How Old Are the Academy Awards?
How Old Are the Academy Awards?
And why are they also called the Oscars?
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; thumbnail © LanKS/Shutterstock.com
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; thumbnail © LanKS/Shutterstock.comAnd why are they also called the Oscars?
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Checkerboard Film Foundation (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Interviews with Robert Redford, Robert Ginna, Nick Antosca, and James Salter on the latter's works, from the documentary James Salter: A Sport and a Pastime (2011).
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Public DomainScene from McLintock! (1963), starring John Wayne (George Washington McLintock) and Maureen O'Hara (Katherine McLintock).
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn more about the life, career, and legacy of Walt Disney.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about the life and career of American film actor John Wayne.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Alice Walker published The Color Purple in 1982. With it, she became the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.George Bernard Shaw, portrayed by Donald Moffatt, analyzing William Shakespeare's characterization of Julius Caesar and comparing it with his own treatment, using reenactments of scenes from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra. This 1970 video is a production of Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.George Bernard Shaw, portrayed by Donald Moffatt, discussing Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra, comparing his portrayal of the characters and that of William Shakespeare. The progress of the human species is examined in Shaw's play, which centres around four political murders and Caesar's reactions to them. This 1970 video is a production of Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.George Bernard Shaw, portrayed by Donald Moffatt, talking about William Shakespeare's masterpiece Julius Caesar, focusing on Caesar's death and its aftermath. This 1970 video is a production of Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation.
News •
Oscar contender ‘The Secret Agent’ capitalizes on the rise of Brazilian cinema
• Dec. 19, 2025, 10:17 AM ET (AP)
The Oscars will move to YouTube in 2029, leaving longtime home of ABC
• Dec. 17, 2025, 2:53 PM ET (AP)
‘Sinners,’ ‘Wicked: For Good,' ‘KPop Demon Hunters' advance in Oscars shortlists
• Dec. 17, 2025, 12:13 AM ET (AP)
Christine Choy, indie filmmaker who led seminal documentary on the killing of Vincent Chin, dies
• Dec. 12, 2025, 3:34 PM ET (AP)
Oscar winner Morricone’s lost opera debuts in Naples after 30 years
• Dec. 12, 2025, 2:44 PM ET (AP)
Transcript
Did You Know?
The Academy Awards The Academy Awards of Merit are the series of awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in honor of achievement in the film industry. The awards ceremony was first held in 1929 and first televised in 1953. Today awards are given in 24 categories, including best picture, best actor, and best actress. In most cases, to be eligible for an award, a film must be shown in a commercial theater for paid admission for at least one week in Los Angeles County. Foreign-language films are submitted by their countries of origin, and documentary films and short films are submitted by their producers. Academy Award winners receive a golden statuette called an Oscar—a nickname of uncertain origin that several people, including actress Bette Davis, claimed to have invented. Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences serve as both the nominators and the voters for the Oscars—a system that resulted in criticism when the 2015 #OscarsSoWhite hashtag pointed out that the Academy’s nominees in that year’s 20 acting categories were all white. In response, the Academy pledged to invite a wider range of representatives to join its ranks, and in June 2020 it announced that the new group of members surpassed its goals for inclusion.
The Academy Awards The Academy Awards of Merit are the series of awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in honor of achievement in the film industry. The awards ceremony was first held in 1929 and first televised in 1953. Today awards are given in 24 categories, including best picture, best actor, and best actress. In most cases, to be eligible for an award, a film must be shown in a commercial theater for paid admission for at least one week in Los Angeles County. Foreign-language films are submitted by their countries of origin, and documentary films and short films are submitted by their producers. Academy Award winners receive a golden statuette called an Oscar—a nickname of uncertain origin that several people, including actress Bette Davis, claimed to have invented. Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences serve as both the nominators and the voters for the Oscars—a system that resulted in criticism when the 2015 #OscarsSoWhite hashtag pointed out that the Academy’s nominees in that year’s 20 acting categories were all white. In response, the Academy pledged to invite a wider range of representatives to join its ranks, and in June 2020 it announced that the new group of members surpassed its goals for inclusion.
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