Editing Academy Awards (section)

== Oscar statuette ==
{{redirect|Oscar trophy|the basketball trophy|Oscar Robertson Trophy}}

=== Overview ===
{{See also|#Categories}}

The Oscar statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit,<ref name="statuette">{{cite web |date=July 25, 2014 |title=Oscar Statuette |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/statuette |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301182257/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/statuette |archive-date=March 1, 2017 |access-date=February 27, 2017 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref> is given to winners of each year's awards. Made of gold-plated [[bronze]] on a black metal base, it is {{Convert|13.5|in|cm|1|abbr=on}} tall, weighs {{Convert|8.5|lb|kg|abbr=on}} and depicts a knight rendered in [[Art Deco]] style holding a sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes represent the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers, and Technicians.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oscar Statuette: Legacy |url=http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/about/awards/oscar.html/?pn=statuette |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211172055/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/about/awards/oscar.html/?pn=statuette |archive-date=December 11, 2013 |access-date=April 13, 2007 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref>

[[File:DSC 7227 Музей кино.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Plaster War-time Oscar plaque (1943), State Central Museum of Cinema, Moscow [[:ru:Государственный центральный музей кино|(ru)]]]]

Sculptor [[George Stanley (sculptor)|George Stanley]], who also did the Muse Fountain at the [[Hollywood Bowl]], sculpted [[Cedric Gibbons]]' design. The statuettes presented at the initial ceremonies were gold-plated solid bronze. Within a few years, the bronze was abandoned in favor of [[Britannia metal]], a pewter-like alloy that is then plated in copper, nickel silver, and finally, 24-karat gold.<ref name="statuette"/> Due to a metal shortage during World War II, Oscars were made of painted plaster for three years. Following the war, the Academy invited recipients to redeem the plaster figures for gold-plated metal ones.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oscar Statuette: Manufacturing, Shipping and Repairs |url=http://www.oscars.com/legacy/?pn=statuette&page=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927134712/http://www.oscars.com/legacy/?pn=statuette&page=2 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |access-date=April 13, 2007 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref>

The only addition to the Oscar since it was created is a minor streamlining of the base. The original Oscar mold was cast in 1928 at the [[C.W. Shumway & Sons]] Foundry in [[Batavia, Illinois|Batavia]], Illinois, which also contributed to casting the molds for the [[Vince Lombardi Trophy]] and [[Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]] statuettes. During the 1970s, the Oscar statues were cast in [[Crystal Lake, Illinois]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/04/02/archives/oscar-night-also-big-one-for-a-factory-in-illinois-make-70-oscars.html/ |title=Oscar NiArchivedght Also Big One For a Factory in Illinois |work=New York Times |access-date=2024-12-19 |date=April 2, 1974 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241219220233/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/04/02/archives/oscar-night-also-big-one-for-a-factory-in-illinois-make-70-oscars.html |archive-date=2024-12-19}}</ref> From 1983 to 2015,<ref>{{cite news |date=February 20, 2009 |title=Eladio Gonzalez sands and buffs Oscar #3453 |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |url=https://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/02/at_work.html#photo14 |url-status=live |access-date=February 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223085458/http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/02/at_work.html |archive-date=February 23, 2009}}</ref> approximately 50 Oscars in a tin alloy with gold plating were made each year in Chicago by Illinois manufacturer [[R.S. Owens & Company]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Babwin|first=Don|url=http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2009Jan26/0,4675,OscarGoldplatedJourney,00.html|title=Oscar 3453 is 'born' in Chicago factory|date=January 27, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310092910/http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2009Jan26/0%2C4675%2COscarGoldplatedJourney%2C00.html|archive-date=March 10, 2014|agency=Associated Press}} ({{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=20090127&id=n_UlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ff0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=6931,2001573 |title=Lodi News-Sentinel |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912115310/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=20090127&id=n_UlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ff0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=6931,2001573|archive-date=September 12, 2015 |url-status=live |via=Google News}})</ref> It would take between three and four weeks to manufacture 50 statuettes.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Alvarez |first=Alex |date=February 22, 2013 |title=Meet the Mexican Model Behind the Oscar Statue |url=https://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Entertainment/meet-emilio-fernandez-face-oscars/story?id=18550020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303023939/http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Entertainment/meet-emilio-fernandez-face-oscars/story?id=18550020 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=February 27, 2016 |website=ABC News}}</ref>

