SAG Awards Rebranded as The Actor Awards for 2026 Ceremony

The Screen Actors Guild Awards will undergo a significant rebranding, officially becoming “The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA” starting in 2026. This change, announced on Friday, aims to align the ceremony’s name with its prestigious trophy while enhancing its appeal to a global audience. The 32nd edition of the awards will stream live on Netflix on March 1, 2026.

The union representing performers, SAG-AFTRA, believes the new name reflects the essence of the event, which is dedicated to celebrating actors. The trophy awarded to winners has been known as “The Actor” since the inception of the awards in 1995. Despite the trophy’s name, the awards themselves retained the SAG Awards title, even after the merger of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 2012.

Jon Brockett, the showrunner and executive producer of the telecast, expressed enthusiasm about the change. He stated, “Since the beginning, our statue has been called ‘The Actor’ and we’re a show that’s entirely about actors, so this new name is a perfect next step in the show’s evolution,” as reported by Variety.

JoBeth Williams, chair of the SAG-AFTRA awards committee, emphasized the importance of clarity for international audiences. She noted that many viewers may not be familiar with the union’s name, saying, “Now that our global audience is really growing, people don’t always understand what the union name is. But ‘the Actor Awards’ they recognize and they know they’re going to see their favorite actors when they tune in,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

The awards found a new home on Netflix in 2024, shifting from previous broadcasts on TNT and TBS. The streaming platform now delivers the ceremony live to more than 190 countries, significantly broadening its reach.

As the transition to the new name begins, SAG-AFTRA announced that campaign materials for the current awards season would continue to reference “SAG Awards” through the pre-nomination voting period, which concludes on January 5, 2024. Following the announcement of the nominations on January 7, 2024, studios and networks will be encouraged to adopt the new branding.

The union acknowledged that a period of adjustment is expected, stating, “We understand there will be a period of transition where people — past winners and audiences included — will still refer to their award and the show as the SAG Awards, and that’s OK.”

The Actor Awards are regarded as strong predictors for the acting categories of the Academy Awards, largely due to SAG-AFTRA members constituting the largest voting bloc within the Motion Picture Academy. This rebranding marks an important evolution for the awards, reinforcing their identity and connection to the global community of performers.