The submission deadline for similar devices or claims of innovation has passed. Here is a list of investigations that have been launched for the 2023 season.
We look forward to honoring those individuals and the companies whose discoveries and innovations have contributed in significant and lasting ways to motion pictures during the Scientific and Technical Awards presented on Friday, February 23, 2023, in Los Angeles, California.
If you have any questions regarding the awards process, please contact the Scientific and Technical Awards office at scitech@oscars.org.
1. Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievement shall be made by the Academy Board of Governors upon recommendation of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. Awards may be given for devices, methods, formulas, discoveries or inventions of special and outstanding value to the motion picture arts and sciences.
2. Except in extraordinary circumstances, no awards shall be given posthumously. No awards shall be given where all recipients are deceased. No Academy Award of Merit may be given posthumously.
3. The Academy President shall appoint outstanding representatives of the motion picture and technical fields to serve on the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. The committee will be dissolved upon the completion of its annual term.
4. To avoid conflicts of interest, individuals directly involved with any achievement under awards consideration shall not participate on the awards committee and its advisory groups. Further, members of the committee and its advisory groups who have a personal connection with any achievement shall not be present during deliberation and shall abstain from voting on the achievement. Finally, individuals who work at the same organization as a potential award recipient but who are not associated with the achievement may participate but shall abstain from voting on the achievement.
5. Awards for scientific and technical achievement may be granted in any of the following three classifications:
ACADEMY AWARD OF MERIT
(Academy Statuette)
For those achievements that have an extraordinary influence upon the advancement of the motion picture arts and sciences.
SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING AWARD
(Academy Plaque)
For those achievements that exhibit a high level of engineering and are important to the progress of the motion picture arts and sciences.
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
(Academy Certificate)
For those achievements that sufficiently contribute to the progress of the motion picture arts and sciences.
6. The committee shall familiarize itself with all motion picture scientific and technical achievements of the current Awards year. To assist the committee, an official public announcement will be made, and requests shall be sent to individuals and organizations engaged in scientific and technical developments for motion pictures, inviting them to submit any information they may have regarding achievements that may have been developed within their own or in any other organizations.
7. A list of all areas of potential achievements under consideration shall be widely publicized to permit anyone with claims of prior or relevant invention, or of achievements similar to those under consideration, to bring them to the attention of the committee.
8. In evaluating the submitted achievements, the committee shall strive to seek out other items similar to those being considered for awards. If such items are discovered, they may be considered on an equal basis.
9. The committee shall then conduct a series of meetings and examinations and shall arrange for such demonstrations as are necessary to evaluate the achievements properly and make recommendations for action by the Board of Governors.
10. The committee may appoint advisory groups for each technical classification in which there are achievements to be considered. The chair of each advisory group shall be one of the members of the advisory group and shall conduct its meetings and discussions.
11. Each advisory group shall consider all achievements in its field. The advisory groups shall evaluate those achievements and forward their conclusions to the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee in the form of a written report prepared by the respective advisory group chairs.
12. All voting by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee shall be done by secret ballot. All decisions as to award recommendations and classifications shall require a two-thirds majority vote of those attending and not abstaining.
13. The committee shall carefully evaluate all information regarding the actual authorship of each achievement being considered for an award and shall, at its sole discretion, identify the individual(s) and/or organization(s) to be recognized. The committee shall recommend to the Board of Governors the person(s) and/or organization(s) to whom an award shall be made, the classification of award and the text thereof.
14. In recommending awards, the committee will judge to the best of its ability the scientific and technical merits of the achievements, but does not warrant that the person or persons who are named on the award be responsible for the origin or development of the entire achievement.
15. Full claim for originality and development of each achievement must be established to the satisfaction of the committee. If any controversy should arise as to the origin or authorship of an achievement, the committee may request that the Board of Governors postpone action until proper credit is established.
16. It shall be within the discretion of the committee to recommend that no awards be given.
17. It shall be within the discretion of the committee, to review any Academy Award conferred for scientific and technical achievement to determine subsequent to the granting of such award whether the classification of such achievement should be elevated by reason of its contribution to the motion picture arts and sciences, and to recommend elevation in classification to the Academy Board of Governors.
