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 confirmed that the Academy Award for achievement in stunt design will be awarded starting from the 2028 Oscars. This exciting news was shared through The Academy's social media platforms, featuring images from acclaimed films such as 2022's Everything Everywhere All at Once and RRR, as well as 2011's Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. However, these films won't be eligible for the new award, as only movies released in 2027 and beyond will qualify.
The introduction of this category at the 2028 Oscars, which will mark the 100th Academy Awards, underscores a significant milestone in cinema. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang expressed their pride in a joint statement, highlighting the integral role of stunt design in filmmaking from its earliest days. They celebrated the innovative work of stunt artists and acknowledged their dedication in achieving this recognition.
Further details and rules regarding the new category will be announced in 2027.
The addition of an Oscar for stunt design represents a major triumph after a long and arduous campaign for recognition of stunt work in film. The Oscars typically consider new categories once a year, and although a stunt coordination category was proposed annually from 1991 to 2012, it never gained approval. The most recent addition to the Oscars was the Achievement in Casting category, approved last year and set to begin at the 98th Academy Awards for films released in 2025.
