Golden Tomato Awards

The Golden Tomato Awards were introduced in 1999, shortly after Rotten Tomatoes launched in 1998, as a way to highlight the year's most critically acclaimed films. Initially, the awards were a simple list of the highest-scoring films, but they evolved into a formal ceremony with categories such as Best Wide Release, Best Limited Release, and Best TV Series. Eligibility requires a minimum number of critic reviews (typically 40 for films and 20 for TV series) and a theatrical or streaming release in the United States during the calendar year. The winners are determined solely by the Tomatometer, which measures the percentage of positive reviews, with a score of 75% or higher considered "Fresh." In recent years, the awards have also included a "Fan Favorite" category, voted on by the public, and a "Best-Reviewed International Film" category, reflecting the site's global reach.

Winners of the Golden Tomato Awards often align with Oscar frontrunners, but the data-driven nature can produce surprises. For example, in 2020, the top film was Sound of Metal, which later earned multiple Academy Award nominations, while in 2021, Summer of Soul won Best Documentary. The awards have become a marketing tool: studios frequently advertise "100% on Rotten Tomatoes" in trailers and posters, and a Golden Tomato win is seen as a badge of critical approval. The awards also influence streaming platforms, as a high Tomatometer score can boost a title's visibility. However, critics have noted that the binary Fresh/Rotten system oversimplifies nuanced reviews, and the awards have been criticized for favoring crowd-pleasing films over more challenging art-house fare.

Over the years, the Golden Tomato Awards have expanded to include categories for animated films, documentaries, foreign-language films, and television series across drama, comedy, and limited series. In 2018, the awards introduced a "Best-Reviewed TV Series" category, reflecting the rise of prestige television. The 2020s saw the addition of "Best-Reviewed Streaming Series" and "Best-Reviewed International Series," acknowledging the global streaming boom. The awards also recognize individual performances with "Best-Reviewed Actor" and "Actress" categories, though these are based on the average score of their films that year, not a separate vote. The ceremony itself is not televised; results are announced via press release and on the Rotten Tomatoes website, often accompanied by interviews with winning filmmakers.

One lesser-known fact is that the Golden Tomato Awards were originally called the "Golden Tomato" and were presented as a single award for the best-reviewed film of the year. The first winner was The Truman Show in 1999. Another niche detail: the awards have a "Golden Tomato" trophy, a literal golden tomato statuette, which is rarely seen publicly because most winners never receive a physical trophy; the award is primarily a digital honor. The site also maintains a "Golden Tomato" hall of fame for films that maintain a 100% score with at least 100 reviews, such as Paddington 2 and Get Out. Additionally, the awards have a "Worst of the Year" counterpart, the "Golden Moldy Tomato," which humorously recognizes the lowest-scoring films, though this is not part of the official Golden Tomato Awards ceremony.

Tomatometer

The percentage of positive reviews from approved critics, used to determine a film or TV show's freshness.

Fresh

A Tomatometer score of 75% or higher, indicating a generally positive critical reception.

Rotten

A Tomatometer score below 75%, indicating a generally negative critical reception.