchup by a wide margin. That alone makes it quirky because while the drafts are intense, Matchup #1 likes to take its time. But the lengthy duration of Matchup #1 is the LEAST of its quirks.
Documentaries rule Matchup #1: There are two confirmed ceremonies plus another likely ceremony that are purely documentary awards. By the end of Matchup #1, the top overall ranked player will likely be a documentary. As the season progresses, that will obviously change, but if you’re not starting a documentary in Matchup #1, you’re putting yourself at a distinct disadvantage. Remember, too, that a DOC is also allowed in your PIC slot and in a FLEX slot, so you have the flexibility to start more than one if you’re feeling ambitious. Caveat emptor, though.
Independent movies also rule Matchup #1: It’s also very likely that if your team consists mostly of mainstream or otherwise popular domestic movies, your team could start out slow. With the Gothams, British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), European Film Awards (EFA), and Independent Spirit Awards ALL handing out nominations in Matchup #1, the top ranked players will look pretty darn strange. You might want to spend some late-round draft picks on players from small indies to plug and play in this matchup. However, these indie awards are nearly impossible to predict, and I can almost guarantee that there will be some films represented at these awards that I’ll have to add to the player pool later because they weren’t even on my radar.
Music could give you some great points: The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMAs) have BOTH their nominations and wins announced in Matchup #1, and they hand out a LOT of awards. Make sure your SCORE/SONG/SOUND/VFX slot has a SCORE or SONG player in it, and you might as well fill a FLEX spot with a music player too. It’s entirely possible that composers and/or songwriters have some inflated overall ranks after the HMMAs.
There are some mainstream awards, though: The biggest mainstream awards show with GOBS of categories is the Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA), so your mainstream draft picks will do fine. It’s also entirely possible that the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), one of the “Big Five” critics orgs that count as industry points, announces its winners in this matchup. The NYFCC is somewhere between the Gothams and the Oscars in terms of indie-leaning, but one thing is certain: whatever wins at NYFCC will generate buzz for the entire season. Another “Big Five” ceremony that could end up in Matchup #1 is the National Board of Review (NBR) awards, which do feature a Top Ten Independent Movie list, but the NBR is quite mainstream. So if you leaned heavily into mainstream in the draft, you’re not completely dead in the water.
All in all, congrats if your team is the lead dog after Matchup #1, but don’t get comfortable. I’ve seen plenty of teams fall in the standings because the players that do well in Matchup #1 have absolutely no guarantee of continuing that success, especially BIFA and EFA technicals.
Matchup 2: 12/4 – 12/7
So after a LONG Matchup #1, now we’re getting into the fast and furious stuff. This matchup only lasts four days. It starts with the third “Big Five” critics nomination announcement: the Critics Choice Awards. It ends with the Golden Globe nominations. Sure, BIFA and the International Documentary Association (IDA) announce their winners, but this matchup is dominated by mainstream nominations. Oh, and as if that wasn’t enough, the fourth “Big Five” critics group, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), will likely announce its winners here too, although that’s not confirmed yet. If your team scores the most points in this matchup, you’re in EXCELLENT shape for the whole regular season and, dare I say, the playoffs. If not, hit that waiver wire, because this is also where we’ll likely find those diamonds in the rough that didn’t get drafted but could turn your team into a league winner. So the biggest quirk of this matchup? You HAVE to pay attention to it because it’s really the first read of how the season is about to go.
Matchup 3: 12/8 – 12/14
Only one industry nomination announcement is confirmed for this matchup, and it’s the Producers Guild of America (PGA) Documentary nominations. Every other ceremony in this matchup is dominated, as of now, by regional critics organizations, and MOST of those are merely estimated to be announced within Matchup #3. Regional critics are notoriously coy about their announcements, so this will see many “surprise” announcements. I try to estimate as best I can, and I get pretty close, but at the end of the day, the majority of the ceremonies you see on the calendar are estimated dates. However, the second Monday in December usually proves to be inundated with announcements. These regional critics groups also like to be mainstream while still recognizing underrated films, which makes them hard to predict. So Matchup #3 comes with a lot of uncertainty in both what gets announced and which players ultimately get points.
