2003 (76th Annual Awards)
Academy Award Voting Rules

Each year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences publishes a booklet for its members detailing the current revised rules for nominating and voting for Academy Awards. Listed below is the exact text of the rules for the 2003 (76th) Awards.

Click on a year in the column on the right to display the Voting Rules for another year.

Note: Although the typography has been modified slightly for greater consistency and easier reading on this website, the text displayed for each Rule Book is exactly as it was originally printed (including the original—sometimes quirky—outline format and occasional spelling errors).

76th Annual
Academy Awards of Merit
FOR ACHIEVEMENTS DURING 2003

[VOTING RULES]

Rule One

AWARDS DEFINITIONS

Academy Awards of merit shall be given annually to honor outstanding achievements in theatrically-released feature-length motion pictures, and to honor other achievements as provided for in the rules and approved by the Board of Governors.
Awards shall be conferred at an annual Awards Presentation ceremony.
Awards of Merit in the form of gold statuette trophies of the Academy (Oscar) shall be conferred annually for the following achievements:

ACTING:	Performance by an actor in a leading role. Performance by an actor in a supporting role. Performance by an actress in a leading role. Performance by an actress in a supporting role.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:	Best animated feature mm of the year.*
ART DIRECTION:	Achievement in art direction. (The Academy Statuette shall be given also for the set decoration on the picture that wins the Art Direction Award.)
CINEMATOGRAPHY:	Achievement in cinematography.
COSTUME DESIGN:	Achievement in costume design.
DIRECTING:	Achievement in directing.
DOCUMENTARY:	For each of two classifications: (a) Best documentary feature. (b) Best documentary short subject.
FILM EDITING:	Achievement in film editing.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:	Best foreign language film of the year.
MAKEUP:	Achievement in makeup.*
MUSIC:	For achievements in music written for motion pictures: (a) Original score. (b) Original song. (c) Original musical.*
BEST PICTURE:	Best motion picture of the year.
SHORT FILMS:	For each of two classifications: (a) Best animated short film. (b) Best live action short film.
SOUND MIXING:	Achievement in sound mixing.
SOUND EDITING:	Achievement in sound editing.*
VISUAL EFFECTS:	Achievement in visual effects.
WRITING:	For each of two classifications: (a) Adapted screenplay. (b) Original screenplay.

* May not be given every year. See special rules for these categories for conditions of presentation.

The following Testimonial Awards shall be given at such times as in the judgment of the Board of Governors there are deserving recipients, but are not necessarily given each year:
1. IRVING G. THALBERG MEMORIAL AWARD (Thalberg Head): This award shall be given to a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production. (See Rule Twenty-four, below.)
2. JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD (Statuette): This award shall be given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry. (See Rule Twenty-four, below.)
3. THE HONORARY AWARD (Statuette): This award shall be given to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy. (See Rule Twenty-four, below.)
The following Special Awards shall be given at such times as in the judgment of the Board of Governors there are deserving recipients, but are not necessarily given each year:
1. SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (Statuette): (See Rule Twenty-five, below.)
2. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS: (See Rule Eighteen, below.)
3. GORDON E. SAWYER AWARD (Statuette): (See Rule Twenty-six, below.)
4. JOHN A. BONNER MEDAL OF COMMENDATION (Medallion). (See Rule Twenty-seven, below.)
5. AWARD OF COMMENDATION (Special Plaque). (See Rule Twenty-seven, below.)
6. OTHER AWARDS shall be given at such times as in the judgment of the Board of Governors there is a deserving recipient, but not necessarily each year. They shall be in such form as the Board of Governors may decide.

