After a century of being overlooked, the film industry is set to celebrate the art of stunt design with a new Oscar category. The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has officially announced that the Academy Award for achievement in stunt design will be introduced at the 2028 Oscars. This exciting news was shared on The Academy's social media platforms, featuring iconic images from films like 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; only movies released in 2027 and beyond will have the chance to compete. The 2028 Oscars will be a historic event, marking the 100th Academy Awards.
"Since the early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking," stated Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang in a joint statement. "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."
More details and the specific rules for the new category will be released in 2027.
The introduction of an Oscar for stunt design is a major milestone in the long and challenging 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 came to fruition.
The most recent addition to the Oscars was the Achievement in Casting category, approved last year, which will debut at the 98th Academy Awards for films released in 2025.
