Academy Award

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Trademark.

an annual award given to a performer, director, technician, etc., of the motion-picture industry for superior achievement in a specific category: judged by the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and symbolized by the presentation of an Oscar.

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Origin of Academy Award

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Words nearby Academy Award

Académie Goncourt, academism, academize, Academus, academy, Academy Award, Academy Awards, Academy, French, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy, Plato's, Acadia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

MORE ABOUT ACADEMY AWARD

What are the Academy Awards?

The Academy Awards is an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honor excellence in film.

The award presented during the ceremony—a statuette in the form of a gold-plated figure—is called an Academy Award. It is officially called the Academy Award of Merit but is popularly known as an Oscar.

The event itself is most commonly referred to as the Oscars (including in an official capacity by the Academy).

Winning an Academy Award is often considered the most prestigious honor in the film industry, and the ceremony is often seen as the premiere awards show event, known for being attended by many top celebrities in the film and entertainment industry.

Awards are presented in many different categories, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role, and Best Director.

When are the Academy Awards?

The Academy Awards traditionally occur each year in late February or early March.

More information and context on Academy Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was established in 1927 by prominent film industry members, including Louis B. Mayer and Douglas Fairbanks. The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The event was first fully televised in 1953.

The source of the nickname Oscar is thought to be Margaret Herrick, an Academy librarian and later its executive secretary. She is said to have nicknamed the award statuette Oscar in 1931 because it reminded her of her Uncle Oscar. The name started to be used in an official way by the Academy in 1939.

Since the first Academy Awards ceremony, many categories have been added, including those for film editing, music scoring, special effects, documentaries, foreign language films, and animated films. Academy Awards are now awarded in more than 20 categories. There is a separate award show for student films, called the Student Academy Awards.

Nominations for Academy Awards in most categories are made by active members of the Academy with a specialty in the field that relates to that category. For example, cinematographers make nominations in the category of cinematography. All voting members of the Academy can nominate for best picture. The nominations are then voted on by the entire voting body, and votes are tallied by a third party that keeps the results secret until the ceremony.

What are some terms that often get used in discussing the Academy Awards?

How are the Academy Awards discussed in real life?

The Academy Awards are most popularly referred to as the Oscars. Winning an Academy Award is widely considered the most prestigious honor in the film industry.

Chris Rock is doing an excellent job hosting the academy awards so far #Oscars

— Markist Deshawn (@iPRthingss) February 29, 2016

American costume designer Edith Head won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design. The character of Edna Mode from Pixar’s The Incredibles is rumoured to be based on Head and her contribution to fashion will never go forgotten #IWD2018 #NIFFSupportsWomenInFilm pic.twitter.com/7BeeSh3tSZ

— Newcastle International Film & TV Festival (@NewcastleFest) March 8, 2018

Give Lupita Nyongo a minimum of 15 minutes of uninterrupted airtime at every Academy Award ceremony #Oscars90

— Hugh McIntyre (@PopBangHugh) March 5, 2018

Try using Academy Awards!

True or False?

Academy Awards are nicknamed Oscars after Oscar Wilde.

How to use Academy Award in a sentence

The film is sort of a powerhouse of acting, with Gene Hackman, two-time Academy Award winner Dianne Wiest, and anchored by one of the biggest box-office stars of the time, Robin Williams.
‘The Birdcage’ turns 25|Brock Thompson|March 26, 2021|Washington Blade
Perhaps it’s not actually surprising that legendary actor Glenn Close got a Best Supporting Actress nomination—her eighth Academy Award nom ever—for an Oscar-bait adaptation of a bestselling memoir.
The Snubs, Surprises and History-Making Nods of the 2021 Oscar Nominations|Eliana Dockterman|March 15, 2021|Time
Although the performance earned her an Academy Award nomination, great film roles didn’t automatically tumble her way.
Cicely Tyson Didn't Just Open Doors—She Opened Whole Worlds|Stephanie Zacharek|January 29, 2021|Time
This is a one-of-a-kind program featuring performances by Academy Award-winning film composer Hans Zimmer, Israel Philharmonic Music Director Lahav Shani, and musicians of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Holiday musical productions go virtual|Patrick Folliard|November 25, 2020|Washington Blade

Emma Stone earned Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for her great performances in two very different films.
FROM THE VAULTS: Journeys to the LGBTQ past|Brian T. Carney|August 13, 2020|Washington Blade
Andy Serkis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Do you want to be on the wrong side of history, Academy?
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’|Marlow Stern|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But I had won the British Award, Best Foreign Actor, so I went.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He spoke of the present-day tragedies and turmoil that struck the city while he and his classmates were in the academy.
Cop Families Boo De Blasio at NYPD Graduation|Michael Daly|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From Ann Coulter on Ebola to evangelicals on climate change, 2014 was full of award-worthy science denialism.
2014: Revenge of the Creationists|Karl W. Giberson|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ramos just missed being called for one police academy class.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The collection in the Academy I thought much better, but still far enough behind similar galleries in Rome.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
He was distinguished as an oriental scholar, and died while delivering an oration at the academy of Caen.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
I issued my award, with the usual result that while each party was fairly well pleased neither was altogether satisfied.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
These men composed a self-constituted tribunal to award life or instant death to those brought before them.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
Ladies and gentlemen, he falteringly said, Signor Diotti left his hotel at seven oclock and was driven to the Academy.
The Fifth String |John Philip Sousa

British Dictionary definitions for Academy Award

Academy Award

noun

the official name for an Oscar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012