Rule Two

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility for Academy Award consideration is subject to Rules Two and Three, and to those special rules approved by the Board of Governors which follow.
All eligible motion pictures, unless otherwise noted (see Paragraph 9 below), must be:
1. feature length (defined as over 40 minutes),
2. publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24-frame progressive scan digital format (minimum native resolution 1280 by 1024 pixels), delivered to the screen by an image and sound file format suitable for exhibition in existing commercial digital cinema sites,
3. for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County,
4. for a run of at least seven consecutive days,
5. advertised and exploited during its Los Angeles run in a manner considered normal and customary to the industry, and
6. within the awards year deadlines specified in Rule Three.
Films which, in any version, receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release will not be eligible for Academy Awards in any category. (This includes broadcast and cable television, as well as home video marketing and internet transmission.)
Eligibility is contingent on the receipt by the Academy of the following information on Official Screen Credits forms obtained from the Academy, to be Signed by the film’s producer or distributor (unless waived by the Academy) which shall include:
1. full, complete and authentic credits,
2. the name of the Los Angeles County theater where the film has played, and
3. the dates of the Los Angeles run.
Eligibility for all awards shall first be determined by credits as they appear on the screen and/or as certified to the Academy by the producing companies, but final determination in any event shall be made by the Academy. The Academy shall not be bound by any contract or agreement relating to the sharing or giving of credit and reserves the right to make its own determination of credit for purposes of award consideration.
In the event of any dispute concerning credits, the Academy reserves the right to declare any achievement ineligible or, alternatively, to reject all claims to credit, list credits as being in controversy, and withhold any award until the dispute is resolved.
The alteration of an achievement by changing a picture from the version shown in Los Angeles County, upon which eligibility is based, shall subject such achievement to the risk of being declared ineligible by the Board of Governors.
Motion pictures from all countries shall be eligible for the annual awards listed previously in Rule One, Paragraph 3, as long as they satisfy the requirements of the other applicable rules, and contain English sub-titles if released in a foreign language.
Exceptions to the eligibility requirements and methods of qualifying listed in Rules Two and Three appear in the Special Rules for the Animated Feature Film Award (see Rule Seven), the Documentary Awards (see Rule Twelve), the Foreign Language Film Award (see Rule Fourteen), the Music Awards (see Rule Sixteen), and the Short Films Awards (see Rule Nineteen).

Rule Three

THE AWARDS YEAR and DEADLINES

The required Los Angeles County qualifying run (described in Rule Two, Paragraph 2) must open between January 1, 2003 and midnight of December 31,2003.
A picture theatrically exhibited inside the U.S. prior to the Los Angeles qualifying run shall be eligible for submission provided the prior exhibition takes place in a commercial motion picture theater after January 1, 2002, and that no other form of public exhibition occurs through the completion of its Los Angeles run (previews and festivals excluded).
A picture first theatrically exhibited outside the U.S. prior to the Los Angeles qualifying run shall be eligible for submission provided the prior exhibition takes place in a commercial motion picture theater after January 1, 2002, with the following further conditions:
1. the film may not be exhibited publicly in any other medium for a six-month period following the commencement of its initial theatrical engagement, and
2. after the six-month period, the film may play in non-theatrical forms provided they are outside the U.S. (No film which is shown inside the U.S. in any non-theatrical form prior to its qualifying Los Angeles run shall be eligible for Academy Awards.)
Official Screen Credits forms may be returned to the Academy prior to the qualifying Los Angeles release, but not later than sixty days after such opening. However, all Official Screen Credits forms must be returned to the Academy by Monday, December 1, 2003.
An achievement submitted for Academy Award consideration may not be withdrawn after Thursday, January 15, 2004.
Exceptions to the above eligibility periods and submission deadlines appear in the Special Rules for the Documentary Awards (see Rule Twelve), the Foreign Language Film Award (see Rule Fourteen), and the Short Films Awards (see Rule Nineteen).

