This Oscar season, love is in the air, and so are submission deadlines.

The decision of whether, or how, a movie or performer should campaign for awards consideration is akin to whether a politician should run for president. The stakes are high, the costs are significant, and the ripple effects are long-lasting. Just as a potential candidate must weigh experience, polling data and public appetite before announcing a White House run, studios and strategists face equally consequential questions: where to submit films, how to position talent and when to risk resources on an uncertain path. The ultimate goal is to snag a seat inside the Dolby Theatre as an Oscar nominee — and, ideally, a winner.

What could emerge from this year’s campaign strategies could reveal a fundamental shift in how Ho

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