The Oscars are introducing a new category at the Academy Awards: the Casting Achievement Award

A rather rare occurrence has happened, the Motion Picture Academy of America has announced a new category for the Academy Awards. It is stated that a new Best Casting category will be added to the list of awards starting in 2026.

Here's What We Know

"Starting with films released in 2025, the Oscars will present a Best Casting Decision award at the Academy Awards, which will go to casting directors for whichever film is chosen by Academy members."

"Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate", CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement. "We congratulate our Casting Directors Branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process".

This is the first time in twenty-four years that a new category has been introduced at the Oscars since Best Animated Feature was introduced in 2002. The previous time a new category was added was in 1981, when the award for "Best Makeup" was established.

With "Oppenheimer" being nominated for the most awards this year (13), followed by "Poor Things" (11), "Killers of the Flower Moon" (10) and "Barbie" (8), it's easy to assume that if the Best Casting award were available this year, those films would be nominees.

Source: Comic Book