As mentioned below, the nominees in these 10 categories at the Academy Awards will be chosen by a second round of voting in the following days. Additionally, the Best Animated Feature voting is still open.
Instead of dispersing them piecemeal as has been customary, the academy will announce the shortlists in 10 categories simultaneously on December 21 for the fifth consecutive year. Seven of them have been involved in this procedure for many years: the three Shorts (Animated, Documentary, Live-Action), Makeup & Hairstyling, Visual Effects, and International Feature. This multi-stage process was recently adopted by the Best Original Score, Best Original Song, and Best Sound categories.
Conventional balloting for the 13 Oscar category nominations will start on January 12 and last for six days. On January 24, the nominees for each of the 23 open categories will be revealed. On March 12, the 95th Academy Awards will be presented.
Music Branch Best Original Song and Best Original Score
The voting process is open to all members of the music branch. Members will utilise a preferential ballot to rank their top picks after watching the films that are up for the score award and excerpts of the original songs as they are presented in their images. The five nominees for each award will be chosen by a second vote, also by preferential ballot, from the final short lists of 15 candidates in each category.
Documentary Branch: BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
There are two rounds of voting for this award. The branch members who offered to serve on the screening committee first watched the submitted documentary shorts. Members gave each movie a score between 6 (bad) and 10 (outstanding), and the 15 films with scores above 7.5 advance to the next round. The 15 semifinalists will be screened for all branch members, and the five candidates will be chosen via a preferential ballot.
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT, BEST ANIMATED SHORT, and Feature Animation Branch
There are two rounds of voting for these two prizes. The animated and live-action shorts that have been submitted are first seen by branch members who volunteer to serve on the screening committees. Members rate each movie from 6 (bad) to 10 (outstanding), and the 15 that receive the highest scores above 7.5 advance to the next round. A preferential ballot will be used to select the five candidates after screenings of these 15 semifinalists are open to all branch members.
Documentary Branch Best Documentary Feature
Each branch member receives a DVD screening of the entries, and while they are only required to see one-fifth of them, they are strongly encouraged to watch as many as they can. On a preferential ballot, members choose their top 15 choices, and the results are combined to create a shortlist of 15 candidates. All members are urged to see the movies on this short list that they haven’t already watched and vote for their five favourites on a preferential ballot, which will ultimately determine the five candidates.
BEST HAIRSTYLING & MAKEUP
Branch of Hairstyling and Makeup
Two steps are taken in the selection of nominees. Up to 15 branch members who attend special screenings first cast preferential ballots, with the top 10 candidates moving on to the next round. The top five films are nominated after the first stage members and any additional members who either attend screenings of clips from these semi-finalists or attest to having watched them cast preferential ballots.
Sound Branch BEST SOUND
Two steps are taken in the selection of nominees. The branch’s executive committee first chose the 10 semifinalists. All branch members are invited to a screening of these ten films’ trailers, where prospective nominees can present their work and engage in discussion. The five nominees are chosen by the re-weighted range voting mechanism, which counts the votes.
OPTIMUM VISUAL EFFECTS
Branch of Visual Effects
The branch’s executive committee chooses the 10 semifinalists after selecting the 20 films on the long list. All branch members are invited to a screening of these ten films’ trailers, where prospective nominees can present their work and engage in discussion. The five nominees are chosen by the re-weighted range voting mechanism, which counts the votes.
THE BEST WORLD FEATURE FILM
Only academy members from any branch who volunteer to serve on the screening committee are eligible to vote for this prize. The top 15 films with the most votes advance to the next round, scoring the movies they view on a scale of 6 to 10. You can access these 15 semi-finalists online. Members who can attest to viewing each semifinalist are eligible to vote for the top five candidates. The five nominated movies will be screened for the complete academy membership, who will then be able to choose the winner.