Is Avatar Aang in the Oscar Race? the Awards Deadlines That Will Tell Us

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender has been streaming on Paramount+ since July 25, and whether it will compete for animation's biggest prizes is still an open question. As of today, no Oscar or Annie Awards submission has been confirmed for the film.

What we know so far

The clearest signal came in July. The film played a one-week theatrical run from July 24 to 30, starting the day before its streaming premiere. According to Animation for Adults, the screenings at AMC Burbank Town Center 6 in Los Angeles and AMC Empire 25 in New York were booked "in order to qualify for consideration for the Best Animated Feature Oscar," plus other awards. We covered the run when it kicked off alongside the film's Comic-Con premiere.

Since then, things have been quiet. Paramount Press Express, the studio's press site, lists only two Avatar Aang releases, from July 7 and July 23, and neither one announces an awards campaign.

Cartoon Contender isn't counting on it either. Its 2027 Best Animated Feature predictions, published July 2 and updated July 15 once the theater run was announced, leave the film off its top five (led by Wildwood), its runner-ups and its dark horses, and put it in a long, unranked "Other Possible Contenders" list. In its original July 2 text, the site argued the film would need KPop Demon Hunters-sized streaming numbers to justify a last-minute qualifying run.

The film does already have one nomination. It's up for Favorite Animated Movie at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, which air live on CBS and Nickelodeon on November 14, per Showbiz Junkies.

The Oscar dates to watch

For the 99th Oscars, Animated Feature shares the general entry deadlines. The first one passed on September 17. The rest of the Academy's calendar:

• November 12, 2026: final entry deadline
• December 7 to 11: preliminary voting
• January 11 to 15, 2027: nominations voting
• January 21, 2027: nominations announced
• February 25 to March 4, 2027: final voting
• March 14, 2027: the 99th Oscars

The Academy says all of these dates are subject to change.

The Annie Awards dates

Submissions for the 54th Annie Awards stay open through November 30, Cartoon Brew reports. Eligible productions must have been released in the US between January 1 and December 31, 2026, a window the July premiere falls inside. Nominations arrive January 20, 2027, online voting runs February 8 to 14, and the ceremony is February 20 at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles.

One more show on the calendar

The Hollywood Music in Media Awards, which honor music in film, TV, games and other visual media, announce final nominations October 30 and hold their ceremony November 18 at Avalon Hollywood, according to BroadwayWorld. No Avatar submission has been confirmed there either.

Until Paramount says more, the clearest answers will come on January 20 and 21. For how the film ended up on streaming in the first place, see our Aang movie release saga.