Due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema, the modified eligibility criteria from the 93rd Academy Awards (such as the inclusion of direct-to-digital releases and providing flexibility for eligible theatrical runs in cities besides Los Angeles for those films) remained in force. Because the 93rd Academy Awards had allowed a two-month extension of eligibility through the end of February 2021, only movies released between March 1 and December 31, 2021, were eligible to compete in the 94th Academy Awards.
In April 2020, the Academy announced that the Best Picture category at the 94th Academy Awards would have ten nominees; since the 84th Academy Awards, between five and ten films, have been nominated for Best Picture, based on the outcome of the ballot process. The minimum amount of original music required for eligibility in Best Original Score was reduced from 60% to 35%. Submissions for Best Original Song were capped at five songs per film. The nomination process for Best Sound introduced a preliminary round with ten nominees. In addition, the shortlists expanded from 10 to 15 films in the categories of Best Animated Short Film, Best Documentary Short Subject, and Best Live Action Short Film.
As part of environmental initiatives, the distribution of screeners and other physical goods is no longer allowed; digital equivalents and streaming must now be used.
The 94th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films released between March 1 and December 31, 2021, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 27, 2022, by presenting Academy Awards to the winners. The ceremony was hosted by Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes. It was the first ceremony since the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011 to feature multiple hosts.
CODA won three awards, including Best Picture, and was the first film distributed by an internet streaming service to receive that award. Dune won six awards, while The Eyes of Tammy Faye won two awards. The Power of the Dog, King Richard, West Side Story, Drive My Car, Encanto, Belfast, No Time to Die, Cruella, The Long Goodbye, The Queen of Basketball, Summer of Soul, and The Windshield Wiper won one award each.
Controversy ensued when actor Will Smith walked on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face during the ceremony after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The incident received heavy news coverage and largely overshadowed the rest of the ceremony.