23rd Annual
ACADEMY AWARDS OF MERIT
For Achievements During 1950

VOTING RULES

ONE

The Awards Year

Academy Awards of Merit shall be bestowed for achievements in connection with motion pictures first publicly exhibited for paid admission (previews excluded) in the Los Angeles area, (defined as Los Angeles, West Los Angeles or Beverly Hills) between January 1, 1950 and midnight of December 31, 1950, such exhibition being for a consecutive run of not less than a week after an opening prior to midnight of December 31st, following normal exploitation and advertising utilized by the producer for his other pictures within the dates specified. Short subjects which qualify under Rule Eighteen and have been first publicly exhibited in a 35mm. theatre anywhere in the United States for any definite first paid play date during the aforesaid period shall be eligible for consideration for the Awards.

TWO

The Annual Awards

Subject to the inability of the Producer to comply herewith, every Award shall be conditioned upon the delivery to the Academy of one print of every film nominated for final balloting for all Academy Awards, and such print shall become the property of the Academy, with the proviso however, that the Academy shall not use such print for commercial gain. Such print shall be deposited with the Academy and, subject to matters not within its control, shall be screened by the Academy for the membership in advance of distribution of final ballots.

Awards of Merit in the form of gold statutettes [sic] shall be conferred for the following achievements:

ACTING:	For the best performance by an actor. For the best performance by an actor in a supporting role. For the best performance by an actress. For the best performance by an actress in a supporting role.
ART DIRECTION:	For the best achievement in art direction of a black-and-white production. For the best achievement in art direction of a color production. (The Academy plaque shall be given to the Set Decorators on the pictures which win the Art Direction Awards.)
CINEMATOGRAPHY:	For the best achievement in cinematography of a black-and-white production. For the best achievement in cinematography of a color production.
COSTUME DESIGN:	For the best achievement in costume design of a black-and-white production. For the best achievement in costume design of a color production.
DIRECTING:	For the best achievement in directing.
FILM EDITING:	For the best achievement in film editing.
MUSIC:	For the outstanding achievements in music in connection with motion pictures: (a) Best scoring of a musical picture. (b) Best music score of a dramatic or comedy picture. (c) Best original song.
PRODUCTION:	For the best motion picture.
SHORT SUBJECTS:	For the best achievement in each of three classifications: (a) Cartoons. (b) 1,000-foot subjects. (c) Subjects between 1,000 and 3,000 feet.
SOUND RECORDING:	For the best achievement by a studio sound department.
SPECIAL EFFECTS:	For the best achievement in special effects.
WRITING:	For the best motion picture story. For the best screenplay. For the best story and screenplay.

THREE

Other Awards

Not necessarily given each year.

1. Achievements or pictures eligible for Awards listed in Rule Two cannot qualify for Honorary Awards or Other Awards with the exception of the Documentary Awards, the Honorary Foreign Language Film Award and the Honorary Juvenile Award.
2. SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT: For a device, method, formula, discovery, or invention of special and outstanding value to the art or science of motion pictures, and actually employed in the motion picture industry during the Awards year. The Class I Award (Academy statuette) shall be conferred for those achievements which have a basic influence upon the industry; the Class II Award (Academy plaque) for those achievements which have a definite influence upon the industry, but merit recognition to a lesser degree than the Class I Award; the Class III Award (Certificate of Honorable Mention) for those accomplishments which are important to the progress of the industry. (See Rule Seventeen.)
3. IRVING G. THALBERG MEMORIAL AWARD (Thalberg head): Shall be given at such times as in the judgment of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences there is a deserving recipient, but not necessarily each year. It shall be given to the individual who has been responsible for the most consistent high quality of motion picture production for the current Awards year and the two preceding years. (See Rule Twenty-one.)
4. DOCUMENTARY ACHIEVEMENT (Statuette). For the best feature-length Documentary film and for the best Documentary Short Subject. (See Rule Twelve.)

FOUR

Honorary Awards

1. For outstanding achievements not strictly within the categories listed in Rules Two and Three. Honorary Awards shall only be given, however, for superlative and distinguished service in the making of motion pictures or for outstanding service to the Academy.
2. Achievements voted Honorary Awards may be in connection with foreign as well as domestic productions and are not limited to the Awards year. Achievements or pictures eligible for Awards listed in Rule Two cannot qualify for Honorary Awards with the exception of the Honorary Foreign Language Film Award and the Honorary Juvenile Award.
3. Honorary Awards shall be in such form as the Academy Board of Governors may decide.
4. HONORARY FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM AWARD (not necessarily given each year). This Award is intended to honor films made in a language other than English and first released in a commercial theatre in the United States during the Awards year. (See Rule Fourteen.)
5. HONORARY JUVENILE AWARD (not necessarily given each year). Shall be voted by the Academy Board of Governors for the most outstanding juvenile performance during the Awards year, when in the judgment of the Board of Governors there is a deserving recipient.