Matchup 4: 12/15 – 12/18
Another four-day sprint of a matchup. Mid-December sees SO many awards. The most notable in this matchup, though, is the Oscar shortlist announcement for a few categories: Documentary, International, Cinematography, Makeup & Hair, Score, Song, Sound, Visual Effects, and Casting. I wouldn’t advise chasing these points because they’re only worth one apiece, but these are something you NEED to pay attention to because the Oscar nominees in those categories can ONLY come from what was shortlisted.
We also see a taste of industry guilds with the Casting Society of America (CSA) Artios nominations and Costume Designers Guild (CDG) nominations, so it’s not a bad idea to start a CD player and maybe plug in a CAST player too. The Satellite Awards are also estimated to announce their nominations here, but their dates are all over the place in any given year. In fact, even if they had set a date by now, it’s likely to change, so don’t bank on them. However, the Black Reel Awards announce their nominations during this matchup, and they count for industry points, so you could give your team an advantage by plugging some Black actors, actresses, and crew into your lineup to chase those points.
Matchup 5: 12/19 – 12/23
Another matchup dominated by regional critics, so all the same principles of Matchup #3 can apply here too. However, there is one ceremony worth paying special attention to. That’s the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards (MUAHS). A strong makeup contender could end up being the difference between a win and a loss because MUAH players earn a significant share of their total points during this matchup. MUAH points are a little harder to come by in other matchups. Be sure to start a MUAH player here.
Matchup 6: 12/24 – 1/5
I couldn’t avoid Christmas Eve being the start of a matchup. Sorry in advance. However, this is another matchup dominated by regional critics while also seeing, maybe, the fifth “Big Five” critics announcement from the National Society of Film Critics (NSFC). The NSFC date is unconfirmed, but it will be either January 2 (Matchup 6) or January 9 (Matchup 8). We also have the Critics Choice Awards winners, which is the only “Big Five” ceremony that has a separate nominations and winners announcement. Luckily, that date is confirmed. Any winners here will generate major Oscar buzz. You could chase some points from the Set Decorators Society of America (SDSA) nominations because those points go to PD players, and maybe throw in an indie player to chase some Windie points from Chicago Indie Critics (CIC). Other than that, enjoy the new year with the second longest matchup in the regular season.
Matchup 7: 1/6 – 1/8
The shortest matchup at only three days, but it has a LOT of ceremonies. And not only is it short with a lot of ceremonies, but quite a few industry points are available here too. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Actor Awards nominations, Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards nominations, Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards nominations, PGA Awards nominations, and Art Directors Guild (ADG) Awards nominations ALL happen in Matchup #7. There is significant overlap between these guilds and The Academy, so pay attention because if your team does well here, you’re well poised for a playoff run.
And oh yeah, we have the NAACP Image Awards nominations here too.
And double oh yeah, did I mention that the BAFTA longlists are announced here for a point apiece? Good luck!
Matchup 8: 1/9 – 1/13
These last two matchups have slightly less point potential as we start moving toward more win announcements than nomination announcements. The most notable is the Golden Globe winners. However, BOTH the Cinema Audio Society AND the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) Golden Reels announce their nominations, so this is an excellent opportunity to plug in that SOUND player that’s been stashed away on your bench up until this matchup. Not to mention, both the American Society of Cinematographers and the British Society of Cinematographers announce their nominations too.
Matchup 9: 1/14 – 1/20
Ah, the last week of the regular season. A handful more industry guilds get their nominations in before the Oscar nominations on January 21, including the American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddies and the Visual Effects Society (VES) noms. There’s also the BAFTA nominations announcement that will be the big headline-getter during this matchup. However, you could give yourself an advantage by knowing that the Annie Awards nominations also come out during this matchup, and there are a lot of animated points up for grabs here that could throw some chaos into the playoff positioning battles.
First Round of Playoffs: 1/21
It’s the Oscar nominations. Do you really need any more than that? In fact, I’m gonna end it here. You’re a big kid; you got this. Good luck in the playoffs!
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