2008 (81st Annual Awards)
Academy Award Voting Rules

Each year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences publishes a booklet for its members detailing the current revised rules for nominating and voting for Academy Awards. Listed below is the exact text of the rules for the 2008 (81st) Awards.

Click on a year in the column on the right to display the Voting Rules for another year.

Note: Although the typography has been modified slightly for greater consistency and easier reading on this website, the text displayed for each Rule Book is exactly as it was originally printed (including the original—sometimes quirky—outline format and occasional spelling errors).

81ST ANNUAL
ACADEMY AWARDS® OF MERIT
[FOR ACHIEVEMENTS DURING 2008]

[VOTING RULES]

RULE ONE

AWARDS DEFINITIONS

Academy Awards of Merit shall be given annually to honor outstanding achievements in theatrically released feature-length motion pictures, and to honor other achievements as provided for in these rules and approved by the Board of Governors.
Awards shall be conferred at an annual Awards presentation ceremony.
Awards of Merit in the form of the gold statuette trophy of the Academy (Oscar®) shall be conferred annually for the following achievements:

ACTING:	Performance by an actor in a leading role. Performance by an actor in a supporting role. Performance by an actress in a leading role. Performance by an actress in a supporting role.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:	Best animated feature film of the year.*
ART DIRECTION:	Achievement in art direction. (The Academy statuette shall be given also for the set decoration on the picture that wins the Art Direction award.)
CINEMATOGRAPHY:	Achievement in cinematography.
COSTUME DESIGN:	Achievement in costume design.
DIRECTING:	Achievement in directing.
DOCUMENTARY:	For each of two classifications: a. Best documentary feature. b. Best documentary short subject.
FILM EDITING:	Achievement in film editing.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:	Best foreign language film of the year.
MAKEUP:	Achievement in makeup.
MUSIC:	For achievements in music written for motion pictures: a. Original score. b. Original song. c. Original musical.*
BEST PICTURE:	Best motion picture of the year.
SHORT FILMS:	For each of two classifications: a. Best animated short film. b. Best live action short film.
SOUND EDITING:	Achievement in sound editing.
SOUND MIXING:	Achievement in sound mixing.
VISUAL EFFECTS:	Achievement in visual effects.
WRITING:	For each of two classifications: a. Adapted screenplay. b. Original screenplay.

* May not be given every year. See special rules for this category for conditions of presentation.

The following Testimonial Awards shall be given at such times as in the judgment of the Board of Governors there are deserving recipients, but are not necessarily given each year:
1. IRVING G. THALBERG MEMORIAL AWARD (Thalberg Head). This award shall be given to a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production. (See Rule Twenty-four.)
2. JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD (Statuette). This award shall be given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry. (See Rule Twenty-four.)
3. THE HONORARY AWARD (Statuette). This award shall be given to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy. (See Rule Twenty-four.)
The following Special Awards shall be given at such times as in the judgment of the Board of Governors there are deserving recipients, but are not necessarily given each year:
1. SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (Statuette). (See Rule Twenty-five.)
2. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS. (See Rule Eighteen.)
3. GORDON E. SAWYER AWARD (Statuette). (See Rule Twenty-six.)
4. JOHN A. BONNER MEDAL OF COMMENDATION (Medallion). (See Rule Twenty-seven.)
5. AWARD OF COMMENDATION (Special Plaque). (See Rule Twenty-seven.)
6. OTHER AWARDS shall be given at such times as in the judgment of the Board of Governors there is a deserving recipient, but not necessarily each year. They shall be in such form as the Board of Governors may decide.

RULE TWO

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility for Academy Awards consideration is subject to Rules Two and Three, and to those special rules approved by the Board of Governors that follow.
All eligible motion pictures, unless otherwise noted (see Paragraph 9, below), must be:
1. feature length (defined as over 40 minutes),
2. publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48- frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels, source image format conforming to SMPTE 428-1-2006 D-Cinema - Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000), and image and sound file formats suitable for exhibition in commercial Digital Cinema sites,
3. for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County,
4. for a run of at least seven consecutive days,
5. advertised and exploited during their Los Angeles run in a manner considered normal and customary to the industry, and
6. within the Awards year deadlines specified in Rule Three.
Films that, in any version, receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release will not be eligible for Academy Awards in any category. (This includes broadcast and cable television as well as home video marketing and Internet transmission.) However, ten minutes or ten percent of the running time of a film, whichever is shorter, is allowed to be shown in a nontheatrical medium prior to the film’s theatrical release.
Eligibility is contingent on the receipt by the Academy of the following information on Official Screen Credits forms obtained from the Academy, to be signed by the film’s producer or distributor (unless waived by the Academy), which shall include:
1. full, complete and authentic credits,
2. the name of the Los Angeles County theater where the film has played, and
3. the dates of the Los Angeles run.
Eligibility for all awards shall first be determined by credits as they appear on the screen and/or as certified to the Academy by the producing companies, but final determination in any event shall be made by the Academy. The Academy shall not be bound by any contract or agreement relating to the sharing or giving of credit and reserves the right to make its own determination of credit for purposes of Awards consideration.
In the event of any dispute concerning credits, the Academy reserves the right to declare any achievement ineligible or, alternatively, to reject all claims to credit, list credits as being in controversy and withhold any award until the dispute is resolved.
The alteration of an achievement by changing a picture from the version shown in Los Angeles County, upon which eligibility is based, shall subject such achievement to the risk of being declared ineligible by the Board of Governors.
Motion pictures from all countries shall be eligible for the annual awards listed in Rule One Paragraph 3, as long as they satisfy the requirements of the other applicable rules, and contain English-language subtitles if released in a foreign language.
Exceptions to the eligibility requirements and methods of qualifying listed in Rules Two and Three appear in the Special Rules for the Animated Feature Film award (see Rule Seven), the Documentary awards (see Rule Twelve), the Foreign Language Film award (see Rule Fourteen), the Music awards (see Rule Sixteen), and the Short Films awards (see Rule Nineteen).

RULE THREE

THE AWARDS YEAR and DEADLINES

The required Los Angeles County qualifying run (described in Rule Two Paragraph 2) must open between January 1, 2008, and midnight of December 31, 2008.
A picture first theatrically exhibited inside the U.S. prior to the Los Angeles qualifying run shall be eligible for submission provided the prior exhibition takes place in a commercial motion picture theater after January 1, 2007, and that no other form of public exhibition occurs through the completion of its Los Angeles run (previews and festivals excluded).
A picture first theatrically exhibited outside the U.S. prior to the Los Angeles qualifying run shall be eligible for submission provided the prior exhibition takes place in a commercial motion picture theater after January 1, 2007, with the following further conditions:
1. the film may not be exhibited publicly in any nontheatrical form for a 90-day period following the commencement of its initial theatrical engagement, and
2. after the 90-day period, the film may play in nontheatrical forms provided they are outside the U.S. (No film that is shown inside the U.S. in any nontheatrical form prior to its qualifying Los Angeles run shall be eligible for Academy Awards.)
Official Screen Credits forms may be returned to the Academy prior to the qualifying Los Angeles release, but not later than 60 days after such opening. However, all Official Screen Credits forms must be returned to the Academy by Monday, December 1, 2008.
An achievement submitted for Academy Awards consideration may not be withdrawn after Friday, January 9, 2009.
Exceptions to the above eligibility periods and submission deadlines appear in the Special Rules for the Animated Feature Film award (see Rule Seven), the Documentary awards (see Rule Twelve), the Foreign Language Film award (see Rule Fourteen), and the Short Films awards (see Rule Nineteen).

