Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Oscar winners love to thank "the Academy." But who is this mysterious group? And how do they decide who wins?
The Academy Awards were first presented in 1929, and winners receive a gold-plated statuette commonly called "Oscar." (Why? No one knows for sure.)
Learn more from Britannica:
Why is the Academy Award called an Oscar? britannica.com/question/Why-is-the-Academy-Award-called-Oscar
Who's won the most Oscars? britannica.com/topic/whos-won-the-most-oscars
Who votes for the Academy Awards? britannica.com/story/who-votes-for-the-academy-awards
Oscars vs. Golden Globes
~~~
#EncyclopaediaBritannica
Inspiring curiosity and the joy of learning since 1768.
Web: britannica.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Britannica
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~~~
Transcript:
Every year, Oscar winners stand onstage and thank “the Academy,” the mysterious organization that presents the most prestigious awards in film.
So, who is the Academy? And how do they decide who wins?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—or the Academy for short—is made up of a board of governors and various branches, including actors, writers, directors, sound, and visual effects.
The Academy has almost 10,000 voting members. New members must be nominated for an Oscar or be sponsored by two existing members of their branch. Candidates are reviewed by the board, which compiles a new list of invitees every year.
Before awards season, members can nominate eligible movies for best picture, plus awards in their own branch—so Christopher Nolan can nominate other directors but not actors. After the Academy releases short lists in December, members vote again to narrow the top choices.
Nominees are announced in January. Members get to vote for all awards, regardless of branch—so now Viola Davis can vote for best sound and costume design. Some Academy members say they often vote for their friends—but with almost 10,000 voters, it’s unlikely to tip the scales too much.
One award works a little differently: best picture. Members rank each nominee from favorite to least favorite. If a movie immediately gets more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, it wins Best Picture. If not, the movie with the fewest votes is eliminated, and members who ranked it first have their second choice counted instead. The movie to win more than half the total of first-choice votes wins.
So, who knows who actually won the Oscars before they get announced? Only a select few at the accounting firm hired by the Academy to tally votes. They pack the winners’ names into envelopes and deliver them in briefcases. During the Oscars ceremony, they stand in the wings and make sure to hand the right envelopes to the right announcer…. Usually.
Oscar winners love to thank "the Academy." But who is this mysterious group? And how do they decide who wins?
The Academy Awards were first presented in 1929, and winners receive a gold-plated statuette commonly called "Oscar." (Why? No one knows for sure.)
Learn more from Britannica:
Why is the Academy Award called an Oscar? britannica.com/question/Why-is-the-Academy-Award-called-Oscar
Who's won the most Oscars? britannica.com/topic/whos-won-the-most-oscars
Who votes for the Academy Awards? britannica.com/story/who-votes-for-the-academy-awards
Oscars vs. Golden Globes
~~~
#EncyclopaediaBritannica
Inspiring curiosity and the joy of learning since 1768.
Web: britannica.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Britannica
Twitter: twitter.com/Britannica
Instagram: instagram.com/Britannica
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/britannica.com
~~~
Transcript:
Every year, Oscar winners stand onstage and thank “the Academy,” the mysterious organization that presents the most prestigious awards in film.
So, who is the Academy? And how do they decide who wins?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—or the Academy for short—is made up of a board of governors and various branches, including actors, writers, directors, sound, and visual effects.
The Academy has almost 10,000 voting members. New members must be nominated for an Oscar or be sponsored by two existing members of their branch. Candidates are reviewed by the board, which compiles a new list of invitees every year.
Before awards season, members can nominate eligible movies for best picture, plus awards in their own branch—so Christopher Nolan can nominate other directors but not actors. After the Academy releases short lists in December, members vote again to narrow the top choices.
Nominees are announced in January. Members get to vote for all awards, regardless of branch—so now Viola Davis can vote for best sound and costume design. Some Academy members say they often vote for their friends—but with almost 10,000 voters, it’s unlikely to tip the scales too much.
One award works a little differently: best picture. Members rank each nominee from favorite to least favorite. If a movie immediately gets more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, it wins Best Picture. If not, the movie with the fewest votes is eliminated, and members who ranked it first have their second choice counted instead. The movie to win more than half the total of first-choice votes wins.
So, who knows who actually won the Oscars before they get announced? Only a select few at the accounting firm hired by the Academy to tally votes. They pack the winners’ names into envelopes and deliver them in briefcases. During the Oscars ceremony, they stand in the wings and make sure to hand the right envelopes to the right announcer…. Usually.
