The 2009-2010 Awards Seasonjust got longer (although the window between the nominations announcement and the telecast is about the same), as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science moved its telecast forward in the calendar by two weeks, to March 7, 2010. This move was reportedly made to accommodate the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Academy instituted a similar move in 2006 in concert with the Winter Games in Turin, Italy. (Once upon a time, the Oscar-cast took place in April, on the same night as the NCAA Basketball Finals.)

Here's how the calendar looks now:

Tuesday, December 1, 2009                 Official Screen Credits forms due

Monday, December 28, 2009               Nominations ballots mailed

Saturday, January 23, 2009                  Nominations polls close 5:00 p.m. PST

Tuesday, February 2, 2009                   Nominations announced 5:30 a.m., PST

Wednesday, February 10, 2009           Final ballots mailed

Monday, February 15, 2010                 Nominees Luncheon

Saturday, February 20, 2010                Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards

Tuesday, March 2, 2010                      Final polls close 2:00 p.m. PST

Sunday, March 7, 2010                        Academy Awards Presentation

And what does that mean for documentaries? The eligibility period begins September 1, 2008 and ends August 31, 2009. The deadline for submission of materials in both the Feature and Short Subject categories (applicable legal contracts, Official Entry Form, Documentary Disclosure Form, 30 Region 1/NTSC DVDs of the entry) is 5:00 p.m PST, September 1, 2010.

Features must have completed seven-day qualifying runs in both Los Angeles County and the Borough of Manhattan. For shorts, films must qualify in either location. And of course, keep your eyes out for the Calls for Entries information for IDA's 13^th annual DocuWeek Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which has qualified nearly 200 films for Academy Award consideration.

For a complete explanation of the Academy's qualifying rules for documentary entrants, click here.

Here's a calendar for the doc entrants:

September 1, 2008-August 31, 2009                Period of eligibility and qualifying runs in Feature and Short Subject categories.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009                           Deadline for submission of materials in both the Feature and Short Subject categories.

Early-to-Mid October                                       Short List for Documentary Short Subject category

Monday, October 19, 2009                               Deadline for short-listed Documentary Short Subject filmmakers to submit 35 Region 1/NTSC DVDs, as well as either two 35mm or 70mm film prints or two digital versions of the documentary in a qualifying format.

Mid-November                                                Short List for Documentary Feature category

Tuesday, December 1, 2009                            Deadline for short-listed Documentary Feature filmmakers to submit 35 Region 1/NTSC DVDs, as well as either two 35mm or 70mm film prints or two digital versions of the documentary in a qualifying format.