SAG Awards Changes Name to ‘The Actor Awards’ Starting Next Year

The Screen Actors Guild Awards are getting a name makeover. Starting with the 32nd edition next year, the kudocast will now be known as “The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA.”

According to SAG-AFTRA, which announced the change on Friday, the move was made to better align the name of the awards show with the name of the statue that is handed out (something that is already the case with the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Golden Globes). In this case, the physical SAG Awards trophy has been known as the “Actor” since the launch of the ceremony in 1995.

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“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 showrunner and executive producer of the telecast. “‘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.”

According to an FAQ that SAG-AFTRA planned to publish as the news was revealed, the decision to change the name of the SAG Awards has been discussed for some time. The idea gained steam after the SAG Awards moved to Netflix, where the live broadcast now reaches a worldwide audience on the streamer — many of whom are not familiar with what “SAG” means.

“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 org said. “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 move also allows the full name of the union, SAG-AFTRA, to be highlighted. After the SAG-AFTRA merger in 2012, the ceremony continued to be called the SAG Awards. “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,” the org said.

The name change takes effect in the middle of winter awards season, as SAG Awards campaigning has already been well underway. Acknowledging that there will need to be time to make the transition, SAG-AFTRA said FYC campaign materials will continue to refer to the “SAG Awards” through pre-nomination voting, which ends on Jan. 5. After Actor Award nominations are announced on Jan. 7, SAG-AFTRA is asking studios, networks and platforms to switch their campaign materials to the new name.

“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 org said in its FAQ. “We know it’ll take time to adjust to the change.”

Observers also note that in changing the name from the unique “SAG Awards” to a more general “Actor Awards,” it may hurt the show’s name recognition — and pose a challenge for search engines, as “actor” is a much more common term when it comes to SEO results.

Beyond the name change, SAG-AFTRA noted that all other aspects of voting, submissions and eligibility remain status quo. The org notes that “the legacy and prestige remains exactly the same” and that “the show’s spirit and purpose will remain the same.”

The name change decision was overseen by SAG-AFTRA’s awards committee, along with the org’s 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 in a statement. “The Actor Awards makes 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.”

The org has already launched a new website for the renamed ceremony, actorawards.org, and has updated its social media handles as well.

The 32nd Actor Awards airs live March 1, 2026, on Netflix. Here’s a sizzle reel announcing the Actor Awards name change: