What’s the difference between the Golden Globes and Oscars?

Awards season is coming to a close with the Academy Awards in Hollywood on Sunday
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As another awards season comes to a close, all eyes will be on film’s biggest night when the stars descend on yet another red carpet, this time for the Oscars. This will be the final event in a lengthy award season which has seen it all - from snubs, surprises and historic wins.

The Golden Globes kicked off the awards season this year on January 10, and since then a host of awards have been handed out to both TV and film productions. Everything Everywhere All At Once has been the belle of the season (OK, Lady Whistledown), winning awards at every film ceremony.

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Stars of the film Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan both made history at the SAG awards last week when they became the first Asian actors to win best performance by a female actor in a leading role, and best supporting actor, respectively. The project is expected to win big at the Oscars too.

With all the award shows which have happened since The Golden Globes, it’s impossible not to get them mixed up. With The Golden Globes and the Oscar’s opening and closing the season, and being some of the most famous award shows out there, many often get the two mixed up.

So, what is the difference between the Oscars and The Golden Globes? Here’s everything you need to know.

What are the big differences between the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes ceremonies?

The main difference between the two is what they focus on. The Golden Globes recognises excellence in both television and film, like the Emmys and Academy Awards in one, whereas  the Oscars are focused solely on film.

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The awards are very different in style and tone too, the Oscars are very much portrayed as a serious event for those in the film industry. But the Golden Globes is party time with over 75,000 glasses of free Champagne poured at each ceremony, which has led to some iconic moments. Anyone remember when Quentin Tarantino spit out a mouthful of Champagne when Ben Affleck’s name was named best director in 2013?

Who selects the winners at each award ceremony?

Another big difference between the two ceremonies is the way the winners are selected.

The Golden Globe winners are voted on by 199 voters, including 96 members and 103 international voters who are non-members of the HFPA. All voters are entertainment journalists representing 62 countries. the voting body is the most diverse amongst the major awards with 52% composed of women and 51.8% composed of racially and ethnically diverse people. The Globes also uses a ranked choice system in voting not a simple majority.

Academy Award winners are chosen by the approximately 7,000 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy is divided into 17 branches that cover each realm of the industry, from cinematography to acting. Members in each specific branch provide their top five choices for nominees in that field.

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Once the nomination process is over, all members can vote for a winner in each category.

How to watch Oscars awards ceremony 2023

The show will air live on ABC in the US and after years of not being able to watch the official show, fans in the UK will have the show right at their fingertips thanks to Sky and Now TV.

The Oscars will air on Sky Cinema Oscars channel, which can be accessed with Sky and a NOW TV subscription. It will also be available to watch on catch up.

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