RULES

NINTH ANNUAL
ACADEMY AWARDS OF MERIT

ONE

The Awards Year

The achievements for which the Academy Awards of Merit shall be bestowed must have been in connection with motion pictures first publicly exhibited (previews excluded) in the Los Angeles District during the calendar year of 1936, except that productions nationally released in 1936 may also be included if exhibited in Los Angeles in January of 1937 before the Awards nominations are made.

TWO

The Annual Awards

Awards of Merit shall be conferred for the following achievements:

PRODUCTION:	For the most outstanding motion picture production.
ACTING:	For the best performance by an actor. (Also a special Award for the best performance by an actor in a supporting role.) For the best performance by an actress. (Also a special Award for the best performance by an actress in a supporting role.)
DIRECTING:	For the best achievement in directing.
WRITING:	For the best written screen play. For the best original motion picture story.
ART DIRECTION:	For the best achievement in art direction.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:	For the best achievement in cinematography of a black and white picture photographed in America under normal production conditions.
SOUND RECORDING:	For the best achievement by a studio sound department.
SHORT SUBJECTS:	An Award shall be given jointly for the outstanding productions selected in four classifications: Cartoons, 1,000-foot subjects, Subjects between 1,000 and 3,000 feet, Short subjects in color.
FILM EDITING:	For the best achievement in film editing.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR:	For the year’s outstanding achievement by an assistant director or unit manager.
MUSIC:	In two classifications for the outstanding achievements in music in connection with motion pictures: (a) Best song (as an achievement in music and lyric writing). (b) Best scoring of a motion picture production.
DANCE DIRECTION:	For the year’s outstanding achievement in dance direction.

THREE

The Special Awards

Upon recommendation of the Awards Committee, the Academy Board of Governors may bestow Special Awards as follows:

1. SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT: For a device, method, formula, discovery or invention of special and outstanding value to the art, science, or industry of motion picture production, and actually employed in production within the Awards period. (See Rule 14.)
2. OTHER SPECIAL AWARDS: For outstanding achievements not strictly within the categories listed in Rule Two. These achievements may be in connection with foreign as well as domestic productions, and are not limited to the Awards year.
3. Special Awards shall be in the form of gold statuette trophies or certificates of honorable mention, or in such other form as the Awards Committee may recommend to the Academy Board of Governors.

FOUR

General Rules and Time Limits

1. The general Awards for production, best performances by actor and actress, directing, screen play, original story, art direction, cinematography, and sound recording, shall be in the form of gold statuettes emblematic of the motion picture profession. The special Awards for best performances by actor and actress in supporting roles, and the general Awards for film editing, assistant director, best song, scoring, and dance direction shall be in the form of gold placques [sic] suitably inscribed. The Award for short subject production shall be a permanent statuette trophy conferred jointly for the four classifications of production, together with individual certificates suitably inscribed.
2. Final voting for Awards shall be by secret ballot. Printed forms and ballots shall be supplied by the Academy to all members, and shall be returned to the Academy unsigned and in sealed envelopes.
3. The final ballots shall not be opened for counting until the date fixed for the bestowal of Awards. They shall then be opened and counted under the supervision of the Awards Board of Tellers, which shall be a firm of Certified Public Accountants designated by the Academy President.
4. The Awards shall be conferred at a dinner meeting of the Academy membership and guests.
5. In the event that an achievement voted an Award was done in collaboration, each of the collaborators shall receive an Award trophy. An exception to this rule is that the director of a picture may not receive a writing award as a collaborator.
6. In the final 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 as stated in Article XIII of the Academy By-Laws. No “write-in” votes shall be counted on the final ballots.

FIVE

General Rules for Nominations

1. Nominations shall be made by an Awards Nominating Committee appointed by the President of the Academy. The five branches of the Academy (Actors, Directors, Production Executives, Technicians, and Writers) shall be equally represented on this Committee
2. The Nominating Committee 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. On Awards for which special rules are provided the Committee shall nominate the achievements receiving the most votes under such rules.
3. Five nominations shall be made for each Award, except that ten nominations shall be made for the Achievement in Production, three for Cinematography, ten for Sound Recording, and three in each classification of short subject production.
4. All nominations 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 and the Assistant Director which shall name both the individual and the one picture in which the achievement occurred.
5. Performances by an actor or an actress in any leading role shall be eligible for nomination only for the general Awards for acting achievements. Performances by an actor or an actress in any supporting role may be nominated for either the general Awards or the special Awards to be made this year for the first time to supporting players.

SIX

Special Rules for the Art Direction Award

1. Each Art Director in the industry, whether a member of the Academy or not, shall be asked to submit the name of the picture which he believes to represent his own best work during the year (or another picture from his own studio in the event that he does not consider any one of his own productions as being worthy of consideration for the Award).
2. In addition, each Art Director shall be asked to name one picture for which another Art Director from another studio is responsible and which is believed to be of sufficient merit for consideration for nomination for the Award.
3. From the list of productions submitted by each Art Director, a Committee, to be appointed by the Chairman of the Art Directors Section, shall select the five productions considered most worthy of nomination for the Award.
4. The one production to receive the Award shall be chosen from these five by a Committee consisting of not less than ten representatives of the Art Directors Section, and one representative from each of the other Academy branches, to be appointed by the President of the Academy.
5. In arriving at a decision as to the production to be given the Award, the Committee shall use the personal knowledge of its members as to technical excellence, etc., and in addition shall screen each of the nominated productions and/or utilize any other means which it may consider necessary in order to arrive at a correct judgment.

