Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)

Overview

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is an honorary professional organization for film artists and technologists, founded in 1927. It presents the Academy Awards (the Oscars), operates the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, maintains the Margaret Herrick Library, and runs the Academy Film Archive. You cannot apply for membership. The Academy invites you based on peer sponsorship and demonstrated professional achievement. For filmmakers pursuing Oscar campaigns, understanding the branch structure and voting mechanics is the foundation of any viable awards strategy.

As of January 2026, AMPAS has 10,338 voting members across 19 branches, with 11,319 total members including Emeritus. The 2026 invitee class of 529 new members was 42% women, 56% from underrepresented communities, and 53% from outside the United States. The overall membership is now 36% women, 25% from underrepresented communities, and 22% international, with members residing in more than 50 countries.

Branch Structure and Membership

The Academy organizes its membership into 19 branches by craft, plus a separate Artist Representatives group for agents and managers. Each branch has its own membership criteria, though Oscar nominees receive automatic consideration and require no sponsors. Branch executive committees review prospective members and make recommendations to the Board of Governors, which has final approval.

Current voting membership by branch (January 2026 figures):

The Actors Branch is the largest voting bloc. Its size directly affects the nomination threshold for the four acting categories: in 2026, 201 first-place votes from the 1,202 Actors Branch members would guarantee a nomination. The Casting Directors Branch, at 176 members, is the smallest voting branch and was added as an Oscar category for the first time in 2026, requiring only 30 votes for a nomination.

Academy Awards Voting Mechanics

Oscar voting happens in two phases. In the nomination phase, each branch votes only within its craft categories. Cinematographers nominate in Best Cinematography. Editors nominate in Best Film Editing. This means nominees are selected by working professionals with direct expertise in the relevant craft. In the final voting phase, all 10,338 voting members cast ballots across most categories.

Best Picture uses a preferential (ranked-choice) ballot system, adopted in 2009. All members vote on Best Picture. In 2026, 922 first-place votes would guarantee a Best Picture nomination if all 10,338 eligible voters cast ballots. The preferential system allows films to win with broad-based support across the membership even without being any single voter's first choice. This structure rewards films that appeal across multiple branches rather than films with narrow, passionate support.

Membership Demographics and Diversification

Since the #OscarsSoWhite movement in 2015, the Academy has substantially expanded and diversified its membership. In 2016, AMPAS had approximately 6,000 members. A decade later, membership has nearly doubled. The 2026 class continued the trend: 42% women, 56% from underrepresented communities, 53% international. The Academy is now 36% women, 25% from underrepresented communities, and 22% international overall.

International members now account for 22% of the total, distributed across Africa (43), Asia (309), Europe (1,683), North America beyond the US (334), Oceania (217), and South America (113). This international expansion has shifted voting patterns in categories like Best International Feature Film and Best Picture, where a more globally diverse membership brings different film knowledge and preferences.

Academy Museum, Archive, and Library

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened in 2021 in Los Angeles. It is the largest museum in the world dedicated to filmmaking, with permanent installations and rotating exhibitions covering the full history of cinema.

The Academy Film Archive holds more than 250,000 titles and is one of the most important film preservation institutions globally. The Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills provides research access to scripts, production records, stills, and publications, constituting the world's most comprehensive collection of film industry materials.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Awards Campaign Strategy

For filmmakers pursuing Oscar campaigns, the branch structure determines your targeting strategy. The Actors Branch is the largest voting bloc and votes on Best Picture alongside all other members. A film's reception among actors heavily influences Best Picture outcomes. Campaign resources should reflect the relative size of each branch and the nomination thresholds in each category.

Membership vs. Guild Membership

Academy membership is honorary, not labor representation. Many Academy members also hold membership in their craft guild (DGA, WGA, SAG-AFTRA, ASC, etc.). The two memberships serve different functions: guild membership provides collective bargaining, rate protection, and health benefits. Academy membership provides peer recognition and Oscar voting rights. You do not need Academy membership to work in the film industry, and Academy membership does not provide any labor protections.

How Members Are Selected

You cannot apply to join AMPAS. Membership is by invitation only. Oscar nominees are automatically considered in the year of their nomination. All other candidates must be sponsored by existing members within their branch, vetted by branch executive committees, reviewed by the Membership Committee, and approved by the Board of Governors. The Academy does not disclose which invitees accept and which decline.

Notable Activities and History

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is the world's most prestigious film organization, best known for presenting the Academy Awards (Oscars). Founded in 1927, AMPAS has approximately 10,000 members across 18 branches representing different craft disciplines including Actors, Casting Directors, Cinematographers, Costume Designers, Designers, Directors, Documentary, Executives, Film Editors, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists, Marketing and Public Relations, Music, Producers, Production and Technology, Short Films and Feature Animation, Sound, Visual Effects, and Writers. The Academy's headquarters in Beverly Hills includes the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, opened in 2021, which is the largest film museum in the United States. The Academy also maintains the Margaret Herrick Library, one of the world's most comprehensive film research collections. The Academy's membership has diversified significantly since 2016, when it announced initiatives to double the number of women and diverse members by 2020, following criticism of the overwhelmingly white and male membership.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Academy membership is honorary, not labor representation. Many Academy members also hold membership in their craft guild (DGA, WGA, SAG-AFTRA, ASC, etc.). The two memberships serve different functions: guild membership provides collective bargaining, rate protection, and health benefits. Academy membership provides peer recognition and Oscar voting rights. You do not need Academy membership to work in the film industry, and Academy membership does not provide any labor protections. You cannot apply to join AMPAS. Membership is by invitation only. Oscar nominees are automatically considered in the year of their nomination. All other candidates must be sponsored by existing members within their branch, vetted by branch executive committees, reviewed by the Membership Committee, and approved by the Board of Governors. The Academy does not disclose which invitees accept and which decline. For filmmakers, the primary interaction with AMPAS is through the Academy Awards submission and voting process, with eligibility rules published annually at oscars.org.

Watch

See Also

For the Academy Awards entry in the film awards directory, see Academy Awards. For the management counterpart that the Academy's labor members negotiate with, see AMPTP in this directory. To estimate crew costs for a production that may employ Academy members, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator. For official Academy rules and membership information, visit oscars.org.