[[File:Academy Award statuette at the Latvian National Museum of Art.png|thumb|250x250px|[[Gints Zilbalodis]]'s Academy Award statuette for ''[[Flow (2024 film)|Flow]]'' (2024) on display at the [[Latvian National Museum of Art]] in 2025]]

In 2016, the Academy returned to bronze as the core metal of the statuettes, handing manufacturing duties to [[Walden, New York|Walden]], New York-based Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry, now owned and operated by [[Urban Art Projects|UAP Urban Art Projects]].<ref name="Oscarstatuettes2016">{{cite web |last=Kojen |first=Natalie |date=February 16, 2016 |title=The Academy and Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry Revive the Art of Oscar Statuettes |url=http://www.oscars.org/news/academy-and-polich-tallix-fine-art-foundry-revive-art-oscarr-statuettes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160218215850/http://www.oscars.org/news/academy-and-polich-tallix-fine-art-foundry-revive-art-oscarr-statuettes |archive-date=February 18, 2016 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Loviza |first=Amanda |title=Foundry seeks tax breaks in move to Walden |url=https://www.recordonline.com/news/20170127/foundry-seeks-tax-breaks-in-move-to-walden |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105201457/https://www.recordonline.com/news/20170127/foundry-seeks-tax-breaks-in-move-to-walden |archive-date=January 5, 2019 |access-date=January 5, 2019 |website=recordonline.com}}</ref> While based on a digital scan of an original 1929 Oscar, the statuettes retain their modern-era dimensions and black pedestal. Cast in liquid bronze from [[3D printing|3D-printed]] ceramic molds and polished, they are then electroplated in 24-karat gold by [[Brooklyn]], New York-based Epner Technology. The time required to produce 50 such statuettes is roughly three months.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kilday |first=Gregg |date=February 16, 2016 |title=Oscar Statuette Gets a Face-Lift – This year's statuettes will be produced by Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry and will be hand-cast in bronze before receiving their 24-karat gold finish. |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscar-statuette-gets-a-face-866321 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505081009/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscar-statuette-gets-a-face-866321 |archive-date=May 5, 2016 |access-date=February 18, 2016 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> R.S. Owens is expected to continue producing other awards for the Academy, and service existing Oscars that need replating.<ref>{{cite web |last=Di Nunzio |first=Miriam |date=February 16, 2016 |title=Oscar statuettes, longtime creation of Chicago-based company, will now be made in New York |url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/oscar-statuettes-longtime-creations-of-chicago-based-company-will-now-be-made-in-new-york/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308120546/http://chicago.suntimes.com/entertainment/oscar-statuettes-longtime-creations-of-chicago-based-company-will-now-be-made-in-new-york/ |archive-date=March 8, 2016 |website=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]}}</ref>

=== Naming ===
The origin of the nickname of the trophy has been disputed, as multiple people have taken credit for naming the trophy "Oscar".

[[Margaret Herrick]], librarian and president of the Academy, may have said she named it after her supposed uncle Oscar in 1931.{{Efn|Sources conflict on whether she actually said this. ''[[Deadline Hollywood]]'' puts doubt on it, saying {{"'}}He reminds me of my Uncle Oscar,' she was reported to have said, while in the hearing of a 'nearby newspaper columnist' who picked up the anecdote and ran with it the next day". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' and ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' state with certainty that she made a claim to the Oscar nickname.}} The only corroboration was a 1938 clipping from the ''[[Los Angeles Examiner]]'', in which Herrick told a story of her and her husband joking with each other using the phrase, "How's your uncle Oscar".<ref name=":2"/>

[[Bette Davis]], in her 1962 autobiography, claimed she named it in 1936 after her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson, of whom the statue's rear end reminded her.<ref name=":2"/><ref>{{cite web |date=February 18, 2015 |title=Oscars: Who Came Up With the Name "Oscar" and More About the Statuette's History (Video) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-who-came-up-name-774775 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029231953/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-who-came-up-name-774775 |archive-date=October 29, 2019 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> But the term had been in use at least two years before. In a 1974 biography written by Whitney Stine with commentary from Davis, Davis wrote, "I relinquish once and for all any claim that I was the one—so, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the honor is all yours."<ref name=":2"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Stine |first1=Whitney |title=Mother Goddam: The Story of the Career of Bette Davis |last2=Davis |first2=Bette |publisher=[[Hawthorn Books]] |year=1974 |isbn=0-8015-5184-6 |location=New York |page=74 |lccn=73-10265 |oclc=1150862598}}</ref>

