Oscars Add Best Stunt Design Category

The Academy Awards will finally introduce a stunt design category after decades of advocacy from the film industry. The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has officially announced that an Oscar for Achievement in Stunt Design will be awarded starting at the 2028 ceremony - coinciding with the Oscars' 100th anniversary. The announcement featured iconic stunt-heavy films like Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), RRR (2022), and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) as examples, though the first eligible films must be released in 2027.

Historic Recognition for Stunt Professionals

"From cinema's earliest days, stunt design has been fundamental to filmmaking," said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang in a joint statement. "We're proud to finally recognize these technical and creative artists whose innovation and dedication make this milestone possible." Complete category guidelines will be announced in 2027.

This long-overdue category represents a major victory after Hollywood's arduous decades-long campaign to get stunt work officially recognized. The Academy only considers new categories once annually during its governance meetings. Previous proposals for stunt coordination awards were submitted every year from 1991 through 2012 without success.

The Stunt Design Oscar becomes the first new category since last year's approval of Achievement in Casting, which will debut at the 98th Academy Awards honoring 2025 releases.