RULE FOUR

SUBMISSION

“Every award shall be conditioned upon the delivery to the Academy of one print or one copy of every film nominated for final balloting for all Academy Awards. Such print or copy shall be in a format and of a quality equivalent to the film’s theatrical release; if a film exists in more than one format, then the version deposited shall be the film print. Such print or copy shall become the property of the Academy, with the proviso, however, that the Academy shall not use such print or copy for commercial gain. Such print or copy 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 Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 6.)
“Every award shall be conditioned upon the execution and delivery to the Academy by the recipient thereof of a receipt and agreement reading as follows:
Gentlemen:

I hereby acknowledge receipt from you of a replica of your copyrighted statuette, commonly known as the ‘Oscar®,’ as an award for achievement in motion picture arts and sciences. I acknowledge that my receipt of said replica does not entitle me to any right whatever in your copyright, trademark and service mark of said statuette and that only the physical replica itself shall belong to me. In consideration of your delivering said replica to me, I agree to comply with your rules and regulations respecting its use and not to sell or otherwise dispose of it, nor permit it to be sold or disposed of by operation of law, without first offering to sell it to you for the sum of $1 .00. You shall have thirty days after any such offer is made to you within which to accept it. This agreement shall be binding not only on me, but also on my heirs, legatees, executors, administrators, estate, successors and assigns. My legatees and heirs shall have the right to acquire said replica, if it becomes part of my estate, subject to this agreement.

(Signature of Recipient)

Any member of the Academy who has heretofore received any Academy trophy shall be bound by the foregoing receipt and agreement with the same force and effect as though he or she had executed and delivered the same in consideration of receiving such trophy.” (Academy Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 7.)
In submitting a film for Academy Awards consideration, the film’s owners are deemed to have conveyed to the Academy the right to choose excerpts from the film in the Academy’s sole discretion, after consultation, for incorporation into the Academy Awards telecast for the year in which the film is in competition. Owners of nominated films are obligated, if requested, to submit to the Academy a high-definition digital videotape of the film in either D-5 or HDCAM format, no later than five days following the nominations announcements. The Academy will maintain such tapes under tight security and return them immediately following the Awards broadcast.

RULE FIVE

BALLOTING and NOMINATIONS

Voting on all achievements shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.
All eligible motion pictures will be listed in the Academy’s annual “Reminder List of Eligible Releases.” Before the Academy distributes the Reminder List to voters, releasing companies may be required to check the galleys for their productions as they will appear in the List and assume full responsibility for errors and omissions.
Individual Reminder Lists from which the nominations are voted 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 achievements, which name both the individual and the one picture wherein the achievement occurred.
Voting for nominations and awards shall be by secret ballot. Printed forms and ballots shall be supplied by the Academy and shall be returned unsigned. Ballots shall be opened and counted by a firm of certified public accountants designated by the Academy President.
In the nominations voting, the marking and tabulation of all ballots shall be according to the preferential or weighted average system. Votes for achievements in motion pictures not on the Reminder List will not be counted in the nominations balloting. Tabulation of final ballots shall be according to the plurality system. No “write-in” votes shall be counted on the final ballot.
Not 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.
In the event a nominated achievement is declared ineligible by the Academy, it shall not be replaced, and the category will remain with one less nomination.
In the event that an achievement voted an award was done in collaboration, each of the collaborators shall receive an award trophy (unless the number of awards is specifically limited by a category’s special rules). In the event of a tie for first place in the final balloting, awards shall be given for both achievements.
The Board of Governors shall provide for such screenings or special meetings as may be desirable to insure a full and fair consideration of the merits of all eligible achievements.
Each branch or other designated committee shall be permitted to formulate its own special rules, provided the final ballot presents not more than five achievements and that nominations and final voting in each category are restricted to active and life Academy members. All rules shall be presented to the Board of Governors for approval before implementation.
Exceptions to the above listing in the Reminder List and nominations voting system appear in the Special Rules for the Animated Feature Film award (see Rule Seven), the Documentary awards (see Rule Twelve), the Foreign Language Film award (see Rule Fourteen), and the Short Films awards (see Rule Nineteen).

RULE SIX

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE ACTING AWARDS

Reminder lists including the casts of all eligible motion pictures shall be sent with nominations ballots to all active members of the Academy Actors Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five acting achievements in each category: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Performance by a Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.
The five acting achievements in each category receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Acting awards.
A performance by an actor or actress in any role shall be eligible for nomination either for the leading role or supporting role categories. If, however, all the dialogue has been dubbed by another actor, the performance shall not be eligible for award consideration. Singing that is dubbed will not affect the performer’s eligibility unless it constitutes the entire performance. The determination as to whether a role is a leading or supporting role shall be made individually by members of the branch at the time of balloting.
The leading role and supporting role categories will be tabulated simultaneously. If any performance should receive votes in both categories, the achievement shall be only placed on the ballot in that category in which, during the tabulation process, it first receives the required number of votes to be nominated. In the event that the performance receives the numbers of votes required to be nominated in both categories simultaneously, the achievement shall be placed only on the ballot in that category in which it receives the greater percentage of the total votes.
In the event that two achievements by an actor or actress receive sufficient votes to be nominated in the same category, only one shall be nominated using the preferential tabulation process and such other allied procedures as may be necessary to achieve that result.
In the event that an actor or actress receives a sufficient number of votes to be nominated for one achievement in one category and for another achievement in the other category, both achievements shall be eligible.
Final voting for the Acting awards shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

