oscar academy awards oscar academy awards oscar academy awards oscar academy awards oscar academy awards oscar academy awards

TALK ABOUT OSCARS
THE OSCAR

The official name of the Oscar statuette is the Academy Award of Merit. Made of gold-plated britannium on a black marble base, it is 13.5 inches (34 cm) tall, weighs 8.5 lb (3.85 kg) and depicts a knight holding a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes, signifying the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers and Technicians.  Legend has it that Cedric Gibbons designed the award on a notepad while at a meeting.

The root of the name "Oscar" is contested. Some believe it came from Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, who saw it on a table and said, "it looks just like my uncle Oscar!" Others claim that Bette Davis named it after her first husband. However it came to be, both Oscar and Academy Award are registered trademarks of the Academy. The Academy's domain name is oscars.org and the official Web site for the Awards is at oscar.com.

Since 1950 the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for $1.

OSCAR Academy Awards

 

Academy Awards of Merit

 

 Current awards

In the first year of the awards, the Best Director award was split into two separate categories (Drama and Comedy). At times, the Best Original Score award has also been split into separate categories (Drama and Comedy/Musical). From the 1930s through the 1960s, the Art Direction, Cinematography, and Costume Design awards were likewise split into two separate categories (black-and-white films and color films).

 

 Retired awards

 

 Proposed awards

The Board of Governors meets each year and considers new awards. To date, the following proposed awards have not been approved:

  • Best Casting: rejected in 1999

  • Best Stunt Coordination: rejected in 1999; rejected in 2005

  • Best Title Design: rejected in 1999

 

 Special Academy Awards

These awards are voted on by special committees, rather than by the Academy membership as a whole, but the individual selected to receive the special award may decline the offer.

 

 Current special awards

 

 Retired special awards