Need to practice your Academy Awards Trivia? This is the place to do it.
We have answers to all of your questions: Why is it called “The Oscar”? How are Oscar statuettes made? How did the Oscars start? Have the Oscar winners always been a secret? What category changes have been made to the Oscars? Who votes for the Oscars? What are the different branches of the Academy? And why is your blog named The Gold Knight? Find all the answers below…
The statuette
Number of statuettes presented to date: 3,290*
Manufacturing Time: 3 months for 50 statuettes
Manufacturer: Polich Tallix (Brooklyn, NY)
How Oscars are made:
Since 2016, the iconic statuettes are made in New York at Polich Tallix. Watch the video:
1st Academy Awards
Keeping the winners secret
At the 1st Academy Awards, winners were announced three month prior to the ceremony. The following year, the Academy kept the results secret, but it gave the names of the winners to newspapers in advance — for publication after the awards. The Los Angeles Times, however, broke the embargo placed on the winning names in 1940 and published the list before the ceremony. The Academy then changed its policy the next year and the sealed-envelope system was born.
A delayed ceremony
The ceremony has only been five times since the Academy Awards inception more than 90 years ago:
Category changes
Since the creation of the Oscars, names of categories have been changed, with some being dropped all together. The most recent name change came in June of 2020, for the 93rd Oscars, when Sound Mixing and Sound Editing, have been combined into one award for Best Achievement in Sound.
In the summer of 2020, The Academy invited 819 from 68 countries to join its ranks. Read more about invitations over the years. The Academy annually announces those invited to join its ranks in mid to late June.
The branches
The five original branches of the Academy (as represented in the Oscar statuette’s design) were actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers.
Today, there are 19 branches – actors, animators and short film makers, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, composers and songwriters, designers (formerly art directors), directors, documentary filmmakers, executives, film editors, key technical and production positions, makeup artists and hairstylists, producers, marketing and public relations specialists, sound artists and engineers, visual effects experts and writers. The largest group is the Actors Branch.
The nonprofit organization's Board of Governors announced in July 2013 the creation of a 17th branch: the Casting Directors Branch. Casting directors have typically been invited to join the Academy Members-at-Large during the past 30 years.
We have answers to all of your questions: Why is it called “The Oscar”? How are Oscar statuettes made? How did the Oscars start? Have the Oscar winners always been a secret? What category changes have been made to the Oscars? Who votes for the Oscars? What are the different branches of the Academy? And why is your blog named The Gold Knight? Find all the answers below…
The statuette
Number of statuettes presented to date: 3,290*
Manufacturing Time: 3 months for 50 statuettes
Manufacturer: Polich Tallix (Brooklyn, NY)
Officially named the Academy Award of Merit, the statuette is better known by its nickname, Oscar. While the origins of the moniker aren’t clear, a popular story has it that upon seeing the trophy for the first time, Academy librarian (and eventual executive director) Margaret Herrick remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar. The Academy didn’t adopt the nickname officially until 1939, but it was widely known enough by 1934 that Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used it in a piece referring to Katharine Hepburn’s first Best Actress win. – The Academy*As of 2021
How Oscars are made:
Since 2016, the iconic statuettes are made in New York at Polich Tallix. Watch the video:
1st Academy Awards
- Date: May 16, 1929
- Location: Blossom Room, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, down the street from today's venue, the Dolby Theatre
- In attendance: 270 people
- Guest ticket price: $5
- Academy President Douglas Fairbanks handed out the statuettes
- 15 statuettes were awarded for cinematic achievements in 1927 and 1928
- First Best Actor winner: German tragedian Emil Jannings. He returned to Europe before the ceremony and requested to receive the trophy early, making his statuette the very first Academy Award ever presented
Keeping the winners secret
At the 1st Academy Awards, winners were announced three month prior to the ceremony. The following year, the Academy kept the results secret, but it gave the names of the winners to newspapers in advance — for publication after the awards. The Los Angeles Times, however, broke the embargo placed on the winning names in 1940 and published the list before the ceremony. The Academy then changed its policy the next year and the sealed-envelope system was born.
A delayed ceremony
The ceremony has only been five times since the Academy Awards inception more than 90 years ago:
- 1938: Massive flooding in Los Angeles delayed the ceremony a week
- 1968: Postponed April 8-10, out of respect for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated April 4 and whose funeral was held April 9
- 1981: Postponed for 24 hours because of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan
- 2003: The ceremony was not delayed, but the red carpet was limited — no fans or press — because of U.S. forces invading Iraq on the Thursday before the telecast
- 2021: The ceremony was delayed because of the ongoing global pandemic
Oscars Database
Search for winners and nominees from the Academy Awards from the very beginning. See what film won and when. We also have a searchable table with ceremony history, Best Picture winners, hosts and dates. Check out our Oscars Database.
Search for winners and nominees from the Academy Awards from the very beginning. See what film won and when. We also have a searchable table with ceremony history, Best Picture winners, hosts and dates. Check out our Oscars Database.
Set Design Archive
Take a look back with us for a visual history of the set designs at the Dolby Theatre.
Take a look back with us for a visual history of the set designs at the Dolby Theatre.
Category changes
Since the creation of the Oscars, names of categories have been changed, with some being dropped all together. The most recent name change came in June of 2020, for the 93rd Oscars, when Sound Mixing and Sound Editing, have been combined into one award for Best Achievement in Sound.
The Academy announced in 2019 that it would change the Foreign Language Film category name to International Feature Film.