RULE SEVEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM AWARD

DEFINITION
An animated feature film is defined as a motion picture with a running time of at least 70 minutes, in which movement and characters’ performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique. In addition, a significant number of the major characters must be animated, and animation must figure in no less than 75 percent of the picture’s running time.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Except as indicated above, motion pictures in this category must meet all the requirements in Academy Awards Rules Two, Three, and Four.
2. The Executive Committee of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch shall meet prior to the last Board of Governors meeting of this calendar year. At this meeting, a Reminder List of the animated feature films released during the year shall be reviewed. If the committee finds that there are eight or more eligible animated feature films that warrant a category, it may choose to recommend to the Board of Governors that there be a Best Animated Feature Film award given this year. If the governors accept this recommendation, the following nomination process shall be set in motion.
SUBMISSION
1. An entry form naming the intended award recipient(s) and including the signatures of all the credited producer(s) and director(s) is required. (This is to insure that all parties are properly informed, and that agreement on the designated award recipient(s) is settled prior to submission.)
2. The award recipient(s) shall be designated by those responsible for the production of the film. The designated recipient(s) must be the KEY CREATIVE INDIVIDUAL most clearly responsible for the overall achievement OR a TWO-PERSON TEAM with shared and equal director credit. (The shared director credit must be approved by the Branch Executive Committee.) A maximum of two statuettes will be awarded.
3. The print or copy submitted for Academy Awards consideration must be identical in content and length to the print or copy used for the qualifying exhibition. All entries submitted must include an English-language synopsis of the film.
4. Prints should be marked ANIMATED FEATURE FILM ENTRY and shipped PREPAID to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Those entries not chosen as nominations for final balloting will be returned to the sender at Academy expense. Prints submitted will be retained by the Academy until the voting process is completed and will not be loaned for use by others during the period of the voting process.
5. The deadline for receiving the entry form, synopsis, cast and credits list, filmographies of the key creative individual(s) named for award purposes and stills is Monday, November 3, 2008. The deadline for receiving the film print is Friday, November 14, 2008. Foreign entries must also comply with this rule.
6. Films submitted in the Best Animated Feature Film category may qualify for Academy Awards in other areas, including Best Picture, provided they comply with the rules governing those categories.
7. An animated feature film may be submitted in only one Awards year for Academy Awards consideration.
VOTING
1. A Chairperson, appointed by the Academy President, shall head one or more Best Animated Feature Film Award Screening Committee(s). An invitational letter will be sent from the Chairperson to a list of active and life Academy members requesting their participation. Those serving on the committee(s) will be required to see 80 percent of the submitted eligible films at meetings of the committee(s) or in a theatrical setting. Viewing Animated Feature Film entries on videocassette or DVD will NOT qualify a member for voting purposes in this category.
2. All submissions sent to the Academy will be screened by the Academy’s Animated Feature Film Award Screening Committee(s). After the screenings, the committee(s) will vote by secret ballot to nominate from 3 to 5 motion pictures for this award. In any year in which 8 to 15 animated features are released in Los Angeles County, a maximum of 3 motion pictures may be nominated. In any year in which 16 or more animated features are submitted and accepted in the category, a maximum of 5 motion pictures may be nominated.
  1. The committee(s) will view all motion pictures entered and mark all entries 10, 9, 8, 7 or 6 with the guidelines of 10 (excellent), 8 (good), 7 (fair) or 6 (poor). Those productions receiving an average score of 7.5 or more shall be eligible for nomination.
  2. If only one production receives an average score of 7.5 or more, the committee(s) shall recommend to the Board of Governors that a Special Achievement Award for Animated Feature Film be made to that production.
  3. If no production receives an average score of 7.5 or more, the committee(s) shall recommend to the Board of Governors that no award be made for Animated Feature Film this year.
3. The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Executive Committee shall have the right and responsibility to resolve all questions of eligibility, rules interpretations and the designation of award recipients.
4. It remains within the sole and confidential discretion of the Board of Governors to determine if any Best Animated Feature Film award shall be given for a particular year, and to make all final determinations regarding this category.
5. Final voting for the Best Animated Feature Film award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

RULE EIGHT

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE ART DIRECTION AWARD

A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Academy Art Directors Branch except costume designers, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five motion pictures.
The five motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Art Direction award.
Prior to the mailing of nominations ballots, a meeting of the Academy Art Directors Branch shall be held to rule on the eligibility of all productions for Awards consideration. Eligibility for this award shall be limited to the production designer and set decorator primarily responsible for the design of the production and the execution of that concept, as verified by the producer. Any submission requesting award eligibility for more than one production designer or more than one set decorator, owing to extraordinary circumstances, must be accompanied by a letter of justification submitted by the producer to the Academy no later than 5 p.m. PT on December 1, 2008. These circumstances will be reviewed at a special meeting of the Art Directors Branch; however, in no case will more than one additional award be considered. An art director may only be considered eligible for this award when there is no production designer credited.
Final voting for the Art Direction award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

SET DECORATION

Recognition in the form of the Academy statuette shall be given for the set decoration of the production receiving an award for achievement in art direction.

RULE NINE

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD

A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Academy Cinematographers Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five motion pictures.
The five productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Cinematography award.
In accordance with Rule Two Paragraph 5, only principal position credit(s) shall be considered eligible for the Cinematography award.
Final voting for the Cinematography award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

RULE TEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE COSTUME DESIGN AWARD

A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all costume designer members of the Academy Art Directors Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five motion pictures.
To be eligible for the Costume Design award, the costumes for the picture must have been conceived by a costume designer. It is the intention of this rule to recognize the designing of costumes for their special use in motion pictures. Eligibility shall be determined by the costume designer members of the Art Directors Branch present at a meeting called specifically for that purpose prior to the mailing of nominations ballots.
The five motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Costume Design award.
Final voting for the Costume Design award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

RULE ELEVEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE DIRECTING AWARD

A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Academy Directors Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions.
The five motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Directing award.
Final voting for the Directing award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

