Rules & Regulations

Awards Definitions

The SDSA Awards for Film are annual awards presented to Set Decorators and Production Designers to honor outstanding achievement in the art of Set Decoration in Feature Film.

Awards Calendar

Eligibility Rules

The SDSA will consider Submissions, SDSA Awards guidelines and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) guidelines to determine eligibility.

1. Productions must have a credited Set Decorator to be eligible for SDSA Awards consideration, for all categories except BEST PICTURE. For the purposes of these Rules & Regulations, a credited Set Decorator is an individual who has received official on-screen credit as Set Decorator (or the equivalent credit recognized by the production) and who has performed the professional duties and responsibilities of the Set Decorator for the production. Only individuals receiving such official on-screen credit are eligible for SDSA Awards consideration.
2. The qualifying films are those intended for theatrical release as recognized by AMPAS from the period of January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026.
3. To be eligible for the SDSA Awards for Film, a feature-length motion picture must be a minimum of 40 minutes and released through public motion picture theater exhibition, as determined by the AMPAS requirements.
4. The SDSA list of eligible feature films is based on submissions with verification with the AMPAS reminder list. The SDSA list of qualifying films will be posted December 12, 2026 on SDSAAwards.com.
5. Unless otherwise determined by the Awards Committee, each Award category (with the exception of BEST PICTURE) will recognize up to five (5) nominees. However, if no more than eight (8) eligible productions are submitted in a category during a given Awards cycle, the number of official nominees for that category shall be reduced from five (5) to three (3). If no more than five (5) eligible productions are submitted in a category, that category will not be presented during that Awards cycle and will be removed from ballot consideration. The category will be reinstated and eligible for consideration in the following Awards cycle, subject to these Rules and Regulations
6. Voting is open to the SDSA Members in good standing at the following levels:

• Set Decorator
• Retired Set Decorator
• Associate
• Business Member

All eligible voters receive one vote per member in the Nominations round of voting and in the Final round of voting. Business Members have one vote per business.

Voting will commence over the online voting portal, with instructions sent via members’ email.

Category Definitions

In the Best Achievement in Decor/Design categories (see below), only productions that have been pre-sorted into genre categories by the committee are eligible for awards in their respective categories. The Decor/Design Categories will exclude from consideration Documentary and Animated productions, or any production without a credited Set Decorator.

In the Best Picture category (see below), all feature-length films on the AMPAS list will qualify.

The SDSA Awards for Film will be awarded annually in the following categories:

Submissions

Submission period: September 22, 2026 – December 11, 2026

Late Submission period: December 12, 2026 – December 20, 2026

Submission requirements:

• Each submission requires a Set Decorator to have received screen credit as Set Decorator.
• The SDSA Awards for Film consideration is based on AMPAS qualified list to verify.
• Each submission must have a completed submission form, with payment.
• There may be more than one credited Set Decorator per production eligible for Awards consideration. If so, each Set Decorator’s name must be submitted, and if determined eligible, will share the Award, along with the Production Designer(s).
• To qualify for the SDSA Member rate, the Set Decorator must be in good standing with SDSA dues and any outstanding balances paid before submitting, or must be on an approved payment plan or other arrangement.
• Fees Schedule:
  • Studio / Network / Production Company: $400 per production
  • SDSA Member: $50 per production
  • Non-SDSA Member: $300 per production
• LATE Submission Fees Schedule:
  • Studio / Network / Production Company: $450 per production
  • SDSA Member: $75 per production
  • Non-SDSA Member: $350 per production

The SDSA Awards Committee reserves the right to approve submissions.

Preliminary Round Procedures

On December 12, 2026 the SDSA Awards Committee will post on SDSAAwards.com, the list of qualified films for consideration as submitted and verified with the AMPAS list. (This list is historically comprehensive and consists of virtually all films theatrically released during the qualifying period and in accordance with AMPAS rules and eligibility.)

All films deemed eligible for SDSA Awards, except for BEST PICTURE, must have a credited Set Decorator.

Nomination voting begins on December 26, 2026 and concludes on January 2, 2027.

Voting members may nominate up to five (5) titles in each film category. Each Voter will be asked to rank their selections in order of preference from first to fifth. Voting will occur online via voting portal — links and instructions will be emailed to voting members on the morning of December 26th, 2026.

Preliminary Round Nominations

At the conclusion of the Preliminary Voting period, the SDSA Awards Ballot Accreditation Panel shall tabulate the votes and announce the official Nominees for each Decor/Design Category on January 4, 2027. Unless otherwise determined by the Awards Committee, up to five (5) nominated titles shall be announced for each category. In categories receiving no more than eight (8) eligible submissions during the applicable awards cycle, the number of nominated titles shall be reduced to three (3). Categories receiving no more than five (5) eligible submissions shall not be presented during that awards cycle and shall not appear on the ballot. The list of official nominees shall be posted on the SDSA Awards website.

Each nominated Set Decorator will be notified and congratulated of their nomination via e-mail once the nominations have been announced.

Certificates of Recognition will be issued to each nominated Set Decorator and Production Designer*. Crew certificates may be issued for the cost of $50.00 per certificate at the discretion of the Set Decorator of each nominated Film.

*Note if the nominated Set Decorator and Production Designer are awarded the category they are nominated in, they will receive the Award certificate, not the Nomination certificate. See Award Announcement section for details.

Final Round Procedures

Final Round voting opens on January 17, 2027 and concludes on January 24, 2027 for voting members to make their final selection in each category from the top five (5) Nominees in each category; and to vote for one (1) Film as their choice for BEST PICTURE of the Year.

SDSA Awards for Film 2026

At the conclusion of the Final Round voting period, the SDSA Awards Ballot Accreditation Panel will tabulate the votes and certify the Awards.

The SDSA Awards for BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DECOR/DESIGN in each Film category will be announced on February 21, 2027 via SDSAAwards.com.

The awarded Set Decorators will be contacted and congratulated via e-mail after the Awards are announced. The awarded Set Decorators and Production Designers will be issued SDSA Award Certificates. Up to three (3) crew members chosen by the Set Decorator will be awarded Crew Recognition Certificates. Additional certificates may be issued for a cost of $50.00 each at the discretion of the Set Decorator. Processing times can vary and may take 2-3 months to fulfill. Certificates will only be mailed to permanent residential addresses and will not be shipped to temporary production offices, stages, studios, hotels, or other places of business. Exceptions can be made for long-term, established offices of talent representatives.

Submissions are not accepted for the Best Picture Category. Eligibility is solely based on the AMPAS eligible film list. The Best Picture Certificate will be presented to the Director of the Best Picture award. The certificate will include the Set Decorator’s and Director’s names.