Golden Globe voters: What is the Hollywood Foreign Press?
By D.J. Rivera
Wondering who picks the winners of the Golden Globe Awards? Don’t worry, here is everything you need to know about the Hollywood Foreign Press.
The Golden Globe Awards is once again upon us, and the competition is pretty stacked this year. But who are the ones making these decisions when it comes to who will take home the prestigious award? Many are still unaware of who controls that outcome on the big night, and that’s about to change.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is the group in charge of voting for the Golden Globe Awards winners. This organization has been recognizing the achievements in film since 1943, and in 1961, they added prizes for television.
The HFPA consists of journalists based in Southern California who cover Hollywood for news outlets in over 50 countries from all contents of the world. In 2019, there were around 90 members of the organization that voted in the 76th annual awards event.
In order to qualify to vote in the Golden Globes, at least four articles must be published in international publications every year, and proof of payment must be provided for these articles. It is important to note that only a few new members are allowed in each year.
Members are sent a long list of films submitted by studios that have opened in the US during the calendar year. They then select five nominees from every category and rank their selections from one to five. Then the accounting firm Ernst & Young tally up the ballots. Members find out the same time as the public when the nominees are announced.
HFPA members can see the projects through screenings or screeners. When it comes time to do so, each member votes privately, and again Ernst & Young tally the final ballots to determine a winner in every category. And that’s how a Golden Globe winner is born.
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