Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
Oscar for screenplays not based on previously published material.
The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is an Oscar presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. Writers with 'written by', 'screenplay' or 'story' credits are collectively recognized as recipients for each nomination. The category was created in 1940 and has always existed concurrently with the Best Adapted Screenplay category. Originally, it also co-existed with a third writing category, Best Story, which had been active since the original Academy Awards ceremony in 1929; Best Story was merged into Best Original Screenplay in 1956.
Quick Facts
- Presenter
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)
- Holder
- Ryan Coogler; Sinners (2025)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The category's eligibility hinges on whether a screenplay is based on 'previously published material'. The Writer's Branch of the academy determines this, sometimes placing a film in a different category than the Writers Guild of America. For the 75th Academy Awards, Gangs of New York was nominated as original despite being based on a book, because the writers largely invented the characters and plot. Conversely, Moonlight was campaigned as original but placed in adapted, winning there. Whiplash was considered adapted because a scene was produced as a proof-of-concept short film, yet Frozen River, with a similar short, was nominated as original. Barbie was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 96th Academy Awards despite campaigning for original, due to its use of existing characters and setting.
Reader's Guide
The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay has recognized some of cinema's most distinctive voices. Woody Allen holds the records for most nominations (16) and most wins (3), for Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Midnight in Paris. Paddy Chayefsky and Billy Wilder each won three screenwriting Oscars overall, though not all in this category. The award has honored a range of firsts: Richard Schweizer was the first winner for a foreign-language film (Marie-Louise); Albert Lamorisse is the only winner for a short film (The Red Balloon); Frances Marion was the first woman to win for an original script before the category existed; Muriel Box was the first woman to win in this category; Jordan Peele became the first African-American winner; and Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won became the first Asian writers to win either screenplay award. The category has also seen unique achievements, such as Frank Butler, Preston Sturges, and Oliver Stone each being nominated for two different films in the same year.
Did You Know?
- Ben Affleck is the youngest winner at age 25 for Good Will Hunting.
- Jordan Peele became the first African-American to win in this category for Get Out.
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