18. Such other rules as may be considered necessary for the proper conduct of these awards shall be adopted by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee, subject to the approval of the Board of Governors.
Since 1930/31 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has honored artisans and science and technology professionals whose work in related industries has enabled motion picture production to advance in significant ways. Scientific and technical awards recognize original inventions and applications that result in expanded production capabilities, improved workflows, cost reductions, and other important benefits.
Any device, method, formula, discovery, or invention of special and outstanding value to the art and science of motion pictures can be considered for recognition. An invention repurposed from another industry cannot qualify for an award unless a vast proportion of its development was specific to motion pictures. The submission and evaluation processes have undergone careful refinement over the decades and are reviewed annually alongside the Awards rules.
The Committee
Each year the Academy president appoints a committee chair who invites and organizes experts across several fields. This Scientific and Technical Awards Committee represents cinematography (production and technical), digital imaging, electronics and research, film and laboratory processes, lighting and equipment, mechanical or optical effects and engineering, production, projection, exhibition techniques, and sound.
Collecting Submissions
Individuals and companies involved with filmmaking tools and techniques are contacted with requests for information about any new devices or methods that are being used in motion picture production. Submissions must be made electronically on Oscars.org/Submissions before the deadline.
The submissions are numbered and forwarded to each of the committee members. The committee then researches and debates each submission.
The Selection Process
We look forward to announcing the scientific and technical investigation focus areas that are under consideration by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. The list will be made public to allow those with similar devices (or claims of invention) within those particular areas the opportunity to submit achievements for awards consideration.
If you have any questions regarding the awards process, please contact the Scientific and Technical Awards office at scitech@oscars.org.
The Scientific and Technical Awards Committee discusses the merits of each submission. Does it meet the criteria outlined in the rules? Is the item new to the industry, or an improvement over an existing one? How widely is it being used?
If all the eligibility criteria are met, the applicant may be invited to make an informative Keynote or PowerPoint presentation to the committee. If similar items are already available in the motion picture industry (but have not been submitted), their manufacturers also may be invited to participate. If an item cannot be properly presented in such a setting, a surrogate may be assigned to conduct an on-site or other evaluation. In other cases, subcommittees may be created to do more in-depth research. At the conclusion of their investigations, all surrogates and subcommittees present their findings to the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee.
Only substantially qualified submissions are carried forward beyond the initial meeting. If the committee decides that an item’s impact on the industry is not yet clear, the submission may be tabled for evaluation at a later date. If an initially rejected item subsequently sees significant improvement or advancement, it may be resubmitted in a future Awards year.
Written evaluations are compiled and distributed to all Scientific and Technical Awards Committee members and the Academy’s Board of Governors.
The committee then votes, item by item, to decide whether an award should be recommended and at what level of recognition. The committee’s recommendations are sent to the Academy’s Board of Governors for final award approval.
The Awards
Awards for scientific and technical achievement are given at three levels. No more than five award recipients may be recognized for any single submission.
- A Technical Achievement Award recognizes an achievement that contributes to the progress of the motion picture arts and sciences. Certificates are printed with a description of the achievement and the name of each individual significantly involved in its development.
- A Scientific and Engineering Award recognizes an achievement that has exhibited a high level of engineering and is vital to the progress of the motion picture arts and sciences. Bronze plaques with a representation of the Oscar statuette are engraved with a description of the achievement and the name of each contributor.
- An Academy Award of Merit – an Oscar statuette – recognizes an achievement that has had an extraordinary influence upon the advancement of the motion picture arts and sciences. This award is generally reserved for achievements that have changed the course of filmmaking since their introduction. Gold plates are engraved with a description of the achievement and the name of each contributor, and are affixed to the base of each statuette.
Gordon E. Sawyer, the former head of the sound department at Samuel Goldwyn Studios and a member of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee from 1936 to 1977, asserted that the records represent a history of the development of motion pictures. After his death, a special award was established in his name to recognize an individual whose technological contributions have brought credit to the motion picture industry. Recommendations for this award are made through the Special Awards Review Subcommittee.
Records of past awards, arranged both chronologically and by category, are available at www.oscars.org/sci-tech/ceremonies.
