Tony Awards: Explaining the Varying Number of Nominees Per Category

Broadway + NYC

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Off Broadway

Cabaret

Dance

Opera

Classical Music

Eastern

Central

Western

Washington, DC

Philadelphia

Los Angeles

Orlando

San Francisco / Bay Area

Cincinnati

West End

WEST END

UK Regional

International

Canada

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa / Middle East

Entertainment

TV/Movies

Music

All about the Tony Awards rules for number of nominees per category.

POPULAR

Do today's Tony nominations have you wondering about why certain categories have four nominees and others have six? It has a lot to do with the number of people and productions eligible in each category.

Generally, each of the 26 categories are made up of four nominees, but there are some exceptions to that rule:

- If at least nine candidates are eligible for nomination, then that category will have five nominees.

-If there is a two-way or three-way tie for the last nomination slot, both or all three of those candidates shall be nominated. This means that each category could include as many as seven nominees.

- In the four 'Best Show' categories, if there are five or four eligible shows, the Nominating Committee can cast one vote each to select three eligible shows as nominees. A fourth nominee can be added to the category if the difference in votes between the third highest ranked show and the fourth highest ranked show is 10% or less.

-If there are three or fewer eligible shows, the Nominating Committee selects “yes/no” for for all eligible shows. If the show recieves a majority of “yes” votes it will be nominated.

All eight acting categories this year had nine or more eligible candidates , meaning that each category features at least five nominees. In the category of Best Play and Best Revival of a Play- each had 10/11 eligible shows, therefore they each recieved at least five nominees. The Best Musical race had less than nine eligible candidates (but more than five), leading to four nominees. Best Revival of a Musical had only four eligible candidates, and therefor 3 nominees.

Check out a more detailed breakdown of Tony Awards rules here and learn more about the nominating process.

MJ the Musical

The nominees for the 2026 Chita Rivera Awards recently met the press. BroadwayWorld was there and you can learn more about the event and check out photos here!

Awards season has arrived! While many stellar productions are poised to earn multiple nominations this season, it will take quite a few to stand up to the current record holders. Do any of this season's shows stand a chance at making history? Below, check out which Broadway shows hold the records for the most-Tony nominated productions of all time.

The 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards is set to be the largest gathering in the organization's seven-decade history — with the most Drama Desk winners and nominees, past and present, ever assembled for the ceremony.

The 41st Annual Lucille Lortel Awards – the  only New York theatre award to exclusively honor Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway – were presented at the annual ceremony at NYU Skirball. See photos from the red carpet here!

Videos

Recommended For You

Sign up for announcements, and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows!

© 2026 - Copyright Wisdom Digital Media , all rights reserved. Privacy Policy

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Why-Do-Some-Tony-Awards-Categories-Have-More-Nominees-20260505)._