RULE TWELVE

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE DOCUMENTARY AWARDS

DEFINITION
An eligible documentary film is defined as a theatrically released nonfiction motion picture dealing creatively with cultural, artistic, historical, social, scientific, economic or other subjects. It may be photographed in actual occurrence, or may employ partial re-enactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction.
CATEGORIES
The Documentary awards are divided into two categories:
1. Documentary Feature—films with a running time of more than 40 minutes, and
2. Documentary Short Subject—films with a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
1. Eligibility
  1. To be eligible for Awards consideration for 2008, a documentary feature must complete both a seven-day commercial run in a theater in Los Angeles County, and a seven-day commercial run in a theater in the Borough of Manhattan between September 1, 2007, and August 31, 2008.
  2. Each of the qualifying runs must take place within two years of the motion picture’s completion date. The picture must be projected using 16mm, 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels; source image format conforming to SMPTE 428-1-2006 D-Cinema—Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000), and image and sound file formats suitable for exhibition in commercial Digital Cinema sites.
  3. Screenings during each of the qualifying runs must occur at least twice daily and must begin between noon and 10 p.m. The motion picture must be exhibited for paid admission, and titles and screening times must be advertised and listed during each of its runs in newspapers and/or magazines.
  4. Works that are essentially promotional or instructional are not eligible, nor are works that are essentially unfiltered records of performances.
  5. Only individual documentary works are eligible. This excludes from consideration:
    - episodes extracted from a larger series,
    - segments taken from a single “composite” program, and
    - alternate versions of ineligible works.
  6. The significant dialogue or narration must be in English, or the entry must have English-language subtitles.
  7. No type of television or Internet transmission of a contending documentary feature may occur anywhere in the world until 60 days after the completion of the New York and Los Angeles seven-day qualifying runs. However, ten minutes or ten percent of the running time of a film, whichever is shorter, is allowed to be shown in a nontheatrical medium prior to the film’s theatrical release.
2. Submission
  1. A Theatrical Screening Information Form informing the Academy of the details of each of the qualifying runs must be filed with the Awards office before the runs begin.
  2. Entrants (including non-U.S. entrants) must have submitted to the Academy a fully completed Official Entry Form, the Documentary Disclosure Form, 25 Region 1/NTSC DVDs of the entry, and all other required materials by 5 p.m. PT on Tuesday, September 2, 2008.
3. Voting
  1. Documentaries will be viewed by members of the Academy Documentary Branch, which will use an averaged score system to produce a shortlist of 12 to 15 films. Five nominees will then be chosen by a second round of balloting, using a preferential voting system.
  2. Final voting shall be restricted to active and life Academy members who have viewed all of the nominated documentaries in a theatrical setting. Viewing nominated works on “screeners” will not qualify a member for a ballot in the category, with the exception of those branch members who have participated in the nominations selection process.
4. Copies Required
  1. In addition to the 25 DVDs required for the first round of balloting, filmmakers whose entries are voted onto the shortlist must submit another 35 Region 1/NTSC DVDs, without trailers or other extraneous material, by 5 p.m. PT on Monday, December 1, 2008.
  2. The creators of the shortlisted documentaries must submit either two film prints or two digital versions of the documentary in a qualifying format by 5 p.m. PT on Monday, December 1, 2008. Following the nominations screenings, one copy of the work shall become the property of the Academy.
5. Nominees and Award Recipients
  1. The nominee(s) should be the individual(s) most involved in the key creative aspects of the filmmaking process. A maximum of two persons may be designated as nominees, one of whom must be the credited director who exercised directorial control, and the other of whom must have a producer or director credit. If a producer is named, that individual must have performed a major portion of the producing functions, in accordance with Academy producer criteria.
  2. Production companies or persons with the screen credit of executive producer, co-producer or any credit other than director or producer shall not be eligible as nominees for the motion picture.
6. Advertising and Publicity Restrictions
  Only documentaries that receive nominations or Academy Awards may refer to their Academy endorsements in advertising and publicity materials. A film that is selected for the shortlist may not identify itself as an “Academy Award® shortlist film” except when it appears in a program consisting entirely of such films.
7. Other Rules
  1. Documentaries submitted in this category may also qualify for awards in other categories if they meet the specified requirements.
  2. The Documentary Branch Executive Committee shall resolve all questions of eligibility or rules.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
1. Eligibility
  1. To be eligible for Awards consideration for 2008, a documentary short subject must complete a seven-day commercial run in a theater in either Los Angeles County or in the Borough of Manhattan, between September 1, 2007, and August 31, 2008.
  2. The qualifying run must take place within two years of the motion picture’s completion date. The picture must be projected using 16mm, 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels; source image format conforming to SMPTE 428-1-2006 D-Cinema—Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000), and image and sound file formats suitable for exhibition in commercial Digital Cinema sites.
  3. Screenings in the qualifying run must occur at least once daily and must begin between noon and 10 p.m. The motion picture must be exhibited for paid admission, and titles and screening times must be listed each day of its run in newspapers and/or magazines.
  4. Works that are essentially promotional or instructional are not eligible, nor are works that are essentially unfiltered records of performances.
  5. Only individual documentary works are eligible. This excludes from consideration:
    - episodes extracted from a larger series,
    - segments taken from a single “composite” program,
    - alternate versions of ineligible works, and
    - documentary short subjects created from materials substantially taken from or cut down from completed, publicly exhibited feature-length documentaries.
  6. The significant dialogue or narration must be in English, or the entry must have English-language subtitles.
  7. No type of television or Internet transmission of a contending documentary may occur anywhere in the world until 60 days after the first day of its qualifying run. However, up to ten percent of the running time of a film is allowed to be shown in a nontheatrical medium prior to the film’s theatrical release.
2. Submission
  1. A Theatrical Screening Information Form informing the Academy of the details of the qualifying run must be filed with the Awards office before the run begins.
  2. Entrants (including non-U.S. entrants) must have submitted to the Academy a fully completed Official Entry Form, the Documentary Disclosure Form, 25 Region 1/NTSC DVDs of the entry, and all other required materials by 5 p.m. PT on Tuesday, September 2, 2008.
3. Voting
  1. Documentaries will be viewed by members of the Academy Documentary Branch, which will use an averaged score system to produce an eight-picture shortlist. Three to five nominees will then be chosen by a second round of balloting, using the averaged score system.
  2. Final voting shall be restricted to active and life Academy members who have viewed all of the nominated documentaries in a theatrical setting. Viewing nominated works on “screeners” will not qualify a member for a ballot in the category, with the exception of those branch members who have participated in the nominations selection process.
4. Copies Required
  1. In addition to the 25 DVDs required for the first round of balloting, filmmakers whose entries are voted onto the shortlist must submit another 35 Region 1/NTSC DVDs, without trailers or other extraneous material, by 5 p.m. PT on Monday, October 20, 2008.
  2. The creators of the shortlisted documentaries must submit either two film prints or two digital versions of the documentary in a qualifying format, by 5 p.m. PT on Monday, October 20, 2008. Following the nominations screenings, one copy of the work shall become the property of the Academy.
5. Nominees and Award Recipients
  1. The nominee(s) should be the individual(s) most involved in the key creative aspects of the filmmaking process. A maximum of two persons may be designated as nominees, one of whom must be the credited director who exercised directorial control, and the other of whom must have a producer or director credit. If a producer is named, that individual must have performed a major portion of the producing functions, in accordance with Academy producer criteria.
  2. Production companies or persons with the screen credit of executive producer, co-producer or any credit other than director or producer shall not be eligible as nominees for the motion picture.
6. Advertising and Publicity Restrictions
  Only documentaries that receive nominations or Academy Awards may refer to their Academy endorsements in advertising and publicity materials. A film that is selected for the shortlist may not identify itself as an “Academy Award shortlist film” except when it appears in a program consisting entirely of such films.
7. Other Rules
  The Documentary Branch Executive Committee shall resolve all questions of eligibility or rules.

RULE THIRTEEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE FILM EDITING AWARD

A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Film Editors Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions.
The five productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Film Editing award.
In accordance with Rule Two Paragraph 5, only film editors who hold principal position credit(s) shall be considered eligible for the Film Editing award.
Final voting for the Film Editing award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