Columnist [[Sidney Skolsky]] wrote in his 1970 memoir that he came up with the term in 1934 under pressure for a deadline, mocking [[Vaudeville]] comedians who asked "Will you have a cigar, Oscar?" The Academy credits Skolsky with "the first confirmed newspaper reference" to ''Oscar'' in his column on March 16, 1934, which was written about that year's [[6th Academy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |date=August 27, 2014 |title=The 6th Academy Awards Memorable Moments |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1934/memorable-moments |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226111216/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1934/memorable-moments |archive-date=February 26, 2019 |access-date=February 25, 2019 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref> But in the newspaper clipping that Skolsky referred to, he wrote that {{qi|these statues are called 'Oscars'}}, meaning that the name was already in use.<ref name=":2"/>

In 2021, Brazilian researcher [[Waldemar Dalenogare Neto]] contradicted Skolsky's claim to have used the term first, finding the probable first public mention of the name "Oscar" in journalist [[Relman Morin]]'s "Cinematters" column in the ''[[Los Angeles Evening Record]]'' on December 5, 1933. Since the awards didn't take place that year, he said: "What's happened to the annual Academy banquet? As a rule, the banquet and the awarding of "Oscar", the bronze statuette given for best performances, is all over long before this."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dalenogare |first=Waldemar |date=June 6, 2021 |title=Descoberta: primeira menção ao nome Oscar na imprensa |url=https://dalenogare.com/2021/06/descoberta-primeira-mencao-ao-nome-oscar-na-imprensa/ |access-date=February 20, 2024 |website=Movie Reviews by Dalenogare |language=en-US}}</ref>

Bruce Davis, a former executive director of the Academy, credited Eleanore Lilleberg, a secretary at the Academy when the award was first introduced, for the nickname. She had overseen the pre-ceremony handling of the awards. Davis credits Lilleberg because he found in an autobiography of Einar Lilleberg, Eleanore's brother, that Einar had referenced a Norwegian army veteran named Oscar whom the two knew in Chicago, whom Einar described as having always "stood straight and tall".<ref name=":2">{{cite web |last=Cieply |first=Michael |date=June 26, 2022 |title=So, Once And For All (We Hope), Bruce Davis Settles Why They Call It 'Oscar' |url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/once-for-all-bruce-davis-settles-why-they-call-it-oscar-1235052129/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626154131/https://deadline.com/2022/06/once-for-all-bruce-davis-settles-why-they-call-it-oscar-1235052129/ |archive-date=June 26, 2022 |access-date=June 26, 2022 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref><ref name=":3"/> He asserts credit "should almost certainly belong to" Lilleberg.<ref name=":3"/>

=== Engraving ===
To prevent information identifying the Oscar winners from leaking ahead of the ceremony, Oscar statuettes presented at the ceremony have blank baseplates. Until 2010, winners returned their statuettes to the Academy and had to wait several weeks to have their names inscribed on their respective Oscars. Since 2010, winners have had the option of having engraved nameplates applied to their statuettes at an inscription-processing station at the Governor's Ball, a party held immediately after the Oscar ceremony. The R.S. Owens company has engraved nameplates made before the ceremony, bearing the name of every potential winner. The nameplates for the non-winning nominees are later recycled.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kilday |first=Greg |date=February 9, 2010 |title=Oscar statues to include engraved names |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscar-statues-include-engraved-names-20476 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412143119/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscar-statues-include-engraved-names-20476 |archive-date=April 12, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Daly |first=Steve |date=February 28, 2014 |title=Governors Ball Secrets: Welcome to the 'Engraving Station,' Where Oscar Statuettes Get Personalized |work=Parade Magazine |url=http://parade.com/266251/stevedaly/governors-ball-secrets-welcome-to-the-engraving-station-where-oscar-statuettes-get-personalized/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227170517/http://parade.com/266251/stevedaly/governors-ball-secrets-welcome-to-the-engraving-station-where-oscar-statuettes-get-personalized/ |archive-date=February 27, 2015}}</ref>

