Oscars 2023: Know who votes for winners, how members are selected and more

Despite predictions and speculation, the winners are ultimately unpredictable. Following the ceremony, there is always a buzz of discussion on social media platforms, such as Twitter.

Before you celebrate or commemorate your favorite’s success or loss, it’s essential to understand the Academy’s voting system and its members. Who exactly is the Academy? Who comprises this seemingly all-powerful organization whose approval is the ultimate accolade in Hollywood? There’s an answer to every question striking your mind.

There was a time when the majority of Oscar voters were white men, with a 2014 survey by The Los Angeles Times revealing that 76 per cent were male, and 94 per cent were white, with an average age of 63. However, after facing criticism for a lack of diversity, the Academy announced plans to double the number of women and ethnically diverse members by 2020.

In 2021, the Academy invited 395 new members, 46 per cent of whom were women, and 39 per cent were people of color. Currently, 33 per cent of the Academy’s overall members identify as women, and 19 per cent are from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities.

The Academy has over 10,000 members, with approximately 9,500 eligible to vote for the Oscars. While the organization has made progress in diversifying its membership in recent years, growth has slowed down after achieving its 2020 target.

To get an Oscar nomination, one needs to secure votes from members in their specific category’s voting branch. The number of votes required depends on the size of the branch, with the largest being for Best Picture and the four acting categories, which require over 100 votes. Collegiate voting can explain why a Best Film nominee may not get a Best Director nod and vice versa. PwC uses a complex weighting system to determine the five nominees for each category. After nominations, all members can vote for the winner, with some categories requiring members to see all nominees before voting. Best Picture is determined by members ranking their choices in order of preference, with PwC tallying number-one choices.

If a movie earns more than 50 per cent of the vote – it wins – but if not, the movie with the lowest number of top spot votes is eliminated and those votes redistributed to the number-two choice. This process continues until a movie gains more than 50 per cent of the vote, and this system tends to favor less-controversial movies.

FAQs:

1. How to stream Oscars 2023?
   Via Sky Cinema Greats and Sky Showcase, starting 12 am, March 13
2. Where is the Oscars 2023 venue?
   Dolby Theatre, LA