Scientific and Technical Awards are presented at an annual formal dinner ceremony. It is a stand-alone event – separate from the televised Oscars – by the design of the committee and the Academy Board of Governors.
The event is recorded, and portions are edited and included on Oscars.org.
1. Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievement shall be made by the Academy Board of Governors upon recommendation of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. Awards may be given for devices, methods, formulas, discoveries or inventions of special and outstanding value to the motion picture arts and sciences.
2. Except in extraordinary circumstances, no awards shall be given posthumously. No awards shall be given where all recipients are deceased. No Academy Award of Merit may be given posthumously.
3. The Academy President shall appoint outstanding representatives of the motion picture and technical fields to serve on the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. The committee will be dissolved upon the completion of its annual term.
4. To avoid conflicts of interest, individuals directly involved with any achievement under awards consideration shall not participate on the awards committee and its advisory groups. Further, members of the committee and its advisory groups who have a personal connection with any achievement shall not be present during deliberation and shall abstain from voting on the achievement. Finally, individuals who work at the same organization as a potential award recipient but who are not associated with the achievement may participate but shall abstain from voting on the achievement.
5. Awards for scientific and technical achievement may be granted in any of the following three classifications:
ACADEMY AWARD OF MERIT
(Academy Statuette)
For those achievements that have an extraordinary influence upon the advancement of the motion picture arts and sciences.
SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING AWARD
(Academy Plaque)
For those achievements that exhibit a high level of engineering and are important to the progress of the motion picture arts and sciences.
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
(Academy Certificate)
For those achievements that sufficiently contribute to the progress of the motion picture arts and sciences.
6. The committee shall familiarize itself with all motion picture scientific and technical achievements of the current Awards year. To assist the committee, an official public announcement will be made, and requests shall be sent to individuals and organizations engaged in scientific and technical developments for motion pictures, inviting them to submit any information they may have regarding achievements that may have been developed within their own or in any other organizations.
7. A list of all areas of potential achievements under consideration shall be widely publicized to permit anyone with claims of prior or relevant invention, or of achievements similar to those under consideration, to bring them to the attention of the committee.
8. In evaluating the submitted achievements, the committee shall strive to seek out other items similar to those being considered for awards. If such items are discovered, they may be considered on an equal basis.
9. The committee shall then conduct a series of meetings and examinations and shall arrange for such demonstrations as are necessary to evaluate the achievements properly and make recommendations for action by the Board of Governors.
10. The committee may appoint advisory groups for each technical classification in which there are achievements to be considered. The chair of each advisory group shall be one of the members of the advisory group and shall conduct its meetings and discussions.
11. Each advisory group shall consider all achievements in its field. The advisory groups shall evaluate those achievements and forward their conclusions to the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee in the form of a written report prepared by the respective advisory group chairs.
12. All voting by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee shall be done by secret ballot. All decisions as to award recommendations and classifications shall require a two-thirds majority vote of those attending and not abstaining.
13. The committee shall carefully evaluate all information regarding the actual authorship of each achievement being considered for an award and shall, at its sole discretion, identify the individual(s) and/or organization(s) to be recognized. The committee shall recommend to the Board of Governors the person(s) and/or organization(s) to whom an award shall be made, the classification of award and the text thereof.
14. In recommending awards, the committee will judge to the best of its ability the scientific and technical merits of the achievements, but does not warrant that the person or persons who are named on the award be responsible for the origin or development of the entire achievement.
15. Full claim for originality and development of each achievement must be established to the satisfaction of the committee. If any controversy should arise as to the origin or authorship of an achievement, the committee may request that the Board of Governors postpone action until proper credit is established.
16. It shall be within the discretion of the committee to recommend that no awards be given.
17. It shall be within the discretion of the committee, to review any Academy Award conferred for scientific and technical achievement to determine subsequent to the granting of such award whether the classification of such achievement should be elevated by reason of its contribution to the motion picture arts and sciences, and to recommend elevation in classification to the Academy Board of Governors.
18. Such other rules as may be considered necessary for the proper conduct of these awards shall be adopted by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee, subject to the approval of the Board of Governors.