Rule Four

SUBMISSION

“Every award shall be conditioned upon the delivery to the Academy of one print of every film nominated for final balloting for all Academy Awards, and such print shall become the property of the Academy, with the proviso, however, that the Academy shall not use such print for commercial gain. Such print shall be deposited with the Academy and, subject to matters not within its control, shall be screened by the Academy for the membership in advance of distribution of final ballots.” (Academy Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 6.)
“Every award shall be conditioned upon the execution and delivery to the Academy by the recipient thereof of a receipt and agreement reading as follows:
Gentlemen:

I hereby acknowledge receipt from you of a replica of your copyrighted statuette, commonly known as the ‘Oscar,’ as an award for achievement in motion picture arts and sciences. I acknowledge that my receipt of said replica does not entitle me to any right whatever in your copyright, trade-mark and service-mark of said statuette and that only the physical replica itself shall belong to me. In consideration of your delivering said replica to me, I agree to comply with your rules and regulations respecting its use and not to sell or otherwise dispose of it, nor permit it to be sold or disposed of by operation of law, without first offering to sell it to you for the sum of $1.00. You shall have thirty days after any such offer is made to you within which to accept it. This agreement shall be binding not only on me, but also on my heirs, legatees, executors, administrators, estate, successors and assigns. My legatees and heirs shall have the right to acquire said replica, if it becomes part of my estate, subject to this agreement.

(Signature of Recipient)

Any member of the Academy who has heretofore received any Academy trophy shall be bound by the foregoing receipt and agreement with the same force and effect as though he or she had executed and delivered the same in consideration of receiving such trophy.” (Academy Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 7.)
In submitting a film for Academy Award consideration, the film’s owners are deemed to have conveyed to the Academy the right to choose excerpts from the film in the Academy’s sole discretion, after consultation, for incorporation into the Academy Awards telecast for the year in which the film is in competition. Owners of nominated films are obligated, if requested, to submit to the Academy a High Definition digital videotape of the film in either D-5 or HDCam format, no later than five days following the nominations announcements. The Academy will maintain such tapes under tight security and return them immediately following the Awards broadcast.

Rule Five

BALLOTING and NOMINATIONS

Voting on all achievements shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.
All eligible films will be listed in the Academy’s annual “Reminder List of Eligible Releases.” Before the Academy distributes the Reminder List to voters, releasing companies may be required to check the galleys for their productions as they will appear in the List and assume full responsibility for errors and omissions.
Individual reminder lists from which the nominations are voted shall refer only to the motion picture in which the achievement was made, and not to any individual responsible, except in the case of nominations for acting which name both the individual and the one picture wherein the achievement occurred.
Voting for nominations and awards shall be by secret ballot. Printed forms and ballots shall be supplied by the Academy and shall be returned unsigned. Ballots shall be opened and counted by a firm of certified public accountants designated by the Academy president.
In the nominations voting, the marking and tabulation of all ballots shall be according to the preferential or weighted average system. Votes for achievements in pictures not on the Reminder List will not be counted in the nominations balloting. Tabulation of final ballots shall be according to the plurality system. No “write-in” votes shall be counted on the final ballot.
Not more than five nominations shall be made for each award. In all cases nominations shall be announced and placed on the final ballot in alphabetical order.
In the event a nominated achievement is declared ineligible by the Academy, it shall not be replaced and the category will remain with one less nomination.
In the event that an achievement voted an award was done in collaboration, each of the collaborators shall receive an award trophy (unless the number of awards is specifically limited by a category’s special rules). In the event of a tie for first place in the final balloting, awards shall be given for both achievements.
The Board of Governors shall provide for such screenings or special meetings as may be desirable to insure a full and fair consideration of the merits of all eligible achievements.
Each branch or other designated committee shall be permitted to formulate its own special rules, provided the final ballot presents not more than five achievements and that nominations and final voting in each category are restricted to active and life Academy members. All rules shall be presented to the Board of Governors for approval before implementation.
Exceptions to the above listing in the Reminder List and nominations voting system appear in the Special Rules for the Animated Feature Film Award (see Rule Seven), the Documentary Awards (see Rule Twelve), the Foreign Language Film Award (see Rule Fourteen), and the Short Films Awards (see Rule Nineteen).