FIVE

General Rules

1. Final balloting on all achievements shall be restricted to active Academy members.
2. The established gold statuette trophy of the Academy shall be conferred for all achievements listed in Rule Two, for the Class I Scientific or Technical Awards, for the Documentary Awards, and for the Honorary Foreign Language Film Award. The Academy plaque shall be given to the Set Decorators on the pictures which win the Art Direction Awards and for the Class II Scientific or Technical Awards. The Thalberg head shall be given for the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Trophies to be given for all Honorary Awards shall be determined by the Academy Board of Governors.
3. Final voting for Awards shall be by secret ballot. Printed forms and ballots shall be supplied by the Academy and shall be returned unsigned.
4. Ballots shall be opened and counted by a firm of Certified Public Accountants designated by the Academy President.
5. Awards shall be conferred at an Awards Presentation Ceremony.
6. In the event that an achievement voted an Award was done in collaboration, each of the collaborators shall receive an Award trophy. In the event of a tie for first place in the final balloting, Awards shall be given for both achievements.
7. In the nominations vote, except where otherwise specified, the marking and tabulation of all ballots shall be according to the preferential or proportional system used in Academy elections. No “write-in” votes shall be counted on the final ballots.
8. The Board of Governors shall provide for such meetings, sub-committees and special showings, as may be desirable to insure a full and fair consideration of the merits of all eligible achievements.
9. It being the intention that motion pictures from all countries shall be eligible for consideration for the Awards listed under Rule Two, the rules shall be construed liberally to include such motion pictures, except that they must have been shown in the Los Angeles area (defined as Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, or Beverly Hills) within the Awards year, must be in English or with English titles, and the producers or distributors shall provide prints when necessary for review showings. An exception to this rule shall be made in the case of the Short Subjects Awards. (See Rule Eighteen.)

SIX

General Rules for Nominations Voting

1. Each Branch shall be permitted to work out its own Special Rules, provided the final ballot presents not more than five achievements and that final voting in each category is restricted to active Academy members. All Branches shall present their Special Rules for approval of the Board of Governors before putting them into operation.
2. No more than five nominations shall be made for each Award. In all cases nominations shall be announced and placed on the final ballot in alphabetical order.
3. Each nomination shall refer only to the motion picture in which the achievement was made, and not to any individual responsible except in the case of nominations for Acting which name both the individual and the one picture in which the achievement occurred.
4. The Academy shall prepare a reminder list of all eligible pictures, but before distribution to voters, studios must check and assume full responsibility for errors, omissions and designations of actors as stars or supporting players.

SEVEN

Special Rules for the Acting Awards

1. A reminder list including the casts of all eligible pictures shall be sent with the nominations ballots to all Class A and AJ members of the Screen Actors Guild and members of the Academy Actors Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference, for five Acting achievements in each category: Best Performance by an Actor, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Performance by an Actress, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.
2. The five acting achievements in each category receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Acting Awards.
3. In the event that two achievements by an actor or actress shall receive sufficient votes to be nominated in the same category, only the one which, in the preferental [sic] tabulation process, first receives the quota (number of votes required to be nominated) shall be nominated. The votes for the second achievement shall thereupon be redistributed.
4. Performances by an actor or actress in any leading role shall be eligible for nomination only for the Best Acting Award. However, if performances or a performance by any actor or actress should receive sufficient votes to be nominated for both the Best Acting Award and the Award for Supporting Player, only the achievement which, in the preferential tabulation process, first receives the quota shall be placed on the ballot. The votes for the second achievement shall thereupon be redistributed.
5. Final balloting for the Acting Awards shall be restricted to active Academy members.

