How are Oscar nominees and winners chosen?

To arrive at the final list of nominated films and, subsequently, Oscar winners, a vote is taken among the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (or simply “Academy”, for short). It looks simple, but from the outside it’s almost a maze.

In total, the Academy has more than 10,000 members, 9,500 of whom are eligible to vote. That amount has grown 65% over the past decade, thanks to initiatives to include women, people of color, and filmmakers from around the world. Subsequently, the explains how the reward works.

Who votes for the Oscars

The Academy describes its voting groups thus: “limited to film artists working in the production of theatrically released films.” Therefore, it divides all these personnel into 17 categories, according to their respective functions. Most of these categories follow the terminology of the award (e.g. directing, editing, male and female acting, etc.).

You will have noticed by now how the Academy is a large but select group of artists. Only those who receive an invitation and have the “sponsorship” of two other members of the respective category enter; or has already been nominated for the awards at least once. For example, in the case of Brazil, director José Padilha (Elite Squad) received an invitation in 2013.

Also, members can only vote within their square. Padilha, for example, can only vote in the Best Director category, because she is a director. Exceptions are the categories Best Film, Best International Film, Best Documentary and Best Short Film, which are open to all members who wish to vote.

How to choose candidates

At the nomination stage, each member of the Academy votes for the categories in their square (if they are part of the Oscars) and, if they wish, for Best Film, Best International Film, etc. (those open to all). Those who are part of those who do not integrate the prize can only vote in the open ones.

Additionally, some categories have a sort of “bonus round,” which acts as a pre-elimination round to shorten the candidate lists. The categories of music, sound, visual effects, makeup and hair styling are included here. This process also applies to non-American (for them international) films, documentaries and shorts.

Who wins in the categories

In this part of the process, the complications end. With the nominees lists in hand, Academy members who want to vote can pick a favorite in each award category. So whoever gets the most votes wins the Oscar. So simple.

Sources: World Education AND vanity fair

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Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.