SEVEN

Special Nomination Rules for the Cinematography Award

1. A Committee on Cinematographic Award Nominations shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Photographic Section.
2. Each first cameraman shall be asked to submit the names of the two productions which he deems to be his own best work of the year.
3. From a list of the productions so submitted, plus the names of any other productions which in the judgment of the Committee should be considered, the Committee on Cinematographic Award Nominations shall nominate three productions. The Committee shall use the personal knowledge of its members as to technical excellence, etc., and in addition may screen the productions being given final consideration, or utilize any other means which it may consider necessary in order to arrive at a correct judgment.

EIGHT

Special Nomination Rules for the Film Editing Award

1. Each film editor shall be asked to submit the names of two pictures, one of which he believes to represent his own best work during the year and the other which he believes worthy of consideration but for which another film editor is responsible.
2. The names of the productions so submitted shall be referred to a Committee on the Film Editor Award Nominations to be appointed by the Chairman of the section. From this list, to which shall be added the names of any other productions which in the judgment of the Committee should be considered, the Committee shall nominate five productions. The Committee shall use the personal knowledge of its membership, as to technical excellence, etc., and in addition may screen any or all of the productions being given final consideration, or may utilize any other means which it may consider necessary in order to arrive at a correct judgment.

NINE

Special Nomination Rules for the Sound Recording Award

1. One picture from each studio Sound Department shall be nominated for the Award but not more than ten productions shall appear upon the final ballot.
2. Each nomination shall be made by the Director of the Sound Department concerned, in consultation with such members of his Department and the executive staff of the studio as he may deem fit.
3. All nominations shall be approved by a Committee on Sound Recording Award Nominations to be appointed by the Chairman of the Section and which shall include representation from each Sound Department submitting a nomination.

   In case more than ten nominations shall be submitted it shall be the duty of this Committee to conduct a preliminary elimination upon some fair and equitable basis to be worked out at the time, to bring the total number of productions to appear upon the final ballot within the limit of ten.

TEN

Special Nomination Rules for Achievements in Music

1. Best Song. Each principal collaborator on music and lyrics used for the first time in motion pictures in productions within the Awards year shall be asked to submit the names of three songs. One of these shall be that which he considers his own best work of the year, the other two must be the work of other writers. The titles of the five songs receiving the most mention shall be placed on the final ballot.
2. Best Scoring. The executive in charge of each of the studio music departments shall be asked to submit the titles of the two pictures which he considers represent the best work done in such department during the year in scoring, together with the titles of three pictures which he considers represent the best work from other studios. From the list so compiled a Committee composed of such executives shall nominate five productions.

ELEVEN

Special Rules for the Award for Achievement by an Assistant Director

1. A preliminary list of two assistant directors or unit managers from each studio shall be selected by a Committee to be appointed by the Chairman of the Assistant Directors Section. This list shall be voted upon by the general membership of the Assistant Directors Section to determine the five nominations.

TWELVE

Special Rules for Dance Direction Recognition

1. Each dance director shall be asked to enter the name of one number for the direction of which he was responsible.
2. Solo numbers shall be excluded unless the principal is in the ensemble. Preliminary footage shall be reduced to the minimum necessary to introduce the ensemble. Entrants shall arrange to provide prints.
3. A special showing shall be arranged at which the Academy members shall cast ballots on a point system rating the merit of the nominated achievements as to:
   1. Originality of idea.
   2. Execution.
   3. Entertainment value.
4. The voting shall be by secret ballot and shall be final.

THIRTEEN

Special Rules for Short Subjects Award

1. Nomination entries shall be submitted in four 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, in black and white.
   3. Short subjects between 1,000 and 3,000 feet in length, in black and white.
   4. Short subjects photographed in color, not over 3,000 feet in length.
2. Entries in each classification shall be limited to one subject from a production series, the selection to be made by the producer of the series.
3. Producers entering subjects must arrange to have prints available for screening in Hollywood on a date to be specified.
4. In both nomination 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.
5. A Nominating Committee of short subjects producers shall be appointed by the Academy President. This Committee shall review all entries, working as four sub-committees, each of which will review and nominate from one classification only, the members of each sub·committee voting on a different classification of production than they themselves are engaged in.
6. Three subjects shall be nominated in each classification by a majority vote of the sub-committee.
7. The final vote shall be taken at a special exhibition of the nominated subjects before a committee of Academy members now engaged in feature production, which committee shall include at least one representative of each of the Academy Branches. Academy members and guests may be invited to this exhibition.

FOURTEEN

Rules for the Scientific or Technical Awards

Awards for Scientific or Technical Achievement shall be for a device, method, formula, discovery or invention of special and outstanding value to the art, science or industry of motion picture production and actually employed in production during the Awards year. Decision on this Award shall be made as follows:

1. The Chairman of the Technicians Branch shall appoint a Board of qualified judges, members of the Branch, who shall take notice of all achievements within or of the industry as herein described, and fully acquaint themselves as to the merits of such achievements to thus be able to render a just decision.
2. Any individual or company may submit to the Board of Judges nominations in writing for this Award.
3. The Chairman of the Board of Judges shall appoint Sub-committees of representatives of the various professional fields within which nominations are made, to appraise the nominations and to assist the Board in arriving at their decision.
4. The Board of Judges shall meet at such times as they select to consider nominations, or achievements which may be brought to their notice whether nominated or not, and shall recommend to the Awards Committee the person, persons, group or corporation on whom the Award shall be bestowed, and the manner in which such recognition shall be accorded.
5. It shall be within the discretion of the Board of Judges to divide the Award, or to make no Award.