EIGHT

Special Rules for the Art Direction Awards

1. Each Art Director and Set Decorator in the motion picture industry shall be given the opportunity to submit one black-and-white production.
2. The productions submitted in accordance with Paragraph 1 above, shall be listed on a Preliminary ballot. This Preliminary ballot shall be sent to all Art Directors and Set Decorators in the industry who shall vote for five productions in the order of their preference.
3. The ballots of the Art Directors and the ballots of the Set Decorators shall be counted separately. The five productions on each list receiving the highest number of votes shall then be screened to give all members of the Art Directors Branch an opportunity to see them under the same conditions.
4. Following these screenings, a Nominations ballot, listing separately the five productions nominated by the Art Directors and the five productions nominated by the Set Decorators shall be sent to all members of the Art Directors Branch, who shall vote, in the order of their preference, for two productions from each list of five. It is not necessary that the pictures selected from the Art Directors list be different from those selected from the Set Decorators list. Failure to vote for two from each list will invalidate the ballot. The two productions from each list receiving the greatest number of votes shall be nominated for the Black-and-White Art Direction Award.
5. All Art Directors and Set Decorators in the industry shall be eligible to vote in the Preliminary balloting (Paragraph 2). Only members of the Art Directors Branch shall be eligible to participate in the Nominations voting (Paragraph 4) for this Award. Only active Academy members shall participate in the final voting.
6. In order that the list of Art Directors and Set Decorators shall be complete, a list shall be obtained from the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors, each Studio, and any other available source and shall be checked and approved by the Art Directors Branch Executive Committee. This Committee shall be charged with the responsibility of the preparation of a full and complete list of Art Directors and Set Decorators.
7. Final voting for the Art Direction Awards shall be restricted to active Academy members

8. The voting procedure for the Award for Color Art Direction shall be exactly the same as specified in the rules above governing the Black-and-White Art Direction Awards.

9. Recognition in the form of an Academy Plaque shall be given the Set Decorators of each production which receives an Award for Achievement in Art Direction.

NINE

Special Rules for the Cinematography Awards

1. Each Director of Photography and/or First Cameraman shall be given the opportunity to submit one black-and-white production on which he has received single or joint screen credit, which shall be included on a Preliminary ballot to be sent to all Directors of Photography and/or First Cameramen in the industry. In addition, each Director of Photography and/or First Cameraman may submit any one eligible black-and-white foreign production which he deems worthy of Awards consideration. In the event that two or more achievements by a foreign Director of Photography and/or First Cameraman thereby occur, only the one receiving the greatest number of entries shall be listed on the Preliminary ballot.
2. The productions submitted in accordance with Paragraph 1 above, shall be listed on a Preliminary ballot. This Preliminary ballot shall be sent to all Directors of Photography and/or First Cameramen in the industry. Each Director of Photography and/or First Cameraman shall vote for ten or less productions in the order of his preference.
3. The ten productions receiving the greatest number of votes from this Preliminary ballot shall then be screened by the Academy to give all Directors of Photography and/or First Cameramen an opportunity to see these productions under the same conditions.
4. Following these screenings, a Nominations ballot, listing these ten productions, shall be sent to all Directors of Photography and/or First Cameramen in the industry. Each Director of Photography and/or First Cameraman shall vote for not more than five productions in the order of his preference. The five productions receiving the greatest number of votes shall be nominated for the Black-and-White Cinematography Award.
5. All Directors of Photography and/or First Cameramen in the industry shall be eligible to vote in the Preliminary voting (Paragraph 2) and Nominations voting (Paragraph 4) for this Award. Only active Academy members participate in the final voting.
6. In order that the list of Directors of Photography and/or First Cameramen shall be complete, individual lists of the Directors of Photography and/or First Cameramen in each studio shall be obtained from the head of each studio camera department and/or any other available sources, and shall be checked and approved by the Cinematography Awards Eligibility Committee to be appointed by the Chairman of the Cinematographers Branch Executive Committee. This committee shall be charged with the responsibility of the preparation of a full and complete list of Directors of Photography and/or First Cameramen.
7. Cartoons shall not be eligible for this Award.
8. Final voting for the Cinematography Awards shall be restricted to active Academy members.

9. The voting procedure for the Award for Color Cinematography shall be the same as specified in the rules above governing the Black-and-White Cinematography Award.

TEN

Special Rules for the Costume Design Awards

1. Each Costume Designer in the motion picture industry shall be given the opportunity to submit one Black-and-White production, either his own work or that of another.
2. The productions submitted in accordance with Paragraph 1 above shall be listed on a Preliminary ballot. This Preliminary ballot shall be sent to all Costume Designers in the industry who shall vote for ten productions in the order of their preference.
3. The ten productions receiving the greatest number of votes from this Preliminary ballot shall then be listed on a Nominations ballot and shall be screened to give all members of the Art Directors Branch an opportunity to see these productions under the same conditions.
4. Following these screenings, a Nominations ballot, listing these ten productions, shall be sent to all members of the Art Directors Branch who shall vote for not more than three productions in the order of their preference. The three productions receiving the greatest number of votes shall be nominated for the Black-and-White Costume Design Award.
5. All Costume Designers in the industry shall be eligible to vote in the Preliminary voting (Paragraph 2). Only members of the Art Directors Branch shall be eligible to vote in the Nominations voting (Paragraph 4) for this Award. All active Academy members participate in the final voting.
6. The Art Directors Branch Executive Committee shall be charged with the responsibility of the preparation of a full and complete list of Costume Designers eligible to submit productions under Paragraph 1.
7. Final voting for the Costume Design Award shall be restricted to active Academy members.

