How the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences picks Oscar nominees and winners

Every year, the race for Hollywood’s most prestigious honor begins long before the red carpet is rolled out. 

Behind the scenes, a detailed and multi-stage voting system determines which films, actors and filmmakers ultimately take home an Oscar.

Presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1929, the Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, rely on thousands of Academy members to narrow hundreds of eligible films down to a select group of nominees across more than 20 categories.

Eligibility rules for Oscar contenders

To qualify for consideration, films must meet several basic requirements. According to the Academy’s official rulebook, a movie must run for at least seven consecutive days in a qualifying U.S. city between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of the same year.

In most cases, films must also be longer than 40 minutes and must debut in theaters. Movies that premiere first on broadcast television or streaming platforms are generally not eligible.

How Oscar nominations are determined

The process begins months before the ceremony. Each December, Academy members participate in a preliminary round of voting that helps determine shortlists in several categories. For the 2026 awards cycle, shortlists for 12 categories were announced in December 2025.

Nomination voting typically opens in mid-January and lasts only a few days. After ballots are submitted, the official nominees are revealed during a live announcement event. For the upcoming ceremony, the nominations were unveiled on Jan. 22 by actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman.

Who gets to vote?

Only members of the Academy are allowed to participate in Oscar voting. The organization includes thousands of professionals working across the film industry, divided into 20 branches representing disciplines such as acting, directing, writing, editing, and producing.

During the nomination stage, members generally vote only within their specific branch, meaning actors nominate actors, directors nominate directors, and so on. However, all Academy voters are allowed to participate in selecting the Best Picture nominees.

Once nominations are finalized, the final round of voting opens to all Academy members across every category.

Do voters have to watch every film?

In recent years, the Academy has tightened its rules around viewing requirements. Certain categories, including Best Animated Short Film, Best International Feature Film, and Best Live Action Short Film, have long required voters to watch every shortlisted film before casting a ballot.

Beginning in 2026, the rule has expanded further. Academy members must now confirm that they have watched all nominated films within a category before voting for the final winners. 

The change will be implemented for the first time at the upcoming ceremony.

Number of nominees per Category

Most Oscar categories include five nominees. However, the Best Picture race can feature as many as 10 films.

The Academy has also continued to evolve its awards lineup. A new category, Achievement in Casting, will debut at the 2026 ceremony, while Achievement in Stunt Design is scheduled to launch at the 100th Oscars in 2027.

The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15. Comedian Conan O'Brien is set to host the ceremony, which will air live on ABC and stream on Hulu.

As Hollywood’s biggest night approaches, the results of the Academy’s rigorous voting process will soon reveal which films and performances stand above the rest.