Rule Six

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE ACTING AWARDS

Reminder lists including the casts of all eligible pictures shall be sent with nominations ballots to all active members of the Academy Actors Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five acting achievements in each category: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.
The five acting achievements in each category receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Acting Awards.
A performance by an actor or actress in any role shall be eligible for nomination either for the Best Performance in a Leading Role or for the Best Performance in a Supporting Role. If, however, all the dialogue has been dubbed by another actor, the performance shall not be eligible for award consideration. Singing which is dubbed will not affect the performer’s eligibility unless it constitutes the entire performance. The determination as to whether a role is a lead or support shall be made individually by members of the branch at the time of balloting.
The leading role and supporting role categories will be tabulated simultaneously. If any performance should receive votes in both categories, the achievement shall only be placed on the ballot in that category in which, during the tabulation process, it first receives the required number of votes to be nominated. In the event that the performance receives the number of votes required to be nominated in both categories Simultaneously, the achievement shall only be placed on the ballot in that category in which it receives the greater percentage of the total votes.
In the event that two achievements by an actor or actress receive sufficient votes to be nominated in the same category, only one shall be nominated using the preferential tabulation process and such other allied procedures as may be necessary to achieve that result.
In the event that an actor or actress receives a sufficient number of votes to be nominated for one achievement in one category and for another achievement in the other category, both achievements shall be eligible.
Final voting for the Acting Awards shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

Rule Seven

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM AWARD

DEFINITION
An animated feature film is defined as a motion picture of at least 70 minutes in running time with a significant number of the major characters animated, and in which animation figures in no less than 75% of the picture’s running time.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Except as indicated above, films in this category must meet all the requirements in Academy Awards Rules sections Two, Three and Four.
2. The Executive Committee of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch shall meet prior to the last Board of Governors meeting of the calendar year. At this meeting, a reminder list of the animated feature films released during the year shall be reviewed. If the committee finds that there are eight (8) or more eligible animated feature films that warrant a category, it may choose to recommend to the Board of Governors that there be a Best Animated Feature Film Award given this year. If the Governors accept this recommendation, the following nomination process shall be set in motion.
SUBMISSION
1. An entry form naming the intended award recipient and including the signatures of all the credited producer(s) and director(s) is required. (This is to assure that all parties are properly informed, and that agreement on the designated award recipient is settled prior to submission.)
2. The “award recipient(s)” shall be designated by those responsible for the production of the film. The designated recipient must be the KEY CREATIVE INDIVIDUAL most clearly responsible for the overall achievement OR a TWO-PERSON TEAM with shared and equal directing credit. (The shared director credit must be approved by the Branch Executive Committee.) A maximum of two statuettes will be awarded.
3. The print submitted for Academy Award consideration must be identical in content and length to the print utilized for the qualifying exhibition. All entries submitted must include a synopsis of the film written in English.
4. Prints should be marked “ANIMATED FEATURE FILM ENTRY” and shipped PREPAID to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California 9021l. Those not chosen as nominations for final balloting will be returned to the sender at Academy expense. PRINTS SUBMITTED WILL BE RETAINED BY THE ACADEMY UNTIL THE VOTING PROCESS IS COMPLETED AND WILL NOT BE LOANED FOR USE BY OTHERS DURING THE PERIOD OF THE VOTING PROCESS.
5. THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIVING THE ENTRY FORM, SYNOPSIS, CAST AND CREDITS LIST, FILMOGRAPHIES [of the Key Creative Individual(s) named for award purposes] AND STILLS IS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2003. THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIVING THE FILM PRINT IS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2003. FOREIGN ENTRIES MUST ALSO COMPLY WITH THIS RULE.
6. Films submitted in the Best Animated Feature Film category may qualify for Academy Awards in other areas, including Best Picture, provided they meet the rules criteria governing those categories.
7. No film may be submitted more than once for Academy Award consideration.
VOTING
1. A Chairperson, appointed by the Academy President, shall head a Best Animated Feature Film Award Screening Committee. An invitational letter will be sent from the Chairperson to a list of active and life Academy members requesting their participation. Those serving on the screening committee will be required to see 80% of the submitted eligible films. Persons involved in the production, promotion or distribution of any submitted film may not serve on this nominating committee. (Once the nominees are determined, however, such individuals may vote to determine the Best Animated Feature Film Award.)
2. All submissions sent to the Academy will be screened by the Academy’s Animated Feature Film Award Screening Committee. After the screenings, the committee will vote by secret ballot to nominate from three to five films for this award. In any year in which 8 to 15 animated features are released in Los Angeles County, a maximum of three films may be nominated. In any year in which 16 or more animated features are submitted and accepted in the category, a maximum of five films may be nominated.
  1. Those films receiving an average score of 7.5 or more shall be eligible for nomination.
  2. If only one production receives an average of 7.5 or more, the committee shall recommend to the Board of Governors that a Special Achievement Award for Animated Feature Film be made to that production.
  3. If none of the productions receives an average score of 7.5 or more, the committee shall recommend to the Board of Governors that no award be made for Animated Feature Film that year.
3. Final voting for the Best Animated Feature Film Award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.
4. The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Executive Committee shall have the right and responsibility to resolve all questions of eligibility, rules interpretations and the designation of award recipients.
5. It remains within the sole and confidential discretion of the Board of Governors to determine if any Best Animated Feature Film Award shall be given for a particular year, and to make all final determinations regarding this category.