8. The voting procedure for the Award for Color Costume Design shall be exactly the same as specified in the rules above governing the Black-and-White Costume Design Award.

ELEVEN

Special Rules for the Directing Award

1. A reminder list of all eligible pictures shall be sent with the nominations ballot to all directors fulfilling the minimum qualifications for senior membership in the Screen Directors Guild and members of the Academy Directors Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for five directing achievements.
2. The five directing achievements receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Directing Award.
3. In the event that two achievements by one director shall receive sufficient votes to be nominated, only the one which, in the preferential tabulation process, first receives the quota (number of votes required to be nominated), shall be nominated. The votes for the second achievement shall thereupon be redistributed.
4. Final balloting for the Directing Award shall be restricted to active Academy members.

TWELVE

Special Rules for the Documentary Awards

1. Documentary films are defined as those dealing with significant historical, social, scientific, or economic subjects, whether photographed direct or re-enacted, and where the emphasis is more on factual content than on pure entertainment.
2. Documentary Short Subjects are defined as those outside the general entertainment Short Subjects Awards Classifications, and specifically including but not limited to shorts and cartoons produced by or for a government. Length shall be limited to 3,000 feet or less.
3. Films longer than 3,000 feet shall be classed as Documentary Features.
4. Only one entry in each classification will be accepted from each producing unit.
5. To be eligible, Documentary Films must have been first exhibited in the United States to the audience for which they were made, sometime during the calendar year.
6. Entries in the Documentary field will be limited to films either produced in or enlarged to 35mm., in which significant dialogue is in English or explained by sub-titles in English.
7. All entries must first be submitted in writing, with a description of the subject, to the Academy office, 9038 Melrose Ave., Hollywood 46, California, by Tuesday, January 9, 1951. Notification of acceptance by the Committee will be sent by telephone or telegraph, and prints may then be forwarded for viewing. This rule is to avoid unnecessary shipping.
8. The Documentary Committee will sift all films entered in the competition and the committee’s selections will then become the nominations to be viewed by the active Academy membership, whose balloting will determine the awards.
9. Any member of the Documentary Committee who has actively participated in the making of any entry shall not be permitted to vote on films in that category (Short Subjects or Features).
10. Prints of all entries accepted by the Committee must be received in the Academy Film Receiving office, 1455 North Gordon Street, Hollywood 28, California, on or before Wednesday, January 31, 1951, and must remain with the Academy for screening until March 22, 1951. Films should be shipped express prepaid and those not chosen as nominations for final balloting by the active Academy membership will be returned to sender, express prepaid by the Academy. The Academy cannot pay import or customs duties on foreign films submitted for Documentary competition. Our responsibility for return shipping costs applies only to transportation within the United States.
11. “Subject to the inability of the Producer to comply herewith, every Award shall be conditioned upon the delivery to the Academy of one print of every film nominated for final balloting for all Academy Awards, and such print shall become the property of the Academy with the proviso however, that the Academy shall not use such prints for commercial gain. Such print shall be deposited with the Academy and, subject to matters not within its control, shall be screened by the Academy for the membership in advance of distribution of final ballots.” (Academy By-Laws, Article 8, Section 1. [f]). Unless notified to the contrary, the Academy will retain for its archives every print chosen as a nomination for final balloting on the Documentary Awards.
12. Both Documentary trophies shall be statuettes.

THIRTEEN

Special Rules for the Film Editing Award

1. Each Film Editor shall be given the opportunity to submit one production on which he has received single or joint screen credit, which shall be included on a Preliminary ballot to be sent to all Film Editors in the industry. In addition, each Film Editor shall be permitted to submit one production by another Film Editor and one eligible foreign production which he deems worthy of Awards consideration. In the event that two or more achievements by a foreign Film Editor thereby occur, only the one receiving the greatest number of entries shall be listed on the Preliminary ballot.
2. The productions submitted in accordance with Paragraph 1 above, shall be listed on a Preliminary ballot. This Preliminary ballot shall be sent to all Film Editors in the industry who shall vote for ten productions in the order of their preference.
3. The ten productions receiving the greatest number of votes from this Preliminary ballot shall then be screened to give all Film Editors in the industry an opportunity to see them under the same conditions.
4. Following these screenings, a Nominations ballot, listing the ten productions, shall be sent to all Film Editors in the industry who shall vote for not more than five productions in the order of their preference. The five productions receiving the greatest number of votes shall become the nominations for the Film Editing Award.
5. All Film Editors in the industry shall be eligible to vote in the Preliminary voting (Paragraph 2) and Nominations voting (Paragraph 4) for this Award. Only active Academy members participate in the final voting.
6. In order that the list of Film Editors shall be complete, a list shall be obtained from the Film Editors local and any other available source and shall be checked and approved by the Film Editors Executive Committee. This committee shall be charged with the responsibility of the preparation of a full and complete list of Film Editors eligible to participate in the Nominations voting.
7. Final voting for the Film Editing Award shall be restricted to active Academy members.

