Oscars to Introduce Best Stunt Design Award

After a century of being overlooked, the long-awaited stunt design category is finally set to be introduced at the Oscars. The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has officially announced that an Academy Award for achievement in stunt design will be awarded starting from the 2028 Oscars. This exciting news was shared via The Academy's social media platforms, accompanied by images from 2022's "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "RRR," as well as 2011's "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol."

Unfortunately for these three films, they will not be eligible for the new award, as the first movies considered will be those released in 2027. The introduction of this category at the 2028 Oscars will coincide with the 100th Academy Awards, marking a significant milestone.

In a joint statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang expressed their enthusiasm: "Since the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking. We are proud to honor the innovative work of these technical and creative artists, and we congratulate them for their commitment and dedication in reaching this momentous occasion."

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

The introduction of an Oscar for stunt design represents a major triumph in what has been an extremely long and hard-fought battle for recognition of stunt work in film. The Oscars only consider new categories once a year, and a category for stunt coordination was proposed annually from 1991 to 2012 but never succeeded.

The most recent new award category introduced at the Oscars was Achievement in Casting, approved last year, which will be awarded starting with the 98th Academy Awards for films released in 2025.