Oscars Adds Best Stunt Design Award

After a century of being sidelined, a long-awaited stunt design category is finally being added to the Oscars.

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has confirmed today that an Academy Award for achievement in stunt design will officially begin being awarded from the 2028 Oscars. The announcement was shared on The Academy's social media, featuring images from 2022's "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "RRR," as well as 2011's "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol."

Unfortunately for these films, the first movies eligible for this new award will be those released in 2027.

The 2028 Oscars will mark the 100th Academy Awards.

"Since the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking," said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang in a joint statement accompanying the announcement. "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 specifics and the new category's rules will be communicated in 2027.

The introduction of an Oscar for stunt design marks a significant victory in a long and hard-fought battle for recognition of stunt work in film. New categories for the Oscars are voted on annually, with a category for stunt coordination proposed every year from 1991 to 2012, but never successfully implemented.

The last new award category created for the Oscars was Achievement in Casting, approved last year and set to commence with the 98th Academy Awards for films released in 2025.