RULE FOURTEEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM AWARD

DEFINITION
A foreign language film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States of America with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.
ELIGIBILITY
1. The motion picture must be first released in the country submitting it no earlier than October 1, 2007, and no later than September 30, 2008, and be first publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format as defined in Rule Two Paragraph 2.b, for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theater for the profit of the producer and exhibitor. It must be advertised and exploited during its eligibility run in a manner considered normal and customary to the industry. The picture need not have been released in the United States.
2. No type of television or Internet transmission may occur at any time prior to the motion picture’s theatrical release.
3. The recording of the original dialogue track as well as the completed picture must be predominantly in a language or languages other than English. Accurate English-language subtitles are required.
4. The submitting country must certify that the creative talent who exercised artistic control of the motion picture were either citizens or residents of that country.
5. The Academy will make the final determination in all questions of eligibility.
SUBMISSION
1. Each country shall be invited to submit its best motion picture to the Academy. Selection of that picture shall be made by one organization, jury or committee that should include artists and/or craftspeople from the field of motion pictures. A list of the selection committee members must be submitted to the Academy no later than August 1, 2008.
2. Only one picture will be accepted from each country.
3. The Academy will provide official entry forms to the proper committee in each country so that the producer of the selected picture can supply full information for that picture.
4. The official entry forms, together with a cast and credits list, a brief English-language synopsis of the film, a biography and photograph of the director, still photographs, a poster, and an original newspaper or magazine clipping advertising the picture’s run, must be received in the Academy office not later than 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday, October 1, 2008. Other fact sheets also may be sent to further document the submission.
5. Prints or Digital Cinema copies should be shipped prepaid for award consideration to arrive at the Academy no later than 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday, October 1, 2008.
6. The print submitted for award consideration must be identical in form with the final version in general release in the country submitting the motion picture.
7. Countries whose motion pictures are nominated on January 22, 2009, will be required to provide a second English-language subtitled print or Digital Cinema copy of the film to facilitate voting screenings. This second print is due at the Academy on Friday, January 23, 2009. This second print will be returned at the conclusion of the voting process.
8. Prints submitted will be retained by the Academy throughout the voting process.
9. “Every award shall be conditioned upon the delivery to the Academy of one print or one copy of every film nominated for final balloting for all Academy Awards. Such print or copy shall be in a format and of a quality equivalent to the film’s theatrical release; if a film exists in more than one format, then the version deposited shall be the film print. Such print or copy shall become the property of the Academy, with the proviso, however, that the Academy shall not use such print or copy for commercial gain. Such print or copy 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 Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 6). The Academy will retain for its archives one print of every motion picture receiving a nomination for the Foreign Language Film award. All prints of films that are not nominated will be returned at Academy expense.
VOTING
1. All submissions sent to the Academy will be screened by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Committee(s). After the screenings, the committee(s) will vote by secret ballot to nominate five foreign language motion pictures for this award.
2. Final voting for the Foreign Language Film award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members who have attended Academy screenings, or other exhibition, of all five motion pictures films nominated for the award.
3. Viewing Foreign Language Film entries on videocassette or DVD will NOT qualify a member for voting purposes in this category.
4. The Academy statuette (Oscar®) will be awarded to the motion picture and accepted by the director on behalf of the picture’s creative talents.
ADVERTISING/PUBLICITY RESTRICTIONS
Only motion pictures that receive nominations or Academy Awards® may refer to their Academy endorsements in advertising and publicity materials. A motion picture that is selected for inclusion in the semifinal round competition may not identify itself as an “Academy Award® finalist,” “Academy Award shortlist film” or the like in its individual marketing or publicity.
ELIGIBILITY IN OTHER CATEGORIES
1. Motion pictures submitted for Best Foreign Language Film award consideration may also qualify for the 81st Annual Academy Awards in other categories, provided they comply with the rules governing those categories.
2. In order to qualify for other categories, the motion pictures must be publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film or in the digital format specified in Paragraph II.A for paid admission (previews excluded) in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County, for a run of at least seven consecutive days, beginning between January 1, 2008, and midnight of December 31, 2008.
3. Motion pictures nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film award shall not be eligible for Academy Awards consideration in any category in any subsequent Awards year. Submitted pictures not receiving nominations are eligible for Awards consideration in other categories in the subsequent year, provided the picture begins its seven-day run in Los Angeles County during that calendar year.

RULE FIFTEEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE MAKEUP AWARD

DEFINITION
Makeup is any change in the appearance of a performer’s face, hair, or body created by the application of cosmetics, three-dimensional materials, prosthetic appliances, or wigs and hairpieces, applied directly to the performer’s face or body. Makeup, as an achievement or a craft, shall be determined by the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch Executive Committee.
ELIGIBILITY AND VOTING
1. Makeup artist and hairstylist members of the Academy shall attend meetings to review a reminder list of all eligible motion pictures. Selected credited makeup artists and hairstylists of the motion pictures under consideration for the Makeup award shall be required to provide the committee with written descriptions explaining the procedures used to create the makeup achievements, and the names and titles of the primary individuals—not to exceed two in number—directly involved with, and principally responsible for, the makeup and hairstyles achieved.
2. The makeup artist and hairstylist members shall meet to cast secret ballots to select seven motion pictures to be considered for the Makeup award. A minimum of fifteen eligible voters shall constitute a quorum for the selection of achievements to be considered further. Recommendations will be made to the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch Executive Committee for specific individual achievements from each picture to be considered for the award.
3. The producers, or directors, and responsible makeup artists and hairstylists of the films selected for Awards consideration shall be required to provide the committee with film or digital excerpts (see digital specifications in Rule Two Paragraph 2.b) of selected scenes showing the achievements. Excerpts shall be from the final release version of the motion pictures and shall not exceed ten minutes in total running time.
4. For nomination purposes, eligibility of the contributor(s) to the makeup achievement shall be determined by the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch Executive Committee no later than one week prior to the makeup artist and hairstylist members’ voting screening as described in Paragraph E below. When the hairstyles and/or hair effects contribute greatly to the appearance and effect of the characters, the hairstylist most responsible for the hair design work may be included in the Makeup award. This shall be at the discretion of the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch Executive Committee.
5. Makeup artist and hairstylist members of the Academy shall meet to screen the excerpts from the motion pictures and vote on the achievements. Immediately after the screening of excerpts and related discussion, members shall vote in order of their preference for not more than three motion pictures. The three pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Makeup award.
  Makeup artist and hairstylist members unable to attend the voting screening, but who have seen all the motion pictures under consideration, will receive ballots by mail. These ballots must be returned no later than the day preceding the screening.
6. Final voting for the Makeup award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.
7. Such other rules or modifications as may be necessary for the proper conduct of this award shall be adopted by the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch Executive Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Board of Governors.

RULE SIXTEEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE MUSIC AWARDS

CATEGORIES
1. Original Score:
  An original score is a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring and is written specifically for the motion picture by the submitting composer.
2. Original Song:
  An original song consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits.
3. Original Musical:
  An original musical consists of not fewer than five original songs (as defined in paragraph I.B above) by the same writer or team of writers either used as voiceovers or visually performed. Each of these songs must be substantively rendered, clearly audible, intelligible, and must further the storyline of the motion picture. An arbitrary group of songs unessential to the storyline will not be considered eligible.
ELIGIBILITY
1. The work must be created specifically for the eligible feature-length motion picture.
2. The work must be the result of a creative interaction between the filmmaker(s) and the composer(s) and/or songwriter(s) who have been engaged to work directly on the motion picture.
3. The work’s eligibility shall be evaluated on its effectiveness, craftsmanship, creative substance and relevance to the dramatic whole.
4. The work must be recorded for use in the motion picture prior to any other usage, including public performance or exploitation through any media whatsoever.
5. In the case of an original musical, the composer or adapter of the instrumental score may qualify for an award if his or her contribution is deemed relevant and substantial.
6. Only the principal composer(s) or songwriter(s) responsible for the conception and execution of the work as a whole shall be eligible for an award. This expressly excludes from eligibility all of the following:
  1. supervisors
  2. partial contributors (e.g., any writer not responsible for the overall design of the work)
  3. contributors working on speculation
  4. scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other pre-existing music
  5. scores diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs
  6. scores assembled from the music of more than one composer
7. No more than two statuettes will normally be given in the Original Song category. A third statuette may be awarded when there are three essentially equal contributors to a song.
8. The Music Branch Executive Committee shall resolve all rules interpretations and all questions of eligibility.
9. It is within the sole and confidential discretion of the Board of Governors to determine what awards, if any, shall be given.
SUBMISSION
1. For an achievement to be eligible for nomination in any of the three music categories, an official submission form, obtainable from the Academy, must be requested personally by the principal writer(s) who alone may make the submission.
2. The submission form must be signed by all submitting writers and must be accompanied by a complete music cue sheet (listing all music cues), vocal lead sheets (in the Original Song and Original Musical categories), and in the Original Song category, a DigiBeta clip of no more than three minutes of each song showing how each song is used in the motion picture.
3. Submissions may be made prior to the qualifying Los Angeles release opening, but must be made no later than 60 days after such opening, or by 5 p.m. PT on Monday, December 1, 2008, whichever comes first.
4. The Executive Committee has the right, but not the obligation, to submit any eligible works in all three categories, but must do so no later than noon of December 31, 2008.
VOTING
1. A Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score and Original Musical categories shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Academy Music Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements in each category.
2. In the Original Score category (and Original Musical category, if activated), the five achievements in each category receiving the highest number of votes on mail ballots will become the nominations for final voting for the award.
3. In the Original Song category, Music Branch members shall meet to screen clips of the eligible songs and vote on the achievements. A DVD copy of the song clips will be made available to those Branch members who are unable to attend the screening and who request it for home viewing. Voting shall be conducted as follows:
  Nominations will be determined by an averaged point system of voting using 10, 9.5, 9, 8.5, 8, 7.5, 7, 6.5 or 6. Only those songs receiving an average score of 8.25 or more shall be eligible for nomination. There may not be more than five nor fewer than three nominations.
  
