Oscars Introduce Best Stunt Design Award

After a century of being overlooked, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has finally introduced a long-awaited category for stunt design at the Oscars. The Board of Governors announced that the Academy Award for Achievement in Stunt Design will be awarded starting from the 2028 Oscars. This exciting news was shared on The Academy's social media platforms, featuring images from acclaimed films such as 2022's "Everything Everywhere All at Once," "RRR," and 2011's "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol."

Unfortunately, these films will not be eligible for the new award, as it will only apply to movies released in 2027 and onwards. The 2028 Oscars will celebrate the 100th Academy Awards, making the introduction of this category even more significant.

In a joint statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang expressed their pride in honoring the innovative work of stunt designers. They acknowledged the integral role stunt design has played in cinema since its early days and congratulated the stunt community for their dedication in reaching this milestone.

Further details and the rules for the new category will be announced in 2027.

The introduction of the Oscar for stunt design represents a major victory in the long and arduous fight for recognition of stunt work in film. The Oscars consider new categories only once a year, and a stunt coordination category was proposed annually from 1991 to 2012 but never passed.

The most recent new category added to the Oscars was Achievement in Casting, approved last year, which will begin with the 98th Academy Awards for films released in 2025.