Rule Eight

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE ART DIRECTION AWARD

A reminder list of all eligible pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Academy Art Directors Branch, except costume designers, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions.
The five productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Art Direction Award.
Prior to the mailing of nominations ballots, a meeting of the Academy Art Directors Branch shall be held to pass on the eligibility of all productions for award consideration. Eligibility for this award shall be limited to the production designer and set decorator primarily responsible for the design of the production and the execution of that concept, as verified by the producer. Any submission listing more than one set decorator will be subject to eligibility review by the Art Directors Branch Executive Committee, but in no case may more than one additional award be considered. An art director may only be considered eligible for this award when there is no production designer credited.
Final voting for the Art Direction Award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

Set Decoration

Recognition in the form of the Academy Statuette shall be given for the set decoration of the production receiving an award for achievement in art direction.

Rule Nine

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD

A reminder list of all eligible pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Academy Cinematographers Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions.
The five productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Cinematography Award.
In accordance with Rule Two, Paragraph 5, only principal position credit(s) shall be considered eligible for the Cinematography Award.
Final voting for the Cinematography Award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

Rule Ten

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE COSTUME DESIGN AWARD

A reminder list of all eligible pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all costume designer members of the Academy Art Directors Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions.
To be eligible for the Costume Design Award, the costumes for the picture must have been conceived by a costume designer. It is the intention of this rule to recognize the designing of costumes for their special use in motion pictures. Eligibility shall be determined by the costume designer members of the Art Directors Branch present at a meeting called specifically for that purpose prior to the mailing of nominations ballots.
The five productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Costume Design Award.
Final voting for the Costume Design Award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

Rule Eleven

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE DIRECTING AWARD

A reminder list of all eligible pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Academy Directors Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions.
The five productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Directing Award.
Final voting for the Directing Award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

