The James Beard Foundation is changing its rules and regulations in an effort to make its coveted awards more inclusive and to counter critics who say the organization has not done enough to fight race and gender imbalances in the restaurant industry.

The changes were announced Tuesday and go into effect immediately, in time for the coming nomination season, which begins this month and culminates in a black-tie ceremony in May.

“The idea is to make sure it’s more indicative of who is working in the industry and that people are doing what they should be doing,” said Anne Quatrano, the Atlanta chef who oversees the awards.

Most notably, the powerful volunteer committees that govern which restaurants, chefs, media outlets and publications are nominated for medals will aim to be at least as diverse as the United States population. The larger groups of judges who vote on winners will face a similar mandate.