FOURTEEN

Special Rules for the Honorary Foreign Language Film Award

1. The head of each studio Foreign Department shall be invited to serve on a Nominations Committee under a Chairman to be appointed by the Academy President.
2. The Committee shall review the list of all foreign pictures first released commercially in the United States during the Awards year and shall select not more than four (4) pictures to be screened by the Academy Board of Governors.
3. The vote of the Academy Board of Governors shall determine the recipient of the Honorary Foreign Language Firm Award.
4. The Honorary Foreign Language Film Award need not necessarily be given each year.

FIFTEEN

Special Rules for the Music Awards

1. Three eligibility lists shall be prepared by the Academy office from the general list of pictures eligible for Awards voting. The lists shall be:
   1. Musical Pictures.
   2. Dramatic or Comedy Pictures.
   3. Songs first used in an eligible picture.
2. The Music Branch Executive Committee will check lists (a), (b) and (c) for proper classification and for errors or omissions.
3. A general meeting of the Music Branch shall be held to pass upon the eligibility of lists (a), (b) and (c).
4. Any pictures on which classification is not determined at this meeting shall be screened for the full Branch. Members attending these screenings shall decide classification of disputed pictures by majority vote.
5. Preliminary ballots for the (a) Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and (b) Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture shall be sent to all members of the Academy Music Branch in good standing. Each ballot shall be accompanied by the proper eligibility list. Each member of the Music Branch shall vote for ten productions in each category in the order of his preference.
6. A list of the ten productions receiving the highest number of votes in each category from this Preliminary Ballot shall be sent to each member of the Branch. Any picture on the list will be screened for the Branch if requested by twenty-five (25) members who promise to attend such screening.
7. Following these screenings, a Nominations ballot, listing these ten productions in each category, shall be sent to all members of the Music Branch. Each member shall vote for five productions in each category in the order of his preference. The five productions in each category receiving the highest number of votes shall be nominated.
8. The Nominations ballots for the Best Song Award, accompanied by an eligibility list, shall be sent to all members of the Academy Music Branch in good standing. Each ballot shall have spaces numbered from one to ten for write-in voting in order of the voter’s preference. The five songs receiving the highest number of votes shall be nominated. A song shall be construed as a work consisting of both lyrics and music.
9. To be eligible for the Best Song Award at least eight bars of both the lyric and the melody of a song must be used vocally (though not necessarily visually) and the melody may appear in the voice or in the accompaniment in an eligible picture before the song is publicly performed or exploited in any other medium: radio, television, stage, night club, literary material, phonograph records, or publication in sheet music form, available for purchase by the public.

   “Publicly performed” as used above is interpreted to mean any public performance for profit; public performance at a benefit where admission is charged; or public performance where admission is free, but open to the general public.

   Commercial recordings of a song may be made before it is recorded for a picture provided the phonograph records are not released for sale to the public until after the song has been recorded for its use in the picture.

   A song shall not be considered “used” in a picture if it is cut from that picture prior to the first regular commercial run of the film, even though it may have appeared at studio-arranged previews or trade showings. Such a song shall be eligible for an Award when used in another motion picture provided it is not exploited in any other medium or publicly performed as provided above prior to its use in the second picture.

   If a song includes a substantial portion of lyric or music previously used in a motion picture, or exploited in any other medium so that the present use becomes what is known in the trade as an adaptation rather than a work original as to both music and lyric, or publicly performed as provided above, the song is not eligible for an Award.

10. The active Academy membership as a whole shall vote for final selections in each category.

SIXTEEN

Special Rules for the Production Award

1. A reminder list of all eligible pictures shall be sent with the nominations ballot to all active members of the Academy, who shall vote in the order of their preference for five Production achievements.
2. The five pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Production Award.
3. Final voting for the Production Award shall be restricted to active Academy members.