Rule Twelve

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE DOCUMENTARY AWARDS

DEFINITION
1. An eligible documentary film is defined as a theatrically released non-fiction motion picture dealing creatively with cultural, artistic, historical, social, scientific, economic or other subjects. It may be photographed in actual occurrence or may employ partial re-enactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction.
2. A film that is primarily a promotional film, a purely technical instructional film or an essentially unfiltered record of a performance will not be considered eligible for consideration for the Documentary awards.
CATEGORIES
The Documentary Awards are divided into two categories:
1. Documentary Feature—films more than 40 minutes in running time, and
2. Documentary Short Subject—films 40 minutes or less (including all credits) in running time.
ELIGIBILITY
1. To be eligible for award consideration for the 2003 awards year, a documentary film must qualify (within two years of the film’s completion date) between October 1, 2002 and August 31, 2003.
  - Documentary Features must qualify via Theatrical Exhibition only.
  - Documentary Short Subjects may qualify via Theatrical Exhibition or a Competitive Film Festival. Documentary Short Subjects which qualify via a Competitive Film Festival must also fulfill the exhibition requirement of IV.2.a. or IV.2.b. below.
THEATRICAL EXHIBITION REQUIREMENTS
1. For both categories of Features and Short Subjects: The film must be publicly exhibited for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater in either Los Angeles County or the Borough of Manhattan in New York for a run of at least seven consecutive days, by means of 16mm, 35mm or 70mm film or in a 24-frame progressive scan digital format (minimum native resolution 1280 by 1024 pixels), delivered to the screen by an image and sound file format suitable for existing digital cinema sites.
2. In addition, one of the following two requirements must be met:
  1. The film must have theatrical runs in at least four additional cities, advertised and exploited in a manner considered normal and customary to the industry, each engagement to be a minimum of two consecutive days. All screenings of the film must begin between 10:00 AM and midnight, and must commence by the day nominations are announced for the 2003 awards year,
    
