Academy Awards (Oscars)

Overview

The Academy Awards, known globally as the Oscars, are the annual awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize outstanding achievement in theatrically released feature-length motion pictures. The 98th ceremony took place on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, hosted by Conan O'Brien. The telecast drew 17.86 million viewers in the United States on ABC and Hulu.

AMPAS presents awards in 24 categories spanning acting, directing, writing, cinematography, editing, sound, visual effects, production design, costume design, makeup and hairstyling, music, documentary, animation, and short films. The 98th ceremony introduced the first-ever Achievement in Casting award, won by One Battle After Another. That film took home 6 total awards including Best Picture, while Sinners received a record-tying 16 nominations and won 4.

The full 99th Oscars Rules and Regulations are published on the AMPAS website.

Eligibility and Submission Rules

Under Rule Two of the 99th Oscars rules, a feature film must complete a qualifying theatrical release in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026. The film must run for at least seven consecutive days, with at least three screenings per day. Films that premiere on streaming platforms or any non-theatrical medium are not eligible in any category, though up to 15 minutes may be shown in a non-theatrical medium prior to the qualifying run.

The submission deadline for films released between January 1 and June 30, 2026, is 5 p.m. PT on September 17, 2026. For films released between July 1 and December 31, 2026, the deadline is 5 p.m. PT on November 12, 2026. Submission requires a completed Oscars Submission Form (General Entry) filed online by a confirmed representative of the releasing or production company. DVDs or DCPs are not accepted in lieu of the form.

For the 99th Oscars, the International Feature Film category now has two submission paths. A film can be submitted as an official selection by a country or region via Academy-approved Selection Committees, or a non-English-language film can qualify by winning a specified award at one of six qualifying festivals: Berlin (Golden Bear), Busan (Best Film Award), Cannes (Palme d'Or), Sundance (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize), Toronto (Platform Award), or Venice (Golden Lion). The film itself is now credited as the nominee rather than the country, and the director accepts on behalf of the creative team.

New rules for the 99th Oscars also state that only performances "demonstrably performed by humans" with their consent are eligible in acting categories, and only human-authored screenplays are eligible in writing categories. Actors may now be nominated for multiple performances in the same category if both performances place in the top five votes.

Voting Process

AMPAS membership totals approximately 11,319 members across 19 branches and one membership classification, with 10,338 voting members as of 2026. The membership is 36% women, 25% from underrepresented communities, and 22% international (residing outside the United States). The largest branch is Actors with 1,307 members, followed by Executives (812), Animation (746), Documentary (736), and Marketing and Public Relations (732).

Voting is restricted to active and life Academy members. Nominations follow a two-phase process: branch members nominate within their specialty categories, while all members nominate for Best Picture. For the 98th Oscars, members were required to view all nominated films within a category to be eligible to vote in the final round, monitored through the Academy Screening Room platform.

Best Picture uses a preferential ballot system, meaning a film needs broad support across the full membership to win, not just a plurality of first-place votes. This system tends to favor consensus picks over polarizing films. The Best Picture field can include up to 10 nominees, a format adopted in 2010.

Key Categories

The 24 competitive categories for the 99th Oscars are:

• Best Picture - awarded to the producing team, up to 10 nominees
• Directing - achievement in directing
• Actor in a Leading Role and Actress in a Leading Role
• Actor in a Supporting Role and Actress in a Supporting Role
• Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay
• Cinematography - now uses a shortlist process (10 to 20 films)
• Film Editing
• Casting - new category, first awarded at the 98th ceremony
• International Feature Film - two submission paths as of 99th Oscars
• Animated Feature Film - added in 2001
• Documentary Feature and Documentary Short Film
• Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling
• Original Score and Original Song
• Sound - consolidated from two categories in 2021
• Visual Effects
• Live Action Short Film and Animated Short Film

History

AMPAS was founded in 1927 by Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, along with 35 other film industry leaders. The first ceremony took place on May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, honoring films from 1927 and 1928. Approximately 270 guests attended, and the event lasted 15 minutes.

Wings (1927) won the first Best Picture award (then called Outstanding Picture). The gold-plated statuette, officially named the Academy Award of Merit, earned the nickname "Oscar" through uncertain origins. One popular account attributes the name to Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, who reportedly said the figure resembled her Uncle Oscar.

