One of the most prestigious awards in the world, the Academy Award, commonly known as the Oscar, celebrates excellence in the film industry. While the Nobel Prizes honor scientists and politicians for their contributions to humanity, the Oscars recognize artists and creatives in cinema each year. The mere association with this award, whether as a nominee or winner, bestows significant respect upon an individual, marking them as among the best in their field. The ceremony, which is a festive event watched by cinema enthusiasts worldwide, highlights the achievements of the film industry.

History of the Oscars

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was established in the United States in 1927 to advance the film industry. Initially, the Academy was preoccupied with addressing industry issues and improving its image, leading to insufficient attention to the award process. Consequently, the proposal for the Oscars was approved only in May 1928, and awards were designated in 12 categories, including Best Production, Best Unique Production, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Dramatic Direction, Best Comedy Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Engineering Effects, Best Original Story, Best Dramatic Writing, and Best Title Writing, reflecting the dominance of silent films at that time.

The first awards recognized films released between August 1, 1927, and July 31, 1928, and were presented on May 16, 1929, at a ceremony held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, attended by about 270 people. Academy members submitted nominees in all categories, and five committees composed of actors, writers, directors, producers, and technicians selected the top ten candidates in each category, which were then narrowed down to three. A central judging board, comprising one member from each category, chose the final winners, whose names were announced three months before the event.

By the time of the second annual awards ceremony on April 3, 1930, recognizing films from the second half of 1928 through 1929, the number of categories had been reduced to seven. Since then, the Academy has made numerous revisions to the rules, procedures, and categories. Notably, the Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories were added in 1936. Traditionally, the names of the winners were given to the press in advance under the condition of not revealing them until after the awards, but in 1940, the Los Angeles Times published the winners’ names early, diminishing the ceremony’s suspense. Since then, winners’ names have remained secret until the official announcement.

With the rise of television, the Oscars were first broadcast in the United States in 1953 and internationally in 1969. By the late 20th century, the ceremony had become a major event watched by millions, with red carpet interviews becoming an integral part of the show.

Categories and Rules

Today, there are 24 competitive categories for the Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best International Feature Film, Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Short Film, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Documentary Short Film. The Academy also presents scientific and technical awards and honorary awards, such as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for excellence in producing, and the Gordon E. Sawyer Award for technological contributions. These additional awards are not necessarily given every year.

To be eligible for an Oscar, a film must be publicly shown in Los Angeles for at least one week between January 1 and midnight December 31 of that year. Exceptions include foreign language films, which are submitted by their country of origin and are not required to be shown in the U.S. Documentary and short films have different criteria and must be submitted officially by their producers. For music awards, artists must submit a nomination form. Films must be at least 40 minutes long, excluding short films.

Only Academy members are eligible to nominate and vote for Oscar candidates. Members who work in various aspects of filmmaking nominate within their categories—directors nominate directors, writers nominate writers, and so on. The Best Picture category is nominated and voted on by all Academy members, totaling over 7,000 members worldwide, with actors forming the largest voting block at over 1,300 members, or 22% of the Academy’s composition.

Winning an Oscar not only provides international recognition and prestige but can significantly boost a film’s box office earnings. For actors and directors, it often leads to higher salaries and increased media attention.

The Oscar Statuette

The Oscar statuette, designed by Cedric Gibbons, the art director at MGM, and sculpted by George Stanley, depicts a knight holding a sword and standing on a reel of film with five spokes representing actors, writers, directors, producers, and technicians. For many years, the statuettes were cast in bronze and coated with 24-carat gold. During World War II, due to metal shortages, they were made of painted plaster for three years. After the war, winners exchanged their plaster statuettes for gold-plated metal ones. Today, the statuettes are made of Britannia metal plated in gold, with the design remaining unchanged except for an increased base height in 1945. The statuette now stands 13.5 inches tall and weighs 8.5 pounds.

The origin of the name “Oscar” is attributed to three sources. Actress Bette Davis claimed the statuette’s back resembled her husband Harmon Oscar Nelson. Writer Sidney Skolsky asserted he coined the name, while a third source attributes it to Margaret Herrick, the Academy librarian, who said the statuette resembled her uncle Oscar.

Before 1950, Oscars were owned outright by winners. Afterward, the statuettes were legally bound to remain with the recipient and could not be sold, though they could be sold back to the Academy for $1. If a winner refused this condition, the Academy retained the statuette. In 1989, Michael Todd’s Oscar was nearly sold, but the Academy intervened, preventing the sale. Conversely, Harold Russell, who won Best Supporting Actor in 1946, sold his Oscar in 1992 to cover medical expenses for $60,500 (equivalent to $111,600 today). Russell defended his decision, stating that his wife’s health was more important than the award. In December 2011, Orson Welles’s Oscar for Best Original Screenplay was sold for $861,542 (equivalent to $991,200 today) after a court ruling allowed the sale.

To prevent leaks about the winners before the ceremony, Oscars are presented with blank nameplates. Before 2010, winners returned their statuettes to the Academy for engraving and had to wait weeks for their names to be added. Since 2010, winners have had the option to have their names engraved at a station during the Governor’s Ball, held immediately after the Oscars, or return the statuette to the Academy for engraving.

The Awards Ceremony

The Oscars are presented in a live ceremony usually held in late February or early March, six weeks after the announcement of nominees, which typically occurs in November or December of the previous year. Before the ceremony, invited guests walk the red carpet, showcasing the work of prominent fashion designers. Often, nominated artists for Best Original Song perform their songs live during the ceremony.

The ceremony typically lasts about three and a half hours. The Wall Street Journal analyzed the average time spent on each segment of the broadcast from 2014 to 2018: 14 minutes for musical performances, 25 minutes for speeches, 38 minutes for pre-recorded segments, and 78 minutes for the awards themselves, divided into 24 minutes for presenting and announcing, 24 minutes for winners going to the stage, and 30 minutes for acceptance speeches.

Historically, viewership has fluctuated based on public interest in the nominated films. The 70th Oscars in 1998, with the film “Titanic” dominating the box office, attracted 57.25 million viewers, the highest number ever. In contrast, the 78th Oscars in 2006, where “Crash” won Best Picture, drew only 38.64 million viewers, the lowest at the time. The 93rd Oscars in 2021 recorded the lowest viewership with just 10.4 million viewers.

Quick Facts About the Oscars

• Emil Jannings was the first-ever Oscar winner for his performances in “The Last Command” and “The Way of All Flesh.” He had to return to Europe before the ceremony, so the Academy awarded him earlier.
• The 74th Oscars in 2002 was the first to award Best Animated Feature.
• From 1973 to 2020, the Oscars ceremony ended with Best Picture, but in 2021, it concluded with Best Actor.
• Traditionally, winners of Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor the previous year present Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards, and vice versa.
• “Parasite” became the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the 92nd Oscars.
• Tatum O’Neal is the youngest-ever Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress for “Paper Moon” (1973) at age 10.
• Christopher Plummer is the oldest-ever Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor for “Beginners” (2010) at age 82.
• Peter Finch for “Network” and Heath Ledger for “The Dark Knight” are the only actors to win posthumously. Ledger’s award was accepted by his daughter, Matilda.
• Meryl Streep has been nominated 21 times and won three Oscars, with her most recent win for “The Iron Lady” in 2011.
• Katharine Hepburn holds the record for the most Oscars won, with four Best Actress awards.
• The 100th Oscars in 2028 will mark a century of celebrating cinematic excellence.