SEVENTEEN

Special Rules for Scientific or Technical Awards

Academy Awards for Scientific or Technical Achievement shall be made by the Board of Governors upon recommendation of the Scientific or Technical Awards Committee for a device, method, formula, discovery or invention of special and outstanding value to the arts and sciences of motion pictures, and actually employed in the motion picture industry. These Awards, to be known as the Awards for Scientific or Technical Achievement, shall be made in accordance with the following rules:

1. Awards for Scientific or Technical Achievement may be granted in any one of the three following classifications:

   THE CLASS I AWARD (Academy Statuette)
   For those achievements which have a definite influence upon the industry.

   THE CLASS II AWARD (Academy Plaque)
   For those achievements which have a definite influence upon the industry but merit recognition to a lesser degree than the Class I Award.

   THE CLASS III AWARD (Certificate)
   For those accomplishments which are important to the progress of the industry.

2. Any individual, group of individuals or organization may submit written nominations for these Awards to the Committee. In the case of nominations covered by patents, nominators will make copies of the patent available to the Committee. In submitting nominations, full claim for originality and development of the achievement nominated must be established with the Committee, and the person or persons claiming such credit must be named. If any controversy should arise as to the origin or development of the achievement in question, the Academy Board of Governors shall set such nomination aside until full credit shall have been established to the satisfaction of the Board.
3. The closing date for nominations for these Awards shall be noon of November 22, 1950, and consideration of achievements shall be limited to those submitted in writing on or before this date, except as provided for in Paragraph 5.
4. The Committee shall consider all nominated achievements, and fully acquaint itself as to the merits of each achievement and shall appoint subcommittees, consisting of representatives in the various professional fields within which nominations are submitted, to assist the Committee in appraising the nominations. It shall be the responsibility of those submitting nominations to arrange for and hold demonstrations for the Committee. If this is not feasible because of the nature of the nomination or due to its location away from Hollywood, the nominator shall furnish the Committee full and detailed information on the nomination.
5. In reviewing the nominations the Committee shall, to the best of its knowledge, also give consideration to devices, methods, formulas, discoveries or inventions not nominated but similar to one or more of the nominations received, and an Award, if any, shall be given to the device, method, formula, discovery or invention which, in the opinion of the Committee, is the most worthy.
6. The Committee may notify all individuals and/or organizations credited with participation in each nominated achievement and each individual and/or organization may be requested to confirm the individual or joint credit outlined in the nominations; this confirmation to expressly state whether in the opinion of that individual and/or organization the achievement is a single or a joint credit.
7. The Committee shall recommend to the Academy Board of Governors the person, persons or organization to whom an Award shall be bestowed and the type of Award.
8. In making Awards, the Committee will judge to the best of its ability the scientific or technical merit of the nominations, but does not warrant that the person or persons named in the nomination are responsible for the origin and development of the achievement named in the Award.
9. It shall be within the discretion of the Committee to recommend no Awards, if in its judgment there has been no achievement worthy of recognition.
10. Such other rules as may be considered necessary for the proper conduct of this Award shall be put into effect by the Scientific or Technical Awards Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Board of Governors.

EIGHTEEN

Special Rules for the Short Subjects Awards

1. Nominations shall be submitted in three classifications:
   1. Cartoons and other animation photography of inanimate objects, whether in color or black-and-white.
   2. Short Subjects of 1,000 foot length or less.
   3. Short Subjects between 1,000 and 3,000 feet in length.

   The above classifications shall include entertainment short subjects distributed by a recognized distributing organization on a rental basis to 35mm. theatres for the profit of the producer and distributor. Newsreels, films produced by any government and films made for advertising purposes shall be excluded.