    OR
  2. If exhibition requirements of IV.2.a. above are not met, then the film must be withheld from television and/or internet transmission for the nine months following the day nominations are announced for the 2003 awards year.
3. COMPETITIVE FILM FESTIVAL (for Documentary Short Subjects only): A Documentary Short may have participated in a “recognized” competitive film festival and MUST HAVE WON THE BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT AWARD (or its equivalent). Proof of award must be submitted with the film. “Recognized” competitive film festivals comprise those film festivals on the Academy’s Documentary Short Subject Award Festivals List which may be obtained from the Academy. Documentary Short Subjects which qualify via a Competitive Film Festival must also fulfill the exhibition requirement of IV.2.a. or IV.2.b. above.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS
1. Public notification of the exhibition(s) is required in the form of paid advertising on the film page of a major newspaper. The ad copy must contain the dates, title and screening times of the film. The ad may either stand alone or appear in combination with the title of another film playing on the same bill. Only one ad is required if it covers all the days of the qualifying run(s).
2. The Academy documentary office requires the submission of a screening information form for the theatrical 7-day qualifying exhibition described in IV.1. above before the exhibition run begins. Upon completion of the run, a letter of validation from the exhibitor must be filed with the Academy office (no later than September 2, 2003, 5:00 PM PDT). For any documentary film fulfilling exhibition rule IV.2.a. above, Letters of Validation from four exhibitors must be filed with the Academy office within five business days from the day nominations are announced for the 2003 awards year, no later than February 4, 2004, 5:00 PM PDT. If validation letters are not received by this deadline, then rule IV.2.b. above shall apply.
3. No television or internet transmission shall occur at any time prior to, or within the six months following, the first day of the qualifying run or the festival win. Any documentary which is transmitted anywhere in the world in any version as a television or internet program within that period will automatically be disqualified from award eligibility.
4. Only individual documentary films will be considered eligible. This excludes from consideration:
  1. episodes extracted from a larger theme series,
  2. segments taken from a single “composite” program,
  3. alternate versions of ineligible films (short or feature-length), and
  4. short subject documentaries created from materials substantially taken from or cut down from publicly exhibited (in commercial theaters, festivals, and/or television), completed feature length documentaries.
5. Significant dialogue or narration must be in English, or the film must have English subtitles.
SUBMISSION
1. The film submitted to the Academy must be a composite film print in 16mm or 35mm, or 70mm (can be double system), or the 24-frame progressive scan digital format, and must be identical in format, content and length to the publicly exhibited or festival-winning film. All submissions must be accompanied by a synopsis of the film’s subject written in English, as well as other credit information. In addition, fifteen VHS videocassettes of the final product, without trailers or other extraneous content, must be submitted. These materials should be marked “Documentary Entry” and shipped PREPAID to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1972.
2. THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIVING THE ENTRY FORM, SYNOPSIS, THEATRICAL EXHIBITION PLAN, CREDITS LIST, FILMOGRAPHIES, STILLS, VIDEOCASSETTES AND PROOF OF QUALIFYING IS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2003, 5:00 P.M. PDT. FOREIGN ENTRIES MUST ALSO COMPLY WITH THIS RULE.
3. 1. For films that reach the semi-final round of voting, 25 additional videocassettes and two film prints will be required to facilitate further voting. The deadline for delivery to the Academy of these additional materials are: for Short Subjects, Monday, October 20, 2003; for Features, Monday, December 1, 2003.
  2. The submitted films will be retained by the Academy until the voting process is completed and will not be loaned to anyone outside the Academy during the voting process. One videocassette will be retained for the Academy’s archives to document the entry. Films not chosen as nominations for final balloting, as well as those found to be ineligible in this category, will be returned to the sender at Academy expense. Academy Bylaws (Article VIII, Section 6.) state that “Every award shall be conditioned upon the delivery to the Academy of one print of every film nominated for final balloting . . . such print shall become the property of the Academy, with the proviso, however, that the Academy shall not use such print for commercial gain.” THE ACADEMY WILL RETAIN FOR ITS ARCHIVES ONE PRINT OF EVERY FILM CHOSEN AS A NOMINATION FOR FINAL BALLOTING ON THE DOCUMENTARY AWARDS.
4. It is intended that the documentary award statuette be presented on behalf of the entire film to the individual(s) most involved in the key creative aspects of the filmmaking process and most responsible for the film’s excellence. To this end, receipt of a statuette shall be limited to two persons, one of whom must be the credited director who exercised directorial control, and the other of whom must have a producer or director credit. If a producer is named, that person must have performed a major portion of the producer functions in the following five areas: acquisition and development; pre-production; production; post-production; marketing and distribution (see “Documentary Producer Definition,” obtainable from the Academy). Production companies or persons with the screen credit of executive producer, co-producer, associate producer, produced in association with, or any credit other than that of director or producer, shall not be eligible to receive a statuette on behalf of the film. In the case of a dispute, the Documentary Branch Executive Committee, appointed each year, shall determine and resolve all questions.
5. Films submitted for Documentary Awards consideration may also qualify for Academy Awards in other categories if they meet the specified requirements. However, documentaries may not qualify for the Best Short Films categories, nor will any film submitted for documentary award be eligible for consideration in any category in subsequent awards years.
VOTING
1. All eligible documentaries will be screened for Documentary Branch Screening Committees. The Preliminary Screening and Semi-Final Committees will be made up of active and life members of the Documentary Branch who serve on a volunteer basis.
2. Nominations will be determined by an averaged point system of voting, i.e., 10, 9.5, 9, 8.5, 8, 7.5, 7, 6.5 or 6. Those films receiving an average score of 8.0 or more shall be eligible for nomination. However, there may be not more than five nor fewer than three nominations. Final voting shall be restricted to active and life Academy members who have viewed all of the nominated achievements in a theatrical setting. Viewing Documentary entries on videocassette will NOT qualify a member for voting purposes in the Final voting stage of these categories, with the exception of Screening Committee members who have participated in the Preliminary and/or Semi-Final voting process.
3. The Documentary Branch Executive Committee shall determine and resolve all questions of eligibility or submissions for this year. Additional or altered viewing procedures may be issued to accommodate such annual factors as the number of entries, total viewing hours, size of viewing groups, available venues, or other considerations.
ADVERTISING/PUBLICITY
Only films which receive nominations or Awards may refer to their Academy endorsements in advertising and publicity materials. A film which is selected for inclusion in the Semi-Final round competition may not identify itself as an “Academy Award Finalist,” “Academy Award Short-list Film” or the like. Nominated or Award-winning short documentaries which are subsequently modified to run longer than 40 minutes may not be advertised as Academy Award-nominated or -winning pictures.

