Launched by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1929, the awards ceremony, popularly known as the Oscars, has now become a part of the fixed calendar of many entertainment enthusiasts. Every year, the organization selects the best productions from around the world and rewards them according to criteria such as directing, acting and technical success.
However, what many people do not know is that commercial release is not enough for a film to be immediately deemed worthy of an award. The Academy has a very strict list of criteria that any North American production or international production that wants to compete for a statuette must meet.
In 2025, the bounty rules have also sparked controversy and even controversial fake news. With that in mind, check out more details on how rewards work below.
What are the criteria for being nominated for an Oscar?
According to the document published on the award’s official website, some of the most important criteria relate to the way a project is published. Films to participate in the competition must be at least 40 minutes long. and was publicly exhibited in 35mm or 70mm formats.
Those adopting the digital format must have progressive scan of 24 or 48 frames, a minimum resolution of 2048 x 1080 pixels and comply with ST 430-1:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master mastering. The Academy also prescribes certain aspects of audio structuring and does not consider works originally released via streaming, pay-per-view, DVD, or airline catalogue.
Additionally, anyone interested in appearing at the 2025 Oscars must guarantee that their film will be screened for at least seven consecutive days in one of the five metropolitan areas evaluated by the Academy. They are located in Los Angeles, the Bay Area (which includes the city of San Francisco), New York, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Atlanta.
There is an exception for online streaming of films shown at festivals, which should be very limited. This can only happen as long as they are distributed protected by specific passwords or a cash transaction is required to access them.
This year’s awards are only allows registration of films in commercial release between January 1 and December 31. In the case of works produced outside the United States, they will only be considered if released theatrically in the country; However, their reproduction in other media outlets outside the country is permitted.
Another important rule is that all competing projects must submit to the Academy a physical copy of the same quality as their commercial exhibition. It will become the property of the institution and in return it will display it to registered members, but it will undertake not to use it for any commercial purposes.
The award introduces special rules for 2025
The list of Oscars 2025 rules is extensive, covering topics such as voting and registration dates, judging criteria, and special issues regarding animations; most of these only affect voting members and participating works. But this year’s edition brings a novelty A special issue that promises to spark controversy.

The Best Picture category will only consider films that are inclusive in nature and represent minority groups in their casting or script. As for casting, there needs to be a “significant presence” of African-American, black or Caribbean, Chinese, Korean, Mongolian, Latino or indigenous people.
Actors of Middle Eastern, North African, Pacific Islands or Southeast origin are also welcome as users. Besides, At least 30% of the participants in a film must be from two underrepresented groupsIncluding women, ethnic minority groups, members of the LGBTQ+ community and people who are hard of hearing, deaf or have physical disabilities.
On top of that, productions need to offer learning opportunities or paid internships to members of underrepresented communities; This rule also applies to recruitment in marketing, distribution and development departments. According to the Academy, these criteria do not affect other categories of the event that comply with its rules.
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Source: Tec Mundo

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