How Oscar Voting Actually Works

We all love the Oscars for the glitz, the drama, the teary speeches, the unexpected upsets, and those moments that have the timeline arguing for days. It’s Hollywood’s biggest night for a reason. But before the stars hit the carpet and somebody gets played off by the orchestra music, there’s a whole voting process that decides who even gets in the room as a nominee. And truth be told, Oscar voting is more layered than most viewers probably realize. It’s not just vibes, popularity, or whichever movie had the internet screaming the loudest. It’s a structured process run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with more than 10,500 members helping shape the final results.

The first thing to know is that Oscar voting happens in phases. Before nominations are finalized, some categories go through a preliminary round that narrows the field down to shortlists. For the 98th Oscars, that applies to 12 categories, including Sound, Visual Effects, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Song, International Feature, and the new Casting award. After that comes nominations voting, when all 24 categories are officially voted on. Best Picture works a little differently from most of the other races because eligible members from all 19 Academy branches can nominate in that category. In most other categories though, it’s the people in that craft doing the nominating — actors for acting, directors for directing, writers for writing, and so on.

That setup matters because it helps explain why some movies feel “strong” all season and still miss in certain categories. Your favorite movie might be beloved online, but if it doesn’t connect with the right branch, that love may not translate into nominations. At the same time, a film that isn’t dominating social media can still perform really well if industry folks deeply respect the craft behind it. That’s part of what makes the Oscars feel different from a straight fan-voted award show. They’re not just rewarding what’s most popular with the public; they’re also rewarding what professionals in the business believe was the strongest work among their peers.

Then there’s Best Picture, which always has a little extra sauce on it. That category uses a preferential ballot, meaning voters rank the nominees in order instead of simply picking one. According to Gold Derby, that system is designed to reward the film with the broadest support, not just the one with the most passionate first-place fans. So a movie that a lot of voters think is “pretty great” can end up beating a more divisive film that some people love but others leave off entirely. In plain English, being everybody’s second-favorite can sometimes be more powerful than being one small group’s undisputed No. 1 pick. That’s a huge part of why Best Picture winners don’t always line up with the loudest corner of the internet expected.

Once the nominees are set, the final round opens up to all eligible Academy members, who can vote in all 24 categories. Most of those categories are decided by straightforward vote totals, but Best Picture still uses that ranked system. Another big change for this Oscars season is that Academy members now have to watch all nominated films in a category to be eligible to vote in that category in the finals. That is a meaningful update, especially because one of the longtime criticisms of the Oscars has been that some voters may not have actually seen everything. On top of that, the ballots are secret, submitted online, and tabulated by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which adds another layer of structure to the whole process.

So what does all of this mean for your favorite movie? Basically, it means the Oscars are not just about hype — they’re about strategy, respect, consensus, and getting support from the people who actually do the Oscar voting. A movie may have the culture talking, but if it cannot break through with the right branch or earn broad support across the Academy, that passion might not be enough to carry it all the way to a win. That’s why Oscar morning always brings a few shockers, and why some winners make perfect sense once you understand how the system is built. And with the 98th Oscars set to air this Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on ABC and Hulu, it’s the perfect time to remember that the real awards-season drama starts long before somebody opens an envelope onstage.