Academy Awards

Annual awards for cinematic excellence since 1929.

The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are annual awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States. They recognize artistic and technical merit in film and are widely considered the most prestigious awards in the film industry, predominantly centered around Hollywood productions. The ceremony is the longest running worldwide entertainment awards show, first held in 1929.

Quick Facts

Awarded for: Excellence in the film industry
Presenter: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Country: United States
Firstawarded: 16 May 1929

Facts from the source article.

Lore & Background

The first Academy Awards ceremony took place on May 16, 1929, at a private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with about 270 guests. Fifteen statuettes were awarded for works from the 1927–28 period, and the ceremony lasted 15 minutes. Winners had been announced to the media three months earlier. For the second ceremony in 1930, results were given to newspapers for publication at 11:00 pm on the night of the awards. In 1940, the Los Angeles Times published winners before the ceremony, leading the Academy to adopt sealed envelopes in 1941.

The Oscar statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, depicts a knight in Art Deco style holding a sword, standing on a reel of film with five spokes representing the original Academy branches: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers, and Technicians. It is 13.5 inches tall, weighs 8.5 pounds, and is made of gold-plated bronze on a black metal base. During World War II, due to metal shortages, Oscars were made of painted plaster for three years; recipients later redeemed them for gold-plated metal versions.

The origin of the nickname "Oscar" is disputed. Margaret Herrick, librarian and president of the Academy, may have named it after her supposed uncle Oscar in 1931, based on a 1938 newspaper clipping. Bette Davis claimed in her 1962 autobiography that she named it in 1936 after her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson, though the term was in use at least two years earlier. Davis later relinquished her claim.

Reader's Guide

The Academy Awards have shaped the film industry as the benchmark for cinematic achievement. Their major categories, known as the Academy Awards of Merit, are presented during a live televised Hollywood ceremony in February or March. The Oscars are the oldest of the four major annual American entertainment awards, with counterparts including the Emmy Awards, Tony Awards, and Grammy Awards modeled after them.

Key milestones include the introduction of Best Foreign Language Film (now Best International Feature Film) at the 20th Academy Awards as a special award, becoming competitive at the 29th. Best Animated Feature was introduced at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002, won by Shrek. In 2020, Parasite became the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards. The 93rd ceremony, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed streaming films with previously planned theatrical releases to be eligible; the theatrical requirement was reinstated for the 95th Academy Awards.

Historically, the Oscars exemplified glamour in the United States, though a movement away from network television and award shows has shifted focus to the Met Gala. The Oscars have experienced declining network television ratings and will move to YouTube in 2029. The ceremony has traditionally ended with the Best Picture award since 1973, except for 2021. The "Fab 5" presenter format, introduced in 2009, returned in 2024 after a 15-year hiatus.