The Oscars will add Academy Award for casting directors in 2026
This is the first new category since 2001!
Casting directors are some of the most important creatives in entertainment but have never been celebrated as such on Hollywood’s biggest night. Starting next year, however, that all changes.
The Oscars will add a new award to recognize achievement in casting for films released in 2025 and beyond, the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Thursday.
Not counting the short-lived “ popular film Oscar ” which never came to be, this is the first time the academy has added a category since best animated feature film was established in 2001.
The first statuette will be given out at the 98th Academy Awards in 2026.
Casting directors, and stunt performers, have long lobbied for an Oscar category to recognize their specific contributions to film. But for now, the stunts will have to wait.
