Earning an award from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is one of the highest levels of achievement for a professional working in the entertainment or film industry.
Every year, the awards show is watched by millions of Americans across the country and hosted, generally, by a high-profile comedian or well-known media personality. The Academy offers awards through a variety of categories to different entertainment professions, including producers, marketing, directors and casting directors.
The most popular category is the acting branch which has over 1,300 members and is responsible for naming the winner of the most decorated acting awards of the year.
The most essential element of the Academy Awards is the people, the members who make up the organization that ultimately vote on the winners. According to Variety, the group comprises over 10,000 members of the entertainment industry, with approximately 9,500 having the ability to vote. Over the last decade, the Academy has gone to great lengths to increase its membership of women and people of color.
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A nominee is decided by these members after each person votes in their qualified branch categories during the nomination process, followed by their picks for Best Picture. If branches do not have a category, then those members are only able to vote on the best picture for that year. The inclusion of more diverse members from across the industry has allowed for more equity in the awards process over the last 10 years.
Moreover, other branches decide their contenders by cutting them down over time. The branches that participate in this form of voting include music, sound, visual effects, documentary feature, international features, and makeup and hairstyling.
If an individual wants to join the Academy as a member, they must first be sponsored by two existing members in the specific branch they wish to be accepted to. Individuals may be invited to join multiple branches; however, they must choose only a single branch in order to gain membership. If an individual is a nominee for an award, they are immediately given membership consideration regardless of sponsorship.
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Membership in the Academy is divided into 17 different branches, with voting groups limited to artists working in the film industry working in producing theatrically released movies. An individual who is nominated or has won an Oscar most likely is already an existing member of the Academy. The democratic process in the Academy is meant to give more opportunities to other less-known artists.
The Academy has rescinded various nominations over the years for violating the extensive campaign rules that each nominee is bound to follow in order to be considered for an award. The Academy prohibits nominees from directly contacting voters to ask for support or mention the competition to them. Garnering support around a film or person should not involve in-person or online outreach to voters.
