Golden Globes, the annual starry night filled with excitement, heartfelt acceptance speeches and stunning performances is back! This year though artists may have to endure a virtual experience of the awards due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

But have you ever wondered who decides which movies and TV shows are to be nominated for the awards? 

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is responsible for handing out the awards. There is a comprehensive process in place for the selection of movies and TV shows. HFPA is a non-profit organization  which “has its roots in the early 1940s when Pearl Harbour had drawn America into World War II.” Established in 1943 by several foreign native journalists, the first Golden Globe Award was given in 1944, a year before the second world war ended. 

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This group has since evolved to one of the most prominent recognizers of cinematic excellence. At present, they have around 90 members from 55 countries. 

The first step is to get a movie or a show in the pipeline for the awards is completed by the studios and publicists in the United States. A movie released and screened in the US is eligible and must file entry forms to be in the race for the nomination. Once all the nominations are received, HFPA meets to ensure all entries are in the correct categories and error-free. They also pay particular attention to ensure supporting roles and performances appear in a minimum of 5% of nominations of its main movie. Foreign language movie contenders have 50% non-English dialogues. 

Following the filing process, a list of all eligible projects is compiled and sent to Ernst & Young, an accounting firm responsible for reviewing the list and then sending the list to all active members of HFPA for nominations voting. The members receive a ballot (a scale of 1-5) and the members are supposed to choose five nominations in each category. 

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Following this, the majority system is employed to tabulate all nominees in each category based on the votes they received. In the case of a tiebreaker, a comprehensive preferential system is used to determine the final slot. Ernst &Young is then in charge of tallying the result and compiling the final nomination list. This list remains a surprise for everyone until the nominations announcement. 

The 2021 Golden Globes is set to air on February 28 at 8 pm ET. Amy Poehler and Tina Fey will return as the hosts this year.