The Academy Awards are adding a new category for the 2026 Oscars.
The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a new Oscars category on Thursday, which will be put in place starting with the 98th Academy Awards in 2026.
The Achievement in Casting Oscar will be the newest Academy Award added to the prestigious night since the introduction of the Best Animated Feature Film award in 2001. The Casting Directors Branch of the Academy was created in July 2013, and currently includes nearly 160 members.
“Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang in a press release. “We congratulate our Casting Directors Branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process.”
“On behalf of the members of the Casting Directors Branch, we’d like to thank the Board of Governors, the Awards Committee and Academy leadership for their support. This award is a deserved acknowledgment of our casting directors’ exceptional talents and a testament to the dedicated efforts of our branch,” said Academy Casting Directors Branch governors Richard Hicks, Kim Taylor-Coleman and Debra Zane.
Rules for eligibility and voting for the new category will be announced in April 2025.
The Casting Society of America has previously been recognized at the Artios Awards, and film casts have been awarded at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, with Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture being presented since 1995.
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