What Is 22th Screen Actors Guild Awards

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Last updated: April 15, 2026

Quick Answer: The 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards honored outstanding performances in film and television for the year 2015, taking place on January 30, 2016, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. It was televised live on TNT and TBS.

Key Facts

Event date: January 30, 2016
Venue: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
Host: No official host; presented by SAG-AFTRA
Leonardo DiCaprio won Outstanding Male Actor for 'The Revenant'
Jennifer Lawrence won Outstanding Female Actor for 'Joy'

Overview

The 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards celebrated the best acting achievements in both film and television from the year 2015. Held on January 30, 2016, the ceremony took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, marking a key stop on the awards season calendar leading up to the Oscars.

The SAG Awards are unique because they are voted on exclusively by members of SAG-AFTRA, the union representing film and television actors. This peer-based recognition is considered a strong predictor of Oscar success, especially in acting categories.

Leonardo DiCaprio won his first SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his role in The Revenant, a performance that had been widely anticipated for years.
Jennifer Lawrence took home the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Joy, marking her third SAG Award win in five years.
The award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture went to the ensemble of Spotlight, highlighting the film’s powerful group storytelling.
In television, Viola Davis became the first Black actress to win two SAG Awards, winning for Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series for How to Get Away with Murder.
The ceremony was broadcast live on both TNT and TBS, beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, with red carpet coverage starting at 6:30 p.m.

How It Works

The Screen Actors Guild Awards are determined by members of SAG-AFTRA, who vote only on performances by their peers. Unlike other awards, the SAGs do not use nominees selected by a committee; instead, the top five vote-getters in each category become the nominees.

Eligibility Period: Performances released between January 1 and December 31, 2015, were eligible. This included both theatrical films and television episodes aired during the calendar year.
Voting Membership: Only active members of SAG-AFTRA can vote, with ballots distributed electronically. Over 120,000 members were eligible to participate in the voting process.
Nomination Process: The top five vote-getters in each category become nominees. In ensemble categories, only one nomination is allowed per production, regardless of cast size.
Winner Selection: Winners are determined by a second round of voting among nominees. The final ballots are certified by Deloitte, ensuring transparency and accuracy.
Categories: The 22nd Awards featured 13 competitive categories—8 for film and 5 for television—honoring both individual and ensemble performances.
Awards Season Significance: The SAG Awards are held in late January, making them a crucial indicator for the Academy Awards, which follow in February or March.

Comparison at a Glance

Below is a comparison of key winners at the 22nd SAG Awards and how they aligned with other major award shows:

Award Category	SAG Winner (2016)	Academy Award Winner	Golden Globe Winner	Emmy Equivalent
Best Male Actor – Film	Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)	Leonardo DiCaprio	Leonardo DiCaprio	N/A
Best Female Actor – Film	Jennifer Lawrence (Joy)	Brie Larson (Room)	Laura Dern (Wild)	N/A
Best Ensemble – Film	Spotlight	N/A (Academy doesn’t have ensemble category)	N/A	N/A
Best Male Actor – TV Drama	Idris Elba (Luther)	N/A	Idris Elba	Bob Odenkirk
Best Female Actor – TV Comedy	Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)	N/A	Julia Louis-Dreyfus	Julia Louis-Dreyfus

This table illustrates how the SAG Awards often align with the Golden Globes and Emmys but can diverge from the Oscars, especially in lead acting categories. The ensemble award for Spotlight signaled its strength during awards season, even though it didn’t win Best Picture at the Oscars.

Why It Matters

The 22nd SAG Awards were a pivotal moment in the 2015–2016 awards season, influencing Oscar predictions and highlighting diversity in performance. With historic wins for actors like Viola Davis, the ceremony underscored evolving industry standards.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s win ended years of speculation, cementing his performance in The Revenant as the frontrunner for the Academy Award.
Viola Davis made history as the first Black actress to win multiple SAG Awards, reinforcing her status as a leading figure in television drama.
The ensemble win for Spotlight highlighted the power of collaborative storytelling, boosting the film’s profile ahead of the Oscars.
The ceremony emphasized diversity and inclusion, with multiple winners from underrepresented groups, a contrast to the #OscarsSoWhite controversy brewing at the time.
Live broadcasts on TNT and TBS drew over 3.2 million viewers, demonstrating strong public interest in actor-voted honors.
The 22nd SAG Awards also paid tribute to actors who passed in 2015, including Alan Rickman and Leonard Nimoy, in a moving memorial segment.

The 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards not only celebrated excellence in acting but also reflected broader cultural shifts within Hollywood, making it one of the most talked-about ceremonies of the season.