Inside the Academy’s Process of Choosing Oscar Film Nominations

The Oscar craze is real! We watch films the entire year, predicting which one will grab Best Picture, which actor will walk away with Best Actor, and which director will be lauded enough to claim the coveted golden statue. As fans, we can’t help but join the guessing game- it’s part of the magic. 

But what goes on inside the Academy? Who votes for the Oscars, and what is the Academy’s process of choosing Oscar film nominations?

How are Oscar film nominations selected?

The 98th Academy Awards in March 2026 have caused a flutter, and the process of determining the final nominations in each category is a complex, multi-stage voting process by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 

The first step is getting nominations for each of the 24 award categories through secret online ballots. Certain voters are divided into branches (such as actors, directors, etc.) related to a category, who are invited to nominate within their own field. All members then vote for Best Picture using preferential (ranked-choice) voting to create a shortlist.

This is where the final five nominations are declared, thoroughly refined by the experts, leading to the final awards ceremony that will bring the true winner. In the past five Oscar seasons, the pattern of Best Picture winner winning in at least one other major Academy Award category has remained consistent. For instance, last year, Anora (2024) won a total of five Oscars, including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. ​

The official Oscars website also states that there is a preliminary voting process for 12 award categories initially. Eligible voters are invited from their corresponding branch and participate in the voting round. The shortlisted titles are announced via an Academy press release.

The award categories with preliminary voting are:

• Animated short film
• Casting
• Cinematography
• Documentary feature film
• Documentary short film
• International feature film
• Live-action short film
• Makeup and hairstyling
• Music (original score)
• Music (original song)
• Sound
• Visual effects

The final results of this preliminary voting are announced via global livestream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, ABC’s Good Morning America, ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu.

The winners of the final voting process are also announced live on the Oscars broadcast on ABC and streamed live on Hulu.

The biggest prize of the night, The Best Picture, has an exclusive round of balloting called a preferential ballot. Once the final nominations are in, voters are asked to rank the nominees from most to least favourite.​

If a film gets more than 50% of the ‘number one’ votes, then it is automatically considered the winner. The rest of the winners are chosen on one simple rule: one vote per category.

What makes the film “Oscar-ready”?​

As per Britannica, a film is eligible for consideration as an Oscar nomination if it has a successful theatrical run, possesses a strong artistic merit, has powerful storytelling, compelling performances, high-quality cinematography, convincing narrative that resonates with the audience emotionally and intellectually.

Distribution timing is also a highlight factor for making a film an Oscar contender. It is a well-established assumption that fall/winter releases, between October and December, are more likely to be favoured as Oscar entrants.​

Also, it becomes an auspicious time for a film to be Oscar-ready if its themes resonate with the current social or cultural climate. For example, Bugonia (2025) could fit in this category as it tackles broad, provocative themes like corporate greed/abuse, conspiracy paranoia, existential dread, and societal collapse that resonate with contemporary anxieties.

Films reflecting thematically on “universal human experiences”  are often seen as “Oscar bait” as the movie’s themes echo what society is currently discussing, questioning, or struggling with. It naturally attracts attention from Academy voters.

Who is involved in the process of choosing Oscar film nominations?

According to Vanity Fair, a massive group of industry professionals, comprising more than 10,000 members, chooses the Academy Awards. Out of these, 9,500 voters are given the right to vote for the final Oscar nominees, and their eligibility is established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

A change in the number of voters is noted over the past decade since the recent changes in voting rules have invited more women, people of colour, and diverse and young filmmakers from all over the globe.

There is a high chance that a person who has previously been nominated for an Oscar will be included in this list of voters. However, some famous names do have the right to decline the invitation, such as Sinners (2025) director Ryan Coogler.  ​

This huge membership is divided into 19 branches of film artists involved in theatrical production and motion picture. For example, if there is a category of Best Director in the Oscars, then branches of casting directors, executives, producers, marketing, and public relations are all connected to it.

The members of the acting category are by far the largest number, which is 1,300.

On what factors are they voted?

​Voters are encouraged to base their decisions on the artistic and technical merit of each category’s achievements. The common considerations are:​

• Quality of craft, such as in editing, design, sound, cinematography, writing, direction, etc.
• Originality and impact that demonstrate the novelty and artistic value of the film
• Personal preference, since some of the members might like to “follow their hearts” and vote for a film or direction that they genuinely liked or were moved by
• Industry buzz/ campaigning as aggressive campaigning might influence voters’ decisions to consider a film for the final nomination. It could be done via screenings, Q&As, and award season events. Critics’ Circle Awards, Gotham Awards, Indie Spirits, and Guild Awards are also key predictors and validators of how strongly the film can be positioned as an Oscar nominee.

The final ballot: How winners are chosen after nominations​

The final ballot is also a secret online ballot whose results are only known by two partners before the live announcement. This tactic ensures accuracy and confidentiality.

Using plurality voting (most votes wins) for several categories, the Best Picture is finalised via tabulation from an independent accounting firm.

Recent changes to the voting rules

One of the most recent changes to Oscar voting rules, announced in April 2025 for the 98th Academy Awards, is that all voting members must watch ‘all’ nominated films in a category to be eligible to vote for it.

The ballot for the final voting will only unlock for members who have verified they have watched all the films in a given category. This requirement applies to all 24 competitive Oscar categories.​

The aim is to avoid “coattail voting”, where voters often overlook deserving performances compared to the nominee’s buzz, reputation, or familiarity. In this way, more informed voting is enabled.​

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Do the Oscars impact the film industry?

Winning an Oscar, or even being nominated for one, can boost an artist’s career. It can significantly increase their next box office revenue, influence production trends, and shape the industry standards for artistic excellence in the coming times.

A film winning the Best Cinematography award transforms the way other cinematographers see the winner, on what factors the winning film outshone the others, and how the nominees and the rest of the world should adopt these techniques so that more valuable and visible film is made.​

Oscars help in shaping trends and setting standards. Oscar wins, and nominations mirror the societal values and trends of their time, manifesting the cultural dominance of the audience who connect with them, and above all, celebrating phenomenonal storytelling.