BAFTA may strip future winners of awards if they are convicted of crimes.

BAFTA introduces new rules regarding stripping victories over crimes

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has adopted new rules that will allow it to strip winners of their awards in the event of a conviction for a crime, starting in 2025. This was reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

The reason for introducing the new provisions was the case of former BBC News presenter Huw Edwards, who pleaded guilty to creating indecent images of children. Edwards won seven BAFTA Cymru awards for television performances. This case raised questions about the appropriateness of retroactively stripping awards won in competition.

BAFTA Chair Sara Putt stated that the organization needs to provide more clarity to participants regarding the awarding rules. According to the new rules, awards obtained through a disqualified application due to proven dishonesty or for a serious criminal offense resulting in imprisonment may be revoked.

Similar to other organizations, BAFTA acknowledges that its honorary awards can be rescinded since they are not 'won' in competition. The review of attempts to introduce new provisions retroactively yielded no results; therefore, the new awarding rules will be implemented starting in 2025.

The BAFTA Chair emphasized that no decision is perfect, and thus the rules and awarding processes will be reviewed annually along with other regulations.