2. Any short subject qualifying under Rule One shall be accepted for voting if it has had a definite first paid play date in any regular motion picture theatre in the United States during the Awards Year.
3. Short Subjects producers shall be permitted one entry from each series of shorts produced for regular release, i.e., if a studio has two or three series of cartoons, several series of two-reelers and one-reelers, etc., then one short from each series may be presented for nominations balloting.
4. Short Subjects entered for these Awards may also be submitted for Documentary Short Subjects Awards, providing they qualify as Documentary films. (See Rule Twelve.)
5. Entry prints must be available for screening in Hollywood on dates to be specified.
6. There shall be three nominations screenings if necessary: one screening of cartoons only, one screening of one-reelers, and one screening of two-reelers.
   1. The Nominations Committee shall consist of three Academy Short Subjects Branch members from each studio and/or distributing organization, to be chosen by the heads of the studio Short Subjects Departments; but no more than a total of three shall represent the studio and/or distributing organization combined. In the event a studio and/or releasing organization is unable to supply such three members, alternates from the Academy membership may be chosen by the entrant. The Point System of voting, i.e., 10, 8, 6, is to be used at this Preliminary Screening only. (10 excellent; 8 good; 6 fair.)
   2. Preliminary showings shall be held in a studio projection room.
   3. Nominations for final balloting shall be limited to three in each category, but in the event that one entrant is represented by more than one subject in any classification, the entrant may, with the consent of the producer or producers, withdraw one of his nominations in that category. (Cartoons, one-reel subjects or two-reel subjects). This provision is made to accommodate those who do not wish to be represented on the final ballot by more than one entry in a classification. In the event that a withdrawal is made in any of the classifications, thus reducing the nominations to two, then the entry with the next highest count in the preliminary voting shall be placed on the ballot. Withdrawals and replacements must be made within forty-eight (48) hours after the preliminary ballots have been counted and before the nominations are announced. There shall be a total of three nominations in each category.
7. The final vote shall be taken at a special exhibition of the nominated subjects for Academy members and guests. All active Academy members present shall participate in the final voting, and shall vote for only one entry in each classification. The running order for the final judging shall be: Cartoons, one-reel subjects, and two-reel subjects; the order of showing within each group being decided by lot.
8. In both preliminary and final voting, the excellence of the entries shall be judged on the basis of entertainment, originality and production quality, without regard to cost of production or subject matter.

NINETEEN

Special Rules for the Sound Recording Award

1. One production from each Sound Department may be submitted for consideration for nomination for this Award, each production to be submitted by the Director of the Sound Department concerned.
2. The Sound Recording Award Rules Committee shall survey the field of eligible foreign films and submit for consideration for nomination any deemed worthy of Awards consideration.
3. The five productions nominated for the Sound Recording Award shall be chosen from those productions submitted for consideration in accordance with Paragraphs 1 and 2 above, by a committee to be known as the Sound Recording Award Nominating Committee, which shall consist of three representatives and one alternate for each Sound Department.
4. In order that each member of the Sound Recording Award Nominating Committee may judge the recording of all submitted productions upon the same basis, arrangements shall be made for a series of screenings during the Awards period at which the Committee must view the entire group of submitted productions. It is specified that to be qualified to vote in the nomination procedure, each member and alternate of the Committee must view all of the submitted productions in the same theatre or projection room designated for these viewings. It is further specified that all voting by the Sound Recording Award Nominating Committee shall be by the Preferential System of voting, with the exception that a committee member may not vote for the production which he represents.
5. Such other rules as may be necessary for the proper conduct of the nominating procedure for this Award shall be put into effect by the Sound Recording Award Rules Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Awards Rules Committee.
6. Final voting for the Sound Recording Award shall be restricted to active Academy members.

TWENTY

Special Rules for the Special Effects Award

1. The following basic requirements shall be used to judge all Special Effects achievements under consideration for nomination for this Award:
   1. Dramatic necessity of the effects to the picture.
   2. Economic necessity to the picture; it should be physically or economically impossible to produce the picture without the effects.
   3. Illusion of actual reality should be accomplished with such skill that the mechanism by which the effect is achieved is not apparent in the final result.
2. The President of the Academy shall appoint the Special Effects Award Nominating Committee consisting of at least fifteen technicians, representing each of the various special effects fields. This Committee shall be charged with the responsibility of nominating from all eligible productions, both domestic and foreign, not more than five or less than two productions representing in their judgment the best special effects work (visual or audible or both) of the year.
3. In making nominations for this Award, the Committee shall decide which types of special effects in each production are worthy of nomination.
4. The Committee shall view the special effects sequences submitted for consideration before voting to select the productions to be nominated for this Award. It is specified that to be qualified to participate in this vote, a member of the Committee must view all of these sequences during one consecutive viewing and in the same auditorium, this auditorium to be officially selected by the Committee. A Committee member may not vote for the production submitted by the studio which he represents.
5. It is further specified that if, after the group of productions under consideration is selected, any studio producing any of these productions is not represented by at least two members on the Committee, the President of the Academy shall increase that studio’s representation by an additional appointment or appointments.
6. Cartoons or productions containing intercut live action and cartoons are not eligible for this Award.
7. Such other rules as may be considered necessary for the proper conduct of this Award shall be put into effect by the Special Effects Award Nominating Committee subject to the approval of the Academy Awards Rules Committee.
8. Final voting for the Special Effects Award shall be restricted to active Academy members.

