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There are many questions about what’s in the Academy Awards. In particular, how exactly is the best picture determined?
Over the past 15 years, more than 10,000 members of the academy have voted in what is known as “priority votes.” Ranked voting systems aim to level the playing field among the best photo candidates, and tend to benefit crowd-pleasing films rather than fiercely polarizing .
So, how does it work? And what does that mean for this year’s particularly unpredictable best picture race? We categorize everything we know about the Oscars’ most coveted awards.
What is the Academy Awards’ priority voting for Best Pictures?
Almost every Oscar category uses a simple voting system in which the candidate who receives the most votes is declared the winner. However, it differs in the best photos that use what is called “priority voting”, with members ranking the films in order of preference. The goal is to ensure that the ultimate best photo winner is the most widely preferred film across the academy.
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The voting priority system was first used by the Academy from 1934 to 1945. It was reintroduced in 2009 when Oscar expanded from five to ten candidates after protests against the apparent snub of “The Dark Knight.” I critically adored Batman’s huge hit.
How does Oscar’s priority voting system work?
According to the Academy website, “Voting members are ranked as the best photo candidates (1-10), from favorites to the most favorites. Films that earn more than 50% of the vote are the winners. If the film doesn’t win 50% from the gate, the movie with the fewest votes will be eliminated, and members who vote as the top choice will add a vote to the next movie on the list.”
Are you a little confused? Well, you said you put “Barbie” as your No. 1 pick last year, but it won the lowest votes from the entire academy. “Barbie” will be knocked out of the best picture competition and your vote will be sent to your second choice, “The Holdovers.” Elimination and redistribution continue until at least 50% of the votes have the same film as their best choice (Last year’s case, “Oppenheimer”).
In other words, it actually plagues movies that are popular as second or third picks. It would work well in priority voting, as it suggests it is well known by the wide range of academy members. For example, “Coda” was not a critical beloved person, but most people were generally moved by the pleasant family drama. That’s why it won the best photos from the more divisive thriller The Power of the Dog, and could have earned the first place vote as easily as 10th.
Do all academy members vote for the winner of the best photo?
yes. Nominations are primarily determined by the individual branch, but actors vote for the acting category and directors vote for the best director. Voting is submitted entirely online and academy members do not need to see all the best photo candidates before voting (but obviously, that is encouraged). Accounting firm Pricewaterhousecoopers has been responsible for counting all Oscar votes since 1935.