Oscars Introduce 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 today confirmed that an Academy Award for achievement in stunt design will officially begin being awarded from the 2028 Oscars. The news comes via The Academy’s social media, where the announcement was accompanied by images of 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once and RRR, and 2011’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Unfortunately for that trio of films, the first movies eligible for this new award will be those released during 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 published in conjunction with this 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 arrival of an Oscar for stunt design marks a significant victory in an extremely long and hard-fought battle for recognition for stunt work in film. New categories for the Oscars are voted upon during just a single occasion annually. Previously, a category for stunt coordination was proposed every year from 1991 to 2012, but it was never successful.

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