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Wondering who decides who wins Oscars? Here’s your answer

By Ryan Mekkes

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 05: Oscar nominees including Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, Gary Oldman, Timothee Chalamet, Daniel Kaluuya, Sally Hawkins, Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, Greta Gerwig, Meryl Streep, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Sam Rockwell, Kobe Bryant, Mary J. Blige, Allison Janney, Laurie Metcalf, Jordan Peele, and Octavia Spencer attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards Nominee Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 5, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - FEBRUARY 05: Oscar nominees including Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, Gary Oldman, Timothee Chalamet, Daniel Kaluuya, Sally Hawkins, Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, Greta Gerwig, Meryl Streep, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Sam Rockwell, Kobe Bryant, Mary J. Blige, Allison Janney, Laurie Metcalf, Jordan Peele, and Octavia Spencer attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards Nominee Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 5, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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Many people around this time of year start to wonder who decides the winners of the Academy Awards that mean so much to those in the film industry. These are the people who decide the winners of the Oscars.

More from Oscars

Unlike the People’s Choice awards, which are decided by the public, Academy Awards (otherwise known as Oscars) are given by a select group of people in the film industry. Many of your favorite actors and directors are likely a part of this group of voting industry professionals known as The Academy.

For example, some new members of The Academy as of 2017 include actors such as Dwayne Johnson, Kristen Stewart, Phylicia Rashad, Channing Tatum, Chris Pratt, and Wanda Sykes. The Academy is comprised of a group of around 8,500 such industry professionals per Deadline.

Membership to The Academy

Eligibility for membership to The Academy, according to the official website of the Academy Awards, is reserved for “film artists working in the production of theatrically-released motion pictures.” To be accepted, candidates must also have two sponsors who are current members of The Academy unless the aspiring member has already won an academy award, in which case sponsorship is deemed unnecessary. The board then has the final say and must approve membership for an individual to be accepted.

HOLLYWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 26: Actor Dwayne Johnson onstage during the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood
HOLLYWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 26: Actor Dwayne Johnson onstage during the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood /

There are 17 categories of Academy membership. These 17 categories encompass almost every aspect of the film-making process from acting, to costume design, to cinematography and almost everything in between.

Voting for Academy Award winners

For the most part, when it comes to deciding on Oscar nominees, members of The Academy vote on candidates in their specific category of expertise out of the 17. The biggest exception to this rule is in the voting for Best Picture, which all eligible members can select. Winners are later chosen from those nominees in an open category platform not restricted by a member’s specific niche.

Another fun fact is that not everyone is allowed to vote. People who are allowed to vote include  “active and life Academy members” per the official rules. And according to The Wrap, 7,258 members meet those standards this year.

All of this starting to make sense now? Essentially, the Oscars are awards given from colleagues to colleagues. As such, the event is highly regulated to avoid contamination of the outcome, since many of the nominees and Academy Award members know each other.

Next: Oscars 2018: The nominations that made us sit up and take notice

On March 4, 2018, the 90th Academy Awards will be held.

The full list of nominees for this year can be found here. Will Denzel Washington win? Will Saoirse Ronan win? Who do you think will take home Oscars this year?

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