  Members who attend the song nomination screening will vote at that time. Those who receive the DVD will vote by mail ballot. Those members who have a song in contention for the nomination are not eligible to participate.
4. Only two songs may be nominated from any one film. If more than two songs from one film are in contention, the two songs with the most votes will be the nominees.
5. If there are 25 or fewer qualified works submitted in any category, the Music Branch Executive Committee may recommend to the Board of Governors that nominations be limited to three. If there are nine or fewer qualifying works submitted in any category, the Executive Committee may recommend to the Board of Governors that no award be given in that category for the current year.
6. The category of Original Musical may be activated only by special request of the Music Branch Executive Committee to the Board of Governors in a year when the field of eligible submissions is determined to be of sufficient quantity and quality to justify award competition.
7. The entire active and life Academy membership shall vote for final selections in each category.

RULE SEVENTEEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR AWARD

A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all active and life members of the Academy who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five pictures.
The five pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Best Picture award.
The individual(s) who shall be credited for Academy Award purposes must have screen credit of “producer” or “produced by.” Persons with screen credits of executive producer, co-producer, associate producer, line producer, produced in association with or any other credit shall not receive nominations or Academy statuettes. The nominees will be those three or fewer producers who have performed the major portion of the producing functions. The Producers Branch Executive Committee will designate the qualifying producer nominees for each of the nominated pictures. The committee has the right, in what it determines to be a rare and extraordinary circumstance, to name any additional qualified producer as a nominee.
Final voting for the Best Picture award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

RULE EIGHTEEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievement shall be made by the 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 arts and sciences of motion pictures. No awards may be given posthumously.
The Academy President shall annually 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.
Awards for scientific and technical achievement may be granted in any of the three following classifications:
ACADEMY AWARD OF MERIT
(Academy Statuette)
For basic achievements that have a definite influence upon the advancement of the industry.

SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING AWARD
(Academy Plaque)
For those achievements that exhibit a high level of engineering and are important to the progress of the industry.

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
(Academy Certificate)
For those accomplishments that contribute to the progress of the industry.
The committee shall familiarize itself with all motion picture scientific and technical achievements of the Awards year. To assist the committee, letters shall be sent to individuals and organizations engaged in scientific and technical developments for motion pictures, requesting that they submit any information they may have regarding achievements that may have been developed in their own or in any other organizations.
A list of all achievements being considered shall be widely publicized to permit anyone with claims of prior art or with devices similar to those under consideration to bring them to the attention of the committee.
The committee shall then conduct a series of meetings and examinations and, when feasible, shall arrange for such demonstrations as are necessary to evaluate the achievements properly and make recommendations for action by the Board of Governors.
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.
Where achievements are covered by patent(s), copies of the patent(s) shall be made available to the committee. If a patent is pending, the date of filing and names of authors and application number must be submitted.
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 Academy Board of Governors postpone action until proper credit is established.
The committee may appoint advisory groups for each technical classification in which there are achievements to be considered. The chairperson of each advisory group shall be one of the members of the advisory group and shall conduct its meetings and discussions.
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 chairpersons.
All voting by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee shall be done by secret ballot. Committee members may voluntarily abstain from voting on any item. All decisions as to award recommendations and classifications shall require a two-thirds majority vote of those present and voting. Members of the committee having a personal connection with any achievement shall not be present during discussion of that achievement except by invitation of the chairperson. Members of the committee who do not have a personal connection with the achievement but who are affiliated with the organization responsible for the achievement may be present at the discussion and voting at the discretion of the chairperson, but may not vote on the achievement.
The committee shall carefully evaluate all information regarding actual authorship of each item 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 Academy Board of Governors the person(s) and/or organization(s) to whom an award shall be made, the type of award and the text thereof.
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 named are responsible for the origin or development of the achievement named in the award.
It shall be within the discretion of the committee to recommend no awards be given if, in its judgment, there have been no achievements worthy of recognition. It shall also be within the discretion of the committee, but only on its own motion, 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 arts and sciences of motion pictures, and to recommend elevation in classification to the Academy Board of Governors.
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 Academy Board of Governors.

RULE NINETEEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SHORT FILMS AWARDS

DEFINITIONS
1. A short film is defined as an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes, including all credits.
2. This excludes from consideration such works as:
  1. previews and advertising films
  2. sequences from feature-length films such as credit sequences
  3. unaired episodes of established TV series
  4. unsold TV series pilots
CATEGORIES
An award shall be given for the best achievement in each of two categories.
1. Animated Short Films
  An animated film is created by using a frame-by-frame technique, and usually falls into one of the two general fields of animation: character or abstract. Some of the techniques of animating films include cel animation, computer animation, stop-motion, clay animation, pixilation, cutouts, pins, camera multiple pass imagery, kaleidoscopic effects, and drawing on the film frame itself. Documentary short subjects that are animated may be submitted in either the Animated Short Film category or the Documentary Short Subject category, but not both.
2. Live Action Short Films
  A live action film uses live action techniques as the basic medium of entertainment. Documentary short subjects will not be accepted in the live action category.
ELIGIBILITY
1. To be eligible for award consideration for the 2008 Awards year, a short film must fulfill one of the following criteria between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2008, within two years of the film’s completion date:
  1. The film must have been publicly exhibited for paid admission in 16mm, 35mm or 70mm film or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels, source image format conforming to SMPTE 428-1-2006 DCinema—Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000), and image and sound file formats suitable for exhibition in commercial Digital Cinema sites, in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County for a run of at least three consecutive days with at least two screenings a day. Student films cannot qualify in this manner.
    