Rule Thirteen

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE FILM EDITING AWARD

A reminder list of all eligible pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Academy Film Editors Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions.
The five productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Film Editing Award.
In accordance with Rule Two, Paragraph 5, only principal position credit(s) shall be considered eligible for the Film Editing Award.
Final voting for the Film Editing Award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

Rule Fourteen

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM AWARD

DEFINITION
A foreign language film is defined, for Academy Award purposes, as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States of America with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.
ELIGIBILITY
1. The film must be first released in the country submitting the film between November 1, 2002 and September 30, 2003, and first publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theater for the profit of the producer and exhibitor, advertised and exploited during its eligibility run in a manner considered normal and customary to the industry. The picture need not have been released in the United States.
2. The recording of the original dialogue track as well as the completed film must be predominantly in an official language of the country submitting the film except when the story mandates that an additional non-English language be predominant. Films involving subcultures that speak a non-English, non-official language may qualify if their subject matter concerns life in the submitting country. Accurate English subtitles are required.
3. The submitting country must certify that creative talent of that country exercised artistic control of the film.
4. The Academy has the right to make the final determination in questions of eligibility.
SUBMISSION
1. Every country shall be invited to submit its best film to the Academy. Selection of the best picture from each country shall be made by one organization, jury or committee which should include artists and/or craftspeople from the field of motion pictures.
2. Only one picture will be accepted from each country.
3. The Academy will provide official entry forms to the proper committee in each country so that the producer of the film selected can supply full information on his or her picture. All questions on the forms should be answered as fully as possible.
4. The official entry forms, together with a cast and credits list, a brief synopsis of the film in English, a biography and photograph of the director, and a copy of public notification of exhibition (such as an advertisement in a newspaper), must be received in the Academy office not later than Wednesday, October 1, 2003. Also, still photographs, a poster, and any other fact sheets may be sent to further document the submission.
5. Prints should be shipped prepaid as early as possible, as the Academy cannot accept pictures for award consideration later than Wednesday, October 15, 2003.
6. The print submitted for award consideration must be identical in form with the final version in general release in the country submitting the film.
7. Countries whose films are nominated on January 27, 2004, will be required to provide a second English-subtitled print of the film to facilitate voting screenings. This second print is due at the Academy on Friday, January 30, 2004. This second print will be returned at the conclusion of the voting process.
8. Prints submitted will be retained by the Academy until the voting process is completed and will not be loaned for use by others during the period of the voting process.
9. “Every award shall be conditioned upon the delivery to the Academy of one print of every film nominated for final balloting for all Academy Awards and such print shall become the property of the Academy, with the proviso, however, that the Academy shall not use such print for commercial gain. Such print shall be deposited with the Academy, and subject to matters not within its control, shall be screened by the Academy for the membership in advance of distribution of final ballots.” (Academy Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 6.) The Academy will retain for its archives every print chosen as a nomination for final balloting on the Foreign Language Film Award. Those films not chosen as nominees for final balloting will be returned to the sender at Academy expense.
VOTING
1. All submissions sent to the Academy will be screened by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Committee. After the screenings, the committee will vote by secret ballot to nominate five foreign language pictures for this award.
2. Final voting for the Foreign Language Film Award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members who have attended Academy screenings, or other exhibition, of all five films nominated for the award.
3. Viewing Foreign Language Film entries on videocassettes or DVD will NOT qualify a member for voting purposes in this category.
4. The Academy Statuette (Oscar®) will be awarded to the picture and accepted by the director on behalf of the film’s creative talents.
ELIGIBILITY IN OTHER CATEGORIES
1. Films submitted for Best Foreign Language Film Award consideration may also qualify for the 76th Annual Academy Awards in other categories, provided they meet the requirements of the special rules governing those categories.
2. In order to qualify for other categories, the films must be publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film for paid admission (previews excluded) in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County between January 1, 2003, and midnight of December 31, 2003, for a run of at least seven consecutive days after an opening prior to midnight of December 31,2003.
3. Films nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Award shall not be eligible for Academy Award consideration in any category in any subsequent awards year. Submitted films not selected as nominees are eligible for Academy Award consideration in other categories in the subsequent year, provided the film