The Oscars: Past and present

The Oscars are awards handed out anually to those voted best in their field by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is a professional honorary organization comprised of over 5,000 motion picture artists and craftsmen.

Membership in the Academy is limited to those who have achieved the highest level of distinction in the arts and sciences of motion pictures. Members currently represent 14 branches — Actors, Art Directors, Cinematographers, Directors, Documentary, Executives, Film Editors, Music, Producers, Public Relations, Short Films and Feature Animation, Sound, Visual Effects, and Writers. Currently there are over 5,700 voting members of the Academy.

The first ever Academy Awards were handed out on May 16, 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and have been held anually ever since.

Academy Awards are available for each of the following awards categories:

Best Picture

Actor in a Leading Role

Actor in a Supporting Role

Actress in a Leading Role

Actress in a Supporting Role

Animated Feature Film

Art Direction

Cinematography

Costume Design

Directing

Documentary Feature

Documentary Short Subject

Film Editing

Foreign Language Film

Makeup

Music - Original Score

Music - Original Song

Short Film - Animated

Short Film - Live Action

Sound Mixing

Sound Editing

Visual Effects

Writing - Screenplay - Adaptation

Writing - Screenplay - Original


With the exceptions of animated and foreign films any film can qualify for Oscars in all narrative feature categories with a seven-day run in any commercial Los Angeles County theater during the year of eligibility. Films must have a running length of more than 40 minutes and have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm, 70mm film or in a qualifying digital format.

Attendance at the Annual Academy Awards is by invitation only.

The award statuettes handed out were designed by Cedric Gibbons and sculpted by Los Angeles artist George Stanley. Each statuette is made from the alloy britannium and is then plated in copper, nickel silver, and finally, 24-karat gold and is manufactured by R.S. Owens and Co in Chicago. It stands 34.3cm tall and weighs 3.8kg.

The Oscar depicts a knight, holding a crusader's sword, standing on a reel of film. The film reel features five spokes, signifying the five original branches of the Academy (actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers.)

Each statue is individually numbered.

In support of the war effort, the Academy handed out plaster Oscar statuettes during WWII. After the war, winners exchanged the plaster awards for golden statuettes.

How the statuette got the nickname Oscar isn't clear. A popular story has been that Academy librarian and eventual executive director Margaret Herrick said that it resembled her Uncle Oscar. A reporter allegedly overheard her and helped brand the golden guy. In any case, by the sixth Awards Presentation in 1934, Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used the name in his column in reference to Katharine Hepburn's first Best Actress win. The Academy itself didn't use the nickname officially until 1939.