=== Ownership of Oscar statuettes ===
Before 1950, Oscar statuettes were, and remain, the property of the recipient.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rose |first=Lacey |date=February 28, 2005 |title=Psst! Wanna Buy An Oscar? |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/2005/02/28/cx_lr_0228oscarsales.html |access-date=April 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111214351/http://www.forbes.com/2005/02/28/cx_lr_0228oscarsales.html |archive-date=November 11, 2013}}</ref> Since then the statuettes have been legally [[encumbrance|encumbered]] by the requirement that the statuette be first offered for sale back to the Academy for {{USD|1|long=no}}. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. Academy Awards predating this agreement have been sold in public auctions and private deals for six-figure sums.<ref name="money.com">{{cite web |title=How Much Is an Oscar Statue Worth? Here Are 3 Estimates |author-first1=Megan|author-last1=Leonhardt|url=http://money.com/money/5181378/how-much-oscar-statue-worth/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116212310/https://money.com/how-much-oscar-statue-worth/ |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |website=Money}}</ref>

In 1989, [[Mike Todd|Michael Todd's]] grandson tried to sell Todd's Best Picture Oscar for his 1956 production of ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' to a movie prop collector. The Academy earned enforcement of its statuette contract by gaining a permanent injunction against the sale.

In 1992, [[Harold Russell]] consigned his 1946 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]'' to auction to raise money for his wife's medical expenses. Though his decision caused controversy, the first Oscar ever to be sold passed to a private collector on August 6, 1992, for {{USD|60,500|1992|long=no}}. Russell defended his action, saying, "I don't know why anybody would be critical. My wife's health is much more important than sentimental reasons. The movie will be here, even if Oscar isn't".<ref>{{cite news |last=Rothman |first=Heathcliff |date=February 12, 2006 |title=I'd Really Like to Thank My Pal at the Auction House |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/movies/redcarpet/id-really-like-to-thank-my-pal-at-the-auction-house.html |url-status=live |access-date=September 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921095530/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/movies/redcarpet/id-really-like-to-thank-my-pal-at-the-auction-house.html |archive-date=September 21, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In December 2011, [[Orson Welles]]' 1941 Oscar for ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' ([[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]]) was put up for auction, after his heirs won a 2004 court decision contending that Welles did not sign any agreement to return the statue to the Academy.<ref>{{cite news |last=Duke |first=Alan |date=December 12, 2011 |title=Orson Welles' 'Citizen Kane' Oscar for sale |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/12/showbiz/orson-welles-oscar/index.html |access-date=December 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112025602/http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/12/showbiz/orson-welles-oscar/index.html |archive-date=November 12, 2013}}</ref> On December 20, 2011, it sold in an online auction for {{USD|861,542|2011|long=no}}.<ref name="Welles' Oscar sold">{{cite news |last=Duke |first=Alan |date=December 21, 2011 |title=Orson Welles' 'Citizen Kane' Oscar brings $861,000 |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/21/showbiz/orson-welles-oscar/index.html |access-date=April 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116121806/http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/21/showbiz/orson-welles-oscar/index.html |archive-date=January 16, 2014}}</ref>

Some buyers have subsequently returned the statuettes to the Academy, which keeps them in its treasury.<ref name="money.com"/>

=== Other awards presented by the Academy ===
{{See also|#Special categories}}

In addition to the Academy Award of Merit (Oscar award), there are nine honorary (non-competitive) awards presented by the Academy from time to time (except for the Academy Honorary Award, the Technical Achievement Award, and the Student Academy Awards, which are presented annually):<ref>{{cite web |date=February 27, 2014 |title=7 Special Oscar Categories and Awards |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/54512/7-special-oscar-categories-and-awards |first1=Rudie |last1=Obias |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116212308/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/54512/7-special-oscar-categories-and-awards |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |website=[[Mental Floss]]}}</ref>

* [[Governors Awards]]:
** The [[Academy Honorary Award]] (annual) (which may or may not be in the form of an Oscar statuette); <!--- See [[Governors Awards#Description and history]]. --->
** The [[Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award]] (since 1938) (in the form of a bust of Thalberg);
** The [[Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award]] (since 1957) (in the form of an Oscar statuette); <!--- See [[Governors Awards#Description and history]]. --->
* The [[Academy Scientific and Technical Award]]s:
** Academy Award of Merit (non-competitive) (in the form of an Oscar statuette);
** [[Academy Scientific and Technical Award|Scientific and Engineering Award]] (in the form of a bronze tablet);
** [[Academy Award for Technical Achievement|Technical Achievement Award]] (annual) (in the form of a certificate);
** The [[John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation]] (since 1978) (in the form of a medal);
** The [[Gordon E. Sawyer Award]] (since 1982); and
* The Academy [[Student Academy Awards]] (annual).

The Academy also awards [[Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting]].<!--- See [[Governors Awards#Description and history]]. --->