Emmys Will Allow Winners to Be Recognized as 'Performer' Rather Than 'Actor or Actress'

The Television Academy's Board of Governors has made two changes to its rules for the Emmy Awards, Deadline reports.

Now, anyone nominated in any actor or actress category will have the option to "request that their nomination certificate and Emmy statuette carry the term 'Performer' in place of Actor or Actress."

"No performer category titled 'Actor' or 'Actress' has ever had a gender requirement for submissions," the Academy said in a statement. "Now, nominees and (or) winners in any performer category titled 'Actor' or 'Actress' may request that their nomination certificate and Emmy statuette carry the term 'Performer' in place of Actor or Actress."

The option will take effect beginning with the current 2021 Emmy Awards season.

In addition, the rules for eligibility of documentary films has been amended, keeping out titles that had been eligible for Oscar consideration. Now, "Any film placed on the AMPAS viewing platform will be deemed a theatrical motion picture and thus ineligible for the Emmy competition."

Read more on Deadline.