Beginning with the 32nd ceremony next year, the annual Screen Actors Guild Awards telecast will be rebranded as “The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA.”
SAG-AFTRA announced the shift today, explaining that the goal is to better align the ceremony’s name with the award handed out each year — a practice already common among the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, and Golden Globes. Since the show debuted in 1995, the physical statuette has always been known as “The Actor.”
“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,” said Jon Brockett, the show’s showrunner and executive producer. “‘The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA’ gives viewers in 190-plus countries an immediate understanding of who we are and what we’re about.”
In an FAQ that was sent out with the announcement, SAG-AFTRA noted that the name change has been under consideration for quite some time, but gained traction after the ceremony moved to Netflix. With the broadcast now reaching a global audience unfamiliar with the acronym “SAG,” the organization felt clarity was essential. “We wanted to provide clearer recognition in terms of what the show is about for our domestic and global audiences – we honor actors in film and television,” the FAQ explains. “Laser-focusing the name on those two things became the clearest and most straightforward path for this new chapter of the show… and, as the show’s global audience expanded through Netflix, the timing felt right to make the alignment official and step confidently into the show’s next era.”
The updated name also puts the complete merged union between SAG-AFTRA front and center. Following the 2012 merger, the ceremony continued to use the original SAG Awards title. As SAG-AFTRA notes: “Now, with the new name of the show – The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA – we’re finally able to fully recognize that merger and align it with the name of our statuette, The Actor.”
Because the change arrives in the middle of awards season, the organization acknowledged a transition period. Campaigning for the SAG Awards has already begun, so studios and distributors are being asked to continue using the old name through pre-nomination voting, which ends on January 5th. Once nominations are announced on January 7th, campaign materials should adopt the new branding. “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 FAQ notes. “We know it’ll take time to adjust to the change.”
SAG-AFTRA has emphasized that aside from the name, the awards process itself remains unchanged. “The legacy and prestige remains exactly the same,” the org states, adding that “the show’s spirit and purpose will remain the same.” The decision was led by SAG-AFTRA’s awards committee and union leadership.
“As an actor and a longtime SAG-AFTRA member and chair of the Awards Committee, I’ve always loved that our show is actor-focused – actors voting for actors – because we understand innately the work that goes into a performance,” said JoBeth Williams. “The Actor Awards make that crystal clear to audiences everywhere: when they tune in, they know they’re going to see their favorite actors celebrated by those who truly know the craft.”
A new website for the rebranded ceremony, actorawards.org, is already live, with updated social media handles expected to follow soon. The 32nd Actor Awards will broadcast live on Netflix on March 1st, 2026.
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