TWENTY-ONE

Special Rules for the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

1. The Board of Governors shall review the achievement records of individuals responsible for motion picture production and verbal nominations shall be made from the floor.
2. When the nominations are completed, a written secret ballot shall be taken, and if one candidate receives a majority vote of the Governors present, he shall receive the Thalberg Award.
3. If, on the first ballot, no candidate receives a majority vote of the Governors present, a second ballot shall be distributed, listing the two candidates who received the highest number of votes on the first ballot. If a tie for second place occurs on the first ballot, the second ballot shall list three names.
4. If one of the candidates on the second ballot receives the majority vote of the Governors present at the meeting, he shall be declared the winner of the Thalberg Award. However, if the second ballot should result in a tie for first place, a third and final ballot shall be taken on the two names tied for first place.
5. If no candidate receives the majority vote of the Governors present on the second or third ballot, no Thalberg Award shall be given that year.
6. No proxies shall be permitted in balloting for the Thalberg Award.
7. No individual shall be eligible to receive the Thalberg Award more than once every three years.

TWENTY-TWO

Special Rules for the Writing Awards

1. A reminder list showing the pictures eligible in each category: Best Motion Picture Story, Best Screenplay, and Best Story and Screenplay, shall be sent with nominations ballots to all writers eligible for active membership in the Screen Writers Guild and members of the Academy Writers Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for five writing achievements in each category.
2. The five writing achievements in each category receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Writing Awards.
3. In the event that two achievements by a writing team or writer without collaborator shall receive sufficient votes to be nominated in the same category, only the one which, in the preferential tabulation process, first receives the quota (number of votes required to be nominated) shall be nominated. The votes for the second achievement shall thereupon be redistributed.
4. Final balloting for the Writing Awards shall be restricted to active Academy members.

Twenty-Third Annual Awards - 1950 Calendar Year
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

AWARD	NOMINATIONS BALLOTING		FINAL BALLOTING
	MAXIMUM NUMBER OF NOMINATIONS	NOMINATING GROUPS
ACTOR ACTRESS SUPPORTING ACTOR SUPPORTING ACTRESS	5 5 5 5	ACADEMY ACTORS BRANCH MEMBERS SCREEN ACTORS GUILD —   CLASS A & AJ
ART DIRECTION   Black-and-White   Color	4 4	Entries and Preliminary Balloting by all Art Directors and Set Decorators in the industry. Nominations Balloting by members of the Art Directors Branch.
CINEMATOGRAPHY   Black-and-White   Color	5 5	Entries, Preliminary and Nominations Balloting by all Directors of Photography in the industry.
COSTUME DESIGN   Black-and-White   Color	3 3	Entries and Preliminary Balloting by all accredited Motion Picture Costume Designers. Nominations Balloting by members of the Art Directors Branch.
DIRECTING	5	ACADEMY DIRECTORS BRANCH   MEMBERS SCREEN DIRECTORS GUILD —   SENIOR MEMBERS
FILM EDITING	5	Entries, Preliminary and Nominations Balloting by all Film Editors in the industry.
MUSIC: SCORING OF A   MUSICAL PICTURE MUSIC SCORE   OF A DRAMATIC OR   COMEDY PICTURE ORIGINAL SONG	5 5 5	ACADEMY MUSIC BRANCH MEMBERS
PRODUCTION	5	ALL ACTIVE ACADEMY MEMBERS
SHORT SUBJECTS: CARTOONS 1,000 FOOT SUBJECTS SUBJECTS BETWEEN   1,000 and 3,000 FEET	3 3 3	Three Academy Short Subjects Branch members from each studio and/or distributing organization.
SOUND RECORDING	5	Sound Recording Award Nominating Committee (comprised of three representatives from each Sound Department.)
SPECIAL EFFECTS	2	Special Effects Award Nominating Committee (comprised of fifteen technical representatives in the Special Effects field.)
WRITING: MOTION PICTURE STORY SCREENPLAY STORY & SCREENPLAY	5 5 5	ACADEMY WRITERS BRANCH   MEMBERS SCREEN WRITERS GUILD —   ACTIVE MEMBERS

OTHER AWARDS:
DOCUMENTARY AWARDS	Nominations by Special Committee—Final Voting by Active Academy Membership at Special Screening.
SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL AWARDS	Voted by Board of Governors, Based on Recommendations of Special Committee.
THALBERG MEMORIAL AWARD	Voted by Board of Governors.

HONORARY AWARDS:
HONORARY FOREIGN LANGUAGE   FILM AWARD	Voted by Board of Governors, Based on Recommendations of Special Committee.
HONORARY JUVENILE AWARD	Voted by Board of Governors.
ALL OTHER HONORARY AWARDS