Significant milestones include Hattie McDaniel becoming the first Black winner in 1940 for Gone with the Wind, the introduction of Best Animated Feature in 2001, the expansion of Best Picture to up to 10 nominees in 2010, and the introduction of Achievement in Casting at the 98th ceremony in 2026.

Business Impact for Filmmakers

An Oscar nomination has measurable commercial value. Best Picture nominees historically see a box office bump averaging $20 million or more. At the 98th Oscars, the eight Best Picture nominees with available box office data had grossed a combined $750 million domestically at the time of nominations. Sinners, the highest-grossing Best Picture nominee, had earned $280 million in domestic receipts. F1 had earned $189.6 million. One Battle After Another, the eventual Best Picture winner, had grossed $71.6 million domestically before the ceremony.

For independent filmmakers, a nomination in any category raises the profile of both the project and the filmmaker, opening doors to financing, representation, and distribution for future work. The awards season campaign is itself an industry: studios and distributors spend millions on screenings, advertisements, and outreach to Academy voters. The campaign cycle runs from fall festival premieres (Telluride, Toronto, Venice) through guild awards (DGA, SAG, WGA, ACE) and final voting in late February or early March.

The 98th Oscars ceremony was produced by Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, directed by Hamish Hamilton, and hosted by Conan O'Brien for the second consecutive year. Warner Bros. led distributors with 11 statuettes, followed by Netflix with 7.

Recent Results (98th Academy Awards, March 2026)

• Best Picture: One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
• Most awards: One Battle After Another (6), Sinners (4), Frankenstein (3), KPop Demon Hunters (2)
• Most nominations: Sinners (16, a record), One Battle After Another (13)
• Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
• Best Actress: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
• Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn, The Secret Agent
• Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, Weapons
• Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
• Best Casting (inaugural): One Battle After Another

Recommended Resources for Filmmakers

• The Academy Awards Handbook - A complete history of the Oscars, covering every Best Picture winner, notable nominees, and the evolution of the Academy Awards. Available on Amazon.
• Award-Winning Film Collections - Browse Blu-ray and streaming collections of Palme d'Or, Oscar, and BAFTA-winning films on Amazon.
• Film History Reference Books - Explore comprehensive film history books covering awards, movements, and the evolution of cinema. Available on Amazon.

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Eligibility Quirks That Trip People Up

• Qualifying theatrical run geography: Films must complete a 7-day consecutive qualifying run in one of six qualifying US metro areas (Los Angeles County, New York City, Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta) with at least 3 screenings per day, including one between 6pm and 10pm. Many filmmakers miss the specific geographic restriction and assume any US theatrical run qualifies.
• DCP format requirement: Films must be exhibited using Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) conforming to SMPTE standards. Consumer formats like Blu-ray, DVD, QuickTime, ProRes, or MP4 do not qualify. This trips up indie filmmakers who assume any digital projection format works.
• Submission deadlines vary by release date: Films released January 1 to June 30 must submit by September 17, 2026 (5 p.m. PT), while films released July 1 to December 31 must submit by November 12, 2026. Missing your window means waiting an entire year.
• International Feature Film dual submission path: As of the 99th Oscars, non-English-language films can be submitted either by their country's official selection committee OR by winning a qualifying award at one of six specified festivals (Berlin Golden Bear, Busan Best Film Award, Cannes Palme d'Or, Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, Toronto Platform Award, Venice Golden Lion). Many filmmakers still assume only the country submission route exists.
• AI and authorship rules: For the 99th Oscars, only performances "demonstrably performed by humans" with their consent are eligible in acting categories, and only human-authored screenplays are eligible in writing categories. Films using AI-generated performances or scripts are disqualified.

Prestige Tier

The Academy Awards are the highest-profile industry-voted film awards in the world, with the greatest impact on US box office and global distribution. The Palme d'Or carries more international auteur prestige among cinephiles, but the Oscars drive commercial success and industry recognition worldwide. A Best Picture nomination historically provides a box office bump averaging $20 million or more. Among all film awards, the Oscars sit at the top of the prestige hierarchy in terms of public recognition, career impact, and financial return. No other award comes close to the global audience reach of the Oscar telecast.

See Also

For understanding how awards campaigns fit into a distribution strategy, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model the financial impact of an awards run on your film's revenue projections, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For evaluating the cost of an awards-season campaign against projected returns, use the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.