New Golden Globes Categories Added: Cinematic Excellence and Stand-Up Comedy

The Golden Globe Awards are adding two new categories to their January broadcast. One category will honor successful movies, and the other will recognize great performances in stand-up comedy specials. The first category called the Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, will highlight top-earning and widely-watched films known for their creative excellence.

The second new category, Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television, recognizes outstanding work by comedians in traditional stand-up or as emerging talents in groups. Eligible comedy specials can be on broadcast, basic and premium cable, streaming, or pay-per-view cable but must have a recognized distributor, with individual social media acts not eligible.

According to the eligibility rules for the new Golden Globe categories:

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement

The Cinematic and Box Office Achievement includes nominees from the year’s most acclaimed, highest-earning, and/or most viewed films that have garnered extensive global audience support and attained cinematic excellence. 

Eligibility:
• Motion pictures are eligible for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award if they achieve a box office receipt total/gross of $150 million, of which $100 million must come from the U.S. domestic box office, and/or obtain commensurate digital streaming viewership recognized by trusted industry sources.
•Films that are released after November 22 up until the end of the year may qualify based on projected box office performance and/or digital streaming views from trusted industry sources.
• Cinematic and Box Office Achievement contenders can also be considered for Best Motion Picture in their respective categories, i.e., Drama, Comedy or Musical, Animated or Non-English Language if they meet the eligibility requirements for each of those awards.
• Box office and streaming views will determine eligibility; once a film meets the box office-related qualifying criteria or streaming criteria, Golden Globes voters will determine the nominees and winner based on excellence.  
• A total of 8 nominees will be named for this category. 

Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television

This new category gives standups a dedicated award for an individual performance or as part of a comedy group/ensemble. 

Eligibility:
• Traditional stand-up comedy performances of at least 30 minutes, other than roles in Television Series, Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Pictures Made for Television, are eligible for this award.
• Television includes works released by broadcast, basic and premium cable, streaming, and pay-per-view cable. To be eligible for Golden Globe awards, television programs must be released on a recognized media platform (individual social media accounts do not qualify).
• Only programs first aired (or made available for viewing on demand) in the United States during the qualifying calendar year are eligible. 
• A total of 6 nominees will be named for this category.

In a statement, Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne said, “The Golden Globes has a rich history of supporting and celebrating the work of comedians, and we’re thrilled to honor their brilliance alongside outstanding motion picture and television performances of the year.” Hoehne added, “Additionally, we are proud to recognize the hard work and innovation that goes into making a film that is both a blockbuster and artistically exceptional.”

The 81st Golden Globe Awards nominations will be revealed on Monday, December 11, 2023, and the winners will be announced on Sunday, January 7, 2024.