Academy Award

The Academy Awards, commonly known as The Oscars, are the most prominent film awards in the United States. The Awards are granted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a professional honorary organization which as of 2003 had a voting membership of 5,816. Actors (with a membership of 1,311) make up the largest voting bloc. The most recent awards were the 77th Academy Awards.

Awards

The "Academy Award of Merit" is given in many categories, including the following:

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• Best Picture – 1928 to present
• Best Actor – 1928 to present
• Best Actress – 1928 to present
• Best Supporting Actor – 1936 to present
• Best Supporting Actress – 1936 to present
• Best Animated Feature – 2001 to present
• Best Art Direction – 1928 to present (also called Interior or Set Decoration)
• Best Assistant Director – 1933 to 1937
• Best Cinematography – 1928 to present
• Comedy Direction – 1928 only
• Costume Design – 1948 to present
• Best Dance Direction – 1935 to 1937
• Directing – 1928 to present
• Documentary Feature
• Documentary Short Subject
• Engineering Effects – 1928 only
• Film Editing – 1935 to present
• Best Foreign Language Film – 1947 to present
• Makeup – 1981 to present
• Original Music Score
• Best Song
• Animated Short Film – 1931 to present
• Live Action Short Film
• Best Short Film - Color – 1936 and 1937
• Best Short Film - Live Action - 2 Reels – 1936 to 1956
• Short Film - Novelty – 1932 to 1935
• Sound
• Sound Effects Editing – 1963 to present
• Best Story – 1928 to 1956
• Best Title Writing – 1928 only
• Unique and Artistic Production – 1928 only
• Visual Effects – 1939 to present
• Writing Adapted Screenplay – 1928 to present
• Writing Original Screenplay – 1940 to present
• Academy Award, Scientific or Technical – 1931 to present at three levels

Special Awards, which are voted on by special committees, rather than by the Academy membership as a whole, include:

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• Academy Juvenile Award – 1934 to 1960
• Academy Honorary Award – 1928 to present
• Academy Special Achievement Award
• The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award – 1938 to present
• The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
• Gordon E. Sawyer Award