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.
Herald Feature: The Oscars
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