A 98-year historical analysis of gender and race/ethnicity of all Academy Award nominees and winners.
RECENT DATA
Why Analyze Inclusion at the Oscars?
As one of the premiere awards for films and filmmakers, the Academy Awards® set an agenda for who and what is valued in entertainment. By looking at the nominees and winners across categories and by year, we can see whether the awards are responsive to how its audience is changing and whether the awards have become more inclusive in who they recognize over time. Our analysis begins with the first Academy Awards® in 1929 and continues throughout each year to include nominees in 2026. This 98-year analysis focuses on feature films and reveals what’s changed– and what still needs to change.
What's New for 2026
The site has been updated with the nominees and winners for the most recent awards. Additionally, the site now offers insights into how many people have received multiple nominations overall and by category. This provides a spotlight on how often the Academy Awards® recognize individuals and how the awards may promote career sustainability and notoriety for nominees. This year, we also added the Best Casting category in recognition of its inaugural year.
HISTORICAL ANALYSIS
Gender and Race/Ethnicity Analysis by Category
Gender Overall & 2026
Of the 13,871 nominees at the Academy Awards® since 1929, 18% were women and 82% were men.
Race/Ethnicity Overall & 2026
Of the 13,870 nominees since 1929, 6% were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
A total of 450 nominees for Best Actor in a Supporting Role since 1937, 10% or 46 were men of color.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Of the 450 nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role since 1937, 13% or 58 were women of color.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
A total of 486 men have been nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role, 10% or 49 were men of color.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Out of 489 nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role, 6% or 30 have gone to women of color.
Best Director
Of the 491 nominees in the category of Best Director, only 2% or 11 have been women.
Best Cinematography
Of the 691 nominees for Best Cinematography, less than 1% or 4 were women.
Best Original Screenplay
Of the 1,078 nominees for Best Original Screenplay, 4% were from an underrepresented group.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Out of 565 nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay, 12% were women.
Best Film Editing
Women comprised 14% of all 591 nominees for Best Film Editing.
Best Picture
Of the 942 individual nominees for Best Picture, 19% were women.
Best Animated Feature
Twenty percent of the 242 nominees for Best Animated Feature Film were women.
Best Documentary Feature
Women received 29% of the 632 nominations for Best Documentary Feature.
Best Production Design
Out of 1,588 nominees for Best Production Design, 13% were women.
Best Costume Design
More than half–59%–of the 546 nominees for Best Costume Design were women.
Best Original Score
Of the 991 nominees for Best Original Score, 14 were women and 976 were men.
Best Original Song
Women received 12% of the nominations for Best Original Song, while men received 88%.
Best Visual Effects
Only 6 women have been nominated in the category of Best Visual Effects, including one in 2026.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Of the 328 nominees for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, 41% were women.
Best Sound
A total of 3% or 48 of the 1,466 nominees for Best Sound were women.
Best Casting
In its inaugural year, there were 4 women and 1 man nominated for Best Casting in 2026.