The Golden Globes and Oscars are some of the most anticipated award shows of the year. They recognize some of the best movies and TV shows. Their voting systems and membership structures differ in many ways. Even though there are many differences between the two, the award shows play a role in recognizing actors, directors, and other creative professionals. The Golden Globes was started in 1944 by foreign journalists covering Hollywood. It was meant to be a way to recognize the best creative talent based on the opinions of international journalists. Today, choosing nominees and winners takes time and starts months in advance. According to the Golden Globes official website, the voting body is currently numbered 334 and comprises experienced journalists representing 85 countries. To become a voter for the Golden Globes, you must be a professional journalist working for a recognized media company. It doesn’t matter where you live, as long as you are working for a company that is an international outlet. They can be newspapers, magazines, radio, broadcast, photojournalist, or an online outlet. Personal blogs do not qualify as a media company.
The voters must adhere to a code of conduct, disclose any conflicts of interest, and cannot accept gifts from any studio, network, streamer, agency, or publicist—27 categories in the Golden Globes honor movies and TV shows. The CEOs of the Golden Globes are Todd Boehly and Jay Penske. On the other hand, there are the Oscars, which are probably the same in popularity as the Golden Globes. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences runs the Oscars. Based on the Oscars official website, the Oscars have a membership limited to 10,000 people, which is double the amount they used to have. They made the membership larger to increase diversity in the voting procedures.
In the Oscars, there are 23 categories. Each group votes in their category. Actors vote for actors, directors vote for directors, etc. There is no category for stunts. Everyone gets to vote for the best picture. The Academy has used something called the preferential ballot since 2010. This is a ranked choice. In this system, the voters rank the movies or shows they think should win, and if none get more than half of the first-place votes, they move on to the next in line. This method helps to ensure that the movie or show that wins is the one that people will genuinely believe is the winner. This comes down to the most liked favorite. The voting bodies of the Golden Globes and the Oscars are very different. The Golden Globes is much more diverse than the Oscars because it is based on the opinions of journalists worldwide working for known media organizations. For the Oscars, voting is more internal and is based on the views of the people who attend the award show. The Oscars are also more focused on American opinions despite their strides to become more diverse because, ultimately, it is based on the preferences of Hollywood. The process for voting in the Golden Globes and the Oscars is quite different. To vote in the Golden Globes, you must be a journalist working for a recognized media outlet, bringing a global perspective to the awards. In contrast, to vote in the Oscars, you must be invited to join the Academy, typically after making a significant impact in the film industry. The voting systems also differ: the Golden Globes are driven by the opinions of journalists worldwide, while the Oscars reflect the views of industry professionals within the Academy, leading to a more industry-focused approach.
Nevertheless, being a part of both award shows is considered a great honor and coveted by many actors worldwide. Both the Golden Globes and the Oscars are very popular award shows, but they differ in their voting processes and how they select winners. The Golden Globes have a more diverse voting body that allows it to experience the thoughts of millions of people worldwide. The Oscars have a more industry-oriented membership that keeps voting closed off. These awards serve the same purpose: to recognize excellence in cinema and television.