Other changes include in August of 2012, upon a recommendation from the Designers Branch (formerly known as the Art Directors Branch), the Art Direction award changed its name to Production Design. That same year, in June of 2012, the makeup category was changed to Makeup and Hairstyling.
In February 2024, the Board of Governors announced the creation of an annual competitive Academy Award for Achievement in Casting, beginning with the 98th Academy Awards for films released in 2025. The last new award category created was Best Animated Feature Film, established in 2001. This change will return the lineup of categories back to 24, since the Sound categories were combined for the 2021 Oscars.
Voting membershipAs of January 2024, there were 9,797 voting members of The Academy (up 218 over last year).
Last January, there were 9,579 voting members.
Voting membershipAs of January 2024, there were 9,797 voting members of The Academy (up 218 over last year).
Last January, there were 9,579 voting members.
Historically:
- 2024: 9,797 voting members
- 2023: 9,579 voting members
- 2022: 9,487 voting members
- 2021: 9,300 voting members
- 2020: 8,469 voting members
- 2019: 7,902 voting members
- 2018: 7,258 voting members
- 2017: 6,687 voting members
- 2016: 6,261 voting members
There were 6,961 members as of December 2014; however, not all members can vote. Those invited to join the Academy as Associate members are not represented on the Board and do not have Academy Awards voting privileges.
In the summer of 2020, The Academy invited 819 from 68 countries to join its ranks. Read more about invitations over the years. The Academy annually announces those invited to join its ranks in mid to late June.
The branches
The five original branches of the Academy (as represented in the Oscar statuette’s design) were actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers.
Today, there are 19 branches – actors, animators and short film makers, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, composers and songwriters, designers (formerly art directors), directors, documentary filmmakers, executives, film editors, key technical and production positions, makeup artists and hairstylists, producers, marketing and public relations specialists, sound artists and engineers, visual effects experts and writers. The largest group is the Actors Branch.
The 16th branch to be created was the Costume Designers Branch, announced in January of 2013. They had previously been a part of the Designers Branch, which also includes production designers, art directors and set decorators. Before that, the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch was the most recent branch to be created, in 2006.
Ten years later, in March 2023, the Board of Governors announced the creation of the Production and Technology Branch, comprising approximately 400 individuals previously classified as Members-at-Large. The new branch represents members working in key technical and production positions in all phases of filmmaking, from pre- to post-production. One branch member was elected to the Board for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
In February 2024, the Board of Governors voted to make the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch two distinct branches, the Animation Branch and the Short Films Branch. The Animation Branch represents approximately 700 Academy members working within every aspect of the animation industry. The branch will have two governor representatives on the Board of Governors and oversee the Animated Feature Film and Animated Short Film awards. The Short Films Branch comprises more than 200 Academy members whose artistic work encompasses both narrative and nonfiction short filmmaking. The branch will have one governor representative on the Board of Governors to be elected for a term starting in the 2024-2025 fiscal year and oversee the Live Action Short Film award.
The Academy now comprises 19 branches representing all facets of the film industry. The Board of Governors has 55 members.
Officers (2023-2024):
- President: Janet Yang
- Vice President: Bonnie Arnold
- Vice President: Howard Berger
- Vice President: Brooke Breton
- Vice President/Treasurer: Tom Duffield
- Vice President: DeVon Franklin
- Vice President: Lynette Howell Taylor
- Vice President/Secretary: Howard A. Rodman
- Vice President: Kim Taylor-Coleman
- CEO: Bill Kramer
Here is the breakdown, as of Dec. 18, 2023 (with membership change since early 2023):
Source of numbers: The Wrap | Source of Governors: The Academy
About TheGoldKnight.com
Our blog's name was derived from the description of the Oscar statuette — “A knight holding a crusader’s sword, standing on a reel of film.” The poster for the 74th Academy Awards also served as the perfect inspiration. Thus, TheGoldKnight.com was born.
Updated: June 13, 2024
Actors Branch: 1,294 members (-8, from 2023) Casting Directors Branch: 158 members (+4) Cinematographers Branch: 293 members (+3) Costume Designers Branch: 172 members (+3) Directors Branch: 587 members (+14) Documentary Branch: 680 members (+32) Executives Branch: 740 members (+46) Film Editors Branch: 377 members (+1) Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch: 242 members (+6) Marketing and Public Relations Branch: 630 members (+16) Music Branch: 394 members (+6) Producers Branch: 652 members (+4) Production and Technology Branch: 378 members (new branch) | Production Design Branch: 403 members (+13) Includes art directors, production designers and set decorators Short Films and Feature Animation Branch: 888 members (+21) Sound Branch: 556 members (+7) Visual Effects Branch: 637 members (+22) Writers Branch: 522 members (+12) Members-At-Large: 194 members (-362) Total Voting Members: 9,797 (+218) Associate Members*: 43 members (-38) Includes talent agents and those who may not fit into a specific branch Emeritus (Retired) Members*: 932 members (-1) Total Active Members: 9,840 (+932 retired) = 10,772 (+179) *Non-Oscar-voting members |
Source of numbers: The Wrap | Source of Governors: The Academy
About TheGoldKnight.com
Our blog's name was derived from the description of the Oscar statuette — “A knight holding a crusader’s sword, standing on a reel of film.” The poster for the 74th Academy Awards also served as the perfect inspiration. Thus, TheGoldKnight.com was born.
Updated: June 13, 2024
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