Since 1930/31 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has honored artisans and science and technology professionals whose work in related industries has enabled motion picture production to advance in significant ways. Scientific and technical awards recognize original inventions and applications that result in expanded production capabilities, improved workflows, cost reductions, and other important benefits.
Any device, method, formula, discovery, or invention of special and outstanding value to the art and science of motion pictures can be considered for recognition. An invention repurposed from another industry cannot qualify for an award unless a vast proportion of its development was specific to motion pictures. The submission and evaluation processes have undergone careful refinement over the decades and are reviewed annually alongside the Awards rules.
The Committee
Each year the Academy president appoints a committee chair who invites and organizes experts across several fields. This Scientific and Technical Awards Committee represents cinematography (production and technical), digital imaging, electronics and research, film and laboratory processes, lighting and equipment, mechanical or optical effects and engineering, production, projection, exhibition techniques, and sound.
Collecting Submissions
Individuals and companies involved with filmmaking tools and techniques are contacted with requests for information about any new devices or methods that are being used in motion picture production. Submissions must be made electronically on Oscars.org/Submissions before the deadline.
The submissions are numbered and forwarded to each of the committee members. The committee then researches and debates each submission.
The Selection Process
We look forward to announcing the scientific and technical investigation focus areas that are under consideration by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. The list will be made public to allow those with similar devices (or claims of invention) within those particular areas the opportunity to submit achievements for awards consideration.
If you have any questions regarding the awards process, please contact the Scientific and Technical Awards office at scitech@oscars.org.
The Scientific and Technical Awards Committee discusses the merits of each submission. Does it meet the criteria outlined in the rules? Is the item new to the industry, or an improvement over an existing one? How widely is it being used?
If all the eligibility criteria are met, the applicant may be invited to make an informative Keynote or PowerPoint presentation to the committee. If similar items are already available in the motion picture industry (but have not been submitted), their manufacturers also may be invited to participate. If an item cannot be properly presented in such a setting, a surrogate may be assigned to conduct an on-site or other evaluation. In other cases, subcommittees may be created to do more in-depth research. At the conclusion of their investigations, all surrogates and subcommittees present their findings to the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee.
Only substantially qualified submissions are carried forward beyond the initial meeting. If the committee decides that an item’s impact on the industry is not yet clear, the submission may be tabled for evaluation at a later date. If an initially rejected item subsequently sees significant improvement or advancement, it may be resubmitted in a future Awards year.
Written evaluations are compiled and distributed to all Scientific and Technical Awards Committee members and the Academy’s Board of Governors.
The committee then votes, item by item, to decide whether an award should be recommended and at what level of recognition. The committee’s recommendations are sent to the Academy’s Board of Governors for final award approval.
The Awards
Awards for scientific and technical achievement are given at three levels. No more than five award recipients may be recognized for any single submission.
- A Technical Achievement Award recognizes an achievement that contributes to the progress of the motion picture arts and sciences. Certificates are printed with a description of the achievement and the name of each individual significantly involved in its development.
- A Scientific and Engineering Award recognizes an achievement that has exhibited a high level of engineering and is vital to the progress of the motion picture arts and sciences. Bronze plaques with a representation of the Oscar statuette are engraved with a description of the achievement and the name of each contributor.
- An Academy Award of Merit – an Oscar statuette – recognizes an achievement that has had an extraordinary influence upon the advancement of the motion picture arts and sciences. This award is generally reserved for achievements that have changed the course of filmmaking since their introduction. Gold plates are engraved with a description of the achievement and the name of each contributor, and are affixed to the base of each statuette.
Gordon E. Sawyer, the former head of the sound department at Samuel Goldwyn Studios and a member of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee from 1936 to 1977, asserted that the records represent a history of the development of motion pictures. After his death, a special award was established in his name to recognize an individual whose technological contributions have brought credit to the motion picture industry. Recommendations for this award are made through the Special Awards Review Subcommittee.
Records of past awards, arranged both chronologically and by category, are available at www.oscars.org/sci-tech/ceremonies.
Scientific and Technical Awards are presented at an annual formal dinner ceremony. It is a stand-alone event – separate from the televised Oscars – by the design of the committee and the Academy Board of Governors.
The event is recorded, and portions are edited and included on Oscars.org.