    OR
  2. The film must have participated in a competitive film festival as specified in the Academy Festival List, and must have won a best-in-category award. Proof of the award must be submitted with the entry. The Academy’s Short Films Awards Festival List may be obtained from the Academy and is available on the Academy’s Web site.
  3. A student film may also qualify by winning a Gold Medal award in the Academy’s 2008 Student Academy Awards competition in the Animation, Narrative, Alternative, or Honorary Foreign Film category. Winners in the Documentary category are not eligible.
2. A short film may not be exhibited publicly anywhere in any nontheatrical form, including but not limited to broadcast and cable television, home video, and Internet transmission, until after its Los Angeles theatrical release, or after receiving its festival or Student Academy Award.
SUBMISSION
1. Short films must be submitted to the Academy in 16mm, 35mm or 70mm film or as a digital file formatted according to the digital qualification standards described in III.A.1. Please contact the Awards Office for a list of acceptable formats. Formats requiring special technical presentation that meet the technical specifications above will be given consideration if made available for Academy voting screenings in Los Angeles County.
2. The print or copy of the short film submitted for Academy Awards consideration must be identical in content and length to the print or copy that qualified.
3. Dialogue or narration must be substantially in English or the film must have English-language subtitles.
4. Prints or copies should be marked “Short Film Entry” and shipped prepaid to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211. Prints or copies submitted will be retained by the Academy throughout the voting process.
5. The deadline for receiving the entry form, all required materials and film print or copy is 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday, October 1, 2008. Foreign entries must also comply with this rule.
6. For the first round of judging only, works may be submitted digitally. If a short film advances to the second round of voting, two film prints must be received by the Academy by 5 p.m. PT on Monday, December 29, 2008.
7. The Academy will retain for its archives one film print of every short film receiving a nomination for final balloting. All prints of films that are not nominated will be returned.
8. The recipient of the statuette will be the individual most directly responsible for the concept and the creative execution of the film. In the event that more than one individual has been directly and importantly involved in creative decisions, a second statuette may be awarded. However, no more than two awards will be given to a winning production. In cases where more than two individuals claim major creative contributions, the copyright holder must decide which two will be eligible to receive statuettes and so inform the Academy. Companies or organized groups shall not receive nominations or awards.
9. No short film may be submitted more than once for Academy Award consideration.
VOTING
1. Excellence of the entries shall be judged on the basis of originality, entertainment and production quality without regard to cost of production or subject matter.
2. A Reviewing Committee, consisting of volunteer active and life members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch, will view all motion pictures entered and mark all entries 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 or 5 with the guidelines of 10 (excellent), 8 (good), 6 (fair) or 5 (poor). In each category not more than ten pictures receiving the highest average numerical scores above 7.5 shall be considered further. In the event that fewer than six pictures receive average numerical scores above 7.5, those with the next highest average numerical scores shall be included until six pictures are selected.
3. To determine nominations, all entries selected by the Reviewing Committee shall be screened by the Branch Nominating Committee consisting of all active and life members of the Academy Short Films and Feature Animation Branch. Those members of the Branch who served on the Reviewing Committee, and who viewed all of the selected pictures, in either or both categories, will receive mail ballots. The running order of the films in each category shall be determined by lot. The 10 to 5 point system will be used for voting at this screening. Those films receiving an average score of 7.5 or more shall be eligible for nomination. However, there may be not more than five nor fewer than three nominations in each category.
4. Final voting for the Short Films awards shall be restricted to active and life Academy members who may vote for only one film in each of the two categories. Members must have attended official Academy screenings of the nominated achievements. However, those members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch who served on the Branch Nominating Committee, and who viewed all the nominated pictures, will receive mail ballots. When a non-standard format nominated film cannot be included in the official Academy voting screenings for its category, members must submit evidence of having seen that film elsewhere in order to vote in that category.

RULE TWENTY

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SOUND EDITING AWARD

A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be sent with a ballot to all members of the Academy Sound Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five pictures.
The five pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Sound Editing award.
Eligibility for this award shall be limited to the Supervising Sound Editor directly involved in and primarily responsible for the planning, creation, direction and execution of the sound design and editing for each achievement. The Supervising Sound Editor must be the primary creative decision maker and is principally responsible for interpreting the director’s vision and conveying it to the sound editing team. The Supervising Sound Editor must approve the sound effects and their specific placement in the film, coordinate the creation of newly designed sound and foley effects and the editing of dialogue and ADR. The Supervising Sound Editor must oversee the recording of the pre-dubs and be present to supervise the final mix. In the event the above responsibilities are divided between two co-supervisors, both co-supervisors must meet the above criteria.
Nomination eligibility of the Supervising Sound Editor responsible for the achievement shall be determined by the Sound Editing Award Rules Committee.
Final voting for the Sound Editing award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

RULE TWENTY-ONE

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SOUND MIXING AWARD

A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Sound Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five pictures.
The five pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Sound Mixing award.
The talents of the rerecording mixer(s) on a panel (not to exceed three) and the production mixer will be judged as contributing equally to a soundtrack achievement. On an Official Data Record supplied by the Academy, the producer and the sound director shall designate no more than three eligible co-rerecording mixers who have contributed substantially to the final mix, and no more than one production mixer for Academy Award purposes.
In the event of a credits dispute, the nomination eligibility for the Sound Mixing award shall be determined by the Sound Branch Executive Committee.
Following a review of the Official Data Records, determination of nomination eligibility shall be the responsibility of the Academy.
The Theater Sound Inspection Committee shall inspect and approve the projection sound systems of the Academy’s theaters at least one week prior to the annual screening of nominated achievements. No changes may be made in the sound systems after final approval by the committee. Any composite release print that plays on the normal projection sound system of the Academy’s theaters requires no special approval of the committee. Any production that deviates from the normal sound system, or requires modification of the system, must be approved by a majority of the committee before the final check of the system. Notification of such deviation or modification requirements must be submitted to the Academy at least three weeks in advance of the inspection and approval of the sound system.
Before screening films nominated for the Sound Mixing award, representatives of the pictures to be shown may run a maximum of one A/B reel of their pictures to audition them. At the actual screenings, films will be run at the Academy Standard sound level.
Final voting for the Sound Mixing award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

RULE TWENTY-TWO

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE VISUAL EFFECTS AWARD

The Academy President shall appoint a chairman who will form an Executive/Steering Committee from active and life members from the Academy Visual Effects Branch.
The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee shall review a Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures, and in a series of meetings shall cast secret ballots to select a maximum of seven pictures for further consideration. Achievements shall be judged within the parameters defined by the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee and on the basis of:
1. consideration of the contribution the visual effects make to the overall production and
2. the artistry, skill and fidelity with which the visual illusions are achieved.
The producers of the pictures selected for award consideration (or their designees) shall be requested to provide the committee with the following:
1. Written descriptions explaining the procedures used to create the effects.
2. Excerpts from film composite release prints—not to exceed fifteen minutes (1 ,350 feet) in total running time—showing the effects described. Producers wishing to present a matching digital version of their film excerpt reel may do so, provided the film was originally released in that format; however, a duplicate film excerpt reel must still be provided.
3. The names and titles of no more than four individuals directly involved with and principally responsible for the visual effects achieved, and a description of their contributions. Additional names will not be considered. As the Visual Effects award is a craft award, producers, coordinators and other executives are not eligible for this award unless they are also craftspeople with primary creative responsibility for the achievement.
The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee shall determine whether an achievement is eligible. They shall also determine the eligibility of the contributor(s) to the achievement for nomination purposes.
Active members of the Visual Effects Branch are eligible to serve on the Visual Effects Award Nominating Committee. Those members shall attend a meeting to view the film excerpts and vote on the achievements. Written descriptions of the effects shall be made available to the committee prior to the meeting.
The producers (or their designees) may attend the meeting of the Nominating Committee; however, only the potential nominees will be allowed to address the Nominating Committee.
Following the viewing of film excerpts and discussion relative to the achievements, voting shall be conducted as follows:
1. All members of the Visual Effects Award Nominating Committee present shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than three of the seven achievements.
2. The three productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Visual Effects award.
3. Final voting for the Visual Effects award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.
Excerpt reels shall become the property of the Academy and placed in the Academy Film Archive, with the proviso that the Academy will not use these reels for commercial gain.
Such other rules or procedures necessary for the proper conduct of this award shall be adopted by the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Board of Governors.

