What Sets the SAG Awards Apart From the Rest

There’s nothing quite like being recognized by your peers.

Winning an Oscar, Emmy or a Golden Globe comes with an undeniable amount of prestige. Box office returns and ratings give stars a window into how the public feels about their art. But to have the people who know the craft best—former co-stars, audition competition, time slot rivals and longtime industry pals—deem your performance the best in your field is an unparalleled sense of validation. Enter the Screen Actors Guild Awards. 

Wicked‘s Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, The Substance‘s Demi Moore and Nobody Wants This‘ Kristen Bell and Adam Brody are among those hoping to hear their names called during the Feb. 23 ceremony, streaming on Netflix.

One of the younger award shows on the block, the SAG Awards were established 30 years ago by what was then known as the Screen Actors Guild, the union formed in 1933 to represent film and television principal and background performers worldwide. (In 2012, SAG merged with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to become SAG-AFTRA.) And at the onset of the first ceremony in 1995, the legendary Angela Lansbury took the stage to emphasize why the night mattered.