RULE TWENTY-THREE

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE WRITING AWARDS

An award shall be given for the best achievement in each of two categories:
Adapted Screenplay

Original Screenplay
A Reminder List of all pictures eligible in each category shall be sent with nominations ballots to all members of the Academy Writers Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions in each category.
The five productions in each category receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Writing awards.
Final voting for the Writing awards shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

RULE TWENTY-FOUR

RULES FOR THE TESTIMONIAL AWARDS

DEFINITIONS
The Testimonial Awards include the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Honorary Award. They are determined and bestowed by the Board of Governors.
NOMINATING AND VOTING PROCEDURES
1. Nominations for the Testimonial Awards shall be made at an annually designated meeting of the Board of Governors. Nominations for all three awards shall be conducted as a single procedure in which a nominee is named along with the award for which he or she is proposed.
2. When the nominations are closed, voting shall be conducted by secret ballot. The governors shall indicate their preference for a Testimonial Award by selecting one candidate from among the names listed. The candidate who receives a majority of the votes shall then stand for further consideration. If a tie occurs, a run-off vote between the tied candidates shall take place until a preferred candidate is determined.
3. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the two candidates with the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated and the remaining candidates shall stand for a second round of voting. If after the second round of voting no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the one candidate receiving the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated and the remaining candidates shall be voted upon. This process of elimination shall continue until a candidate with a majority is determined.
4. Once a single candidate has emerged, an additional secret vote shall take place to determine whether the particular award proposed will be conferred. A “yes” vote from two-thirds of the governors present is necessary to endorse the proposal. In the absence of a two-thirds endorsement, no Testimonial Award will be given that year.
5. A second award—which may be anyone of the three Testimonial Awards—may also be presented, following the same nominating and voting procedures as described above, with the following distinction: in the final round of voting, three-quarters of the governors present must endorse the giving of the award.
LIMITATIONS
1. No more than two Testimonial Awards may be presented in a given Awards year. This limitation may only be exceeded by unanimous consent of all the governors present.
2. No proxies shall be permitted in balloting for any Testimonial Award. No Testimonial Award shall be voted posthumously. No sitting member of the Board of Governors shall be eligible to receive a Testimonial Award. No individual shall be eligible to receive any particular Testimonial Award more than once.

RULE TWENTY-FIVE

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

This award shall be given for an achievement which makes an exceptional contribution to the motion picture for which it was created, but for which there is no annual award category. Such award shall only be conferred, however, for achievements in productions which also qualify under Rules Two and Three.
Nominations for the Special Achievement Award shall be made at a special meeting of the Board of Governors, and/or upon recommendation of the Animated Feature Film Award Screening Committee (see Rule Seven).
Following completion of the nominations for this award, a secret ballot shall be taken on which the governors vote for the nominee of their preference. The nominee receiving the highest numerical score shall be considered further in a second secret ballot to determine if this award shall be given. If the achievement receives a vote of two-thirds of the governors present, the person(s) named as being responsible for the achievement shall receive the Special Achievement Award.
No proxies shall be permitted in balloting for the Special Achievement Award.
Such other rules or modifications as may be necessary for the proper conduct of this award shall be adopted by the Board of Governors.

RULE TWENTY-SIX

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE GORDON E. SAWYER AWARD

This award shall be given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry.
The selection of this award is overseen by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee and brought before the Board of Governors for consideration. A vote of two-thirds of the governors present is necessary to endorse the proposal.
Presentation of this award is made at a special event honoring scientific and technical achievements.
No proxies shall be permitted in balloting for the Sawyer Award. The Sawyer Award shall not be voted posthumously. No sitting member of the Board of Governors shall be eligible to receive the Sawyer Award. No individual shall be eligible to receive the Sawyer Award more than once.

RULE TWENTY-SEVEN

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SPECIAL AWARDS

The Scientific and Technical Special Awards include:
JOHN A. BONNER MEDAL OF COMMENDATION (Medallion). This award shall be given to an individual in appreciation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

AWARD OF COMMENDATION (Special Plaque). This award shall be given in recognition of special technical achievements in the motion picture industry.
The selection of these awards is overseen by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee and brought before the Board of Governors for consideration. A vote of two-thirds of the governors present is necessary to endorse each proposal.
Presentation of these awards is made at a special event honoring scientific and technical achievements.
No proxies shall be permitted in balloting for any of these Special Awards. No Special Awards shall be voted posthumously. No sitting member of the Board of Governors shall be eligible to receive any of these Special Awards. No individual shall be eligible to receive any particular Special Award more than once.

BALLOTING INFORMATION CHART

81st Annual Academy Awards - 2008 Calendar Year
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

ANNUAL AWARDS

AWARD	NOMINATIONS BALLOTING		FINAL BALLOTING
AWARD	MAXIMUM NUMBER OF NOMINATIONS	NOMINATING GROUPS	FINAL BALLOTING
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE	5 5 5 5	Academy Actors Branch Members.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM*	5	Animated Feature Film Screening Committee.
ART DIRECTION	5	All Members of the Academy Art Directors Branch except Costume Designers.
CINEMATOGRAPHY	5	Academy Cinematographers Branch Members.
COSTUME DESIGN	5	Costume Designer Members of the Academy Art Directors Branch.
DIRECTING	5	Academy Directors Branch Members.
DOCUMENTARY AWARDS: FEATURES SHORT SUBJECTS	5 5	Academy Documentary Branch Members.
FILM EDITING	5	Academy Film Editors Branch Members.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM	5	Foreign Language Film Award Committee.
MAKEUP	3	Academy Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch Members.
MUSIC: (I) ORIGINAL SCORE (II) ORIGINAL SONG (III) ORIGINAL MUSICAL*	5 5 5	Academy Music Branch Members.
BEST PICTURE	5	All Active and Life Academy Members.
SHORT FILMS: ANIMATED FILMS LIVE ACTION FILMS	5 5	Academy Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Members.
SOUND EDITING	5	Academy Sound Branch Members.
SOUND MIXING	5	Academy Sound Branch Members.
VISUAL EFFECTS	3	Visual Effects Award Nominating Committee.
WRITING: ADAPTED SCREENPLAY ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY	5 5	Academy Writers Branch Members.

TESTIMONIAL AWARDS*

IRVING G. THALBERG MEMORIAL AWARD
JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD
HONORARY AWARD

Voted by Board of Governors.

SPECIAL AWARDS*

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL AWARDS GORDON E. SAWYER AWARD JOHN A. BONNER MEDAL OF COMMENDATION AWARD OF COMMENDATION	Voted by Board of Governors based on recommendations of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee.
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD OTHER AWARDS	Voted by Board of Governors.

* May not be given every year. See special rules for these categories for conditions of presentation.

2008 (81st Annual Awards)Academy Award Voting Rules

81ST ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS® OF MERIT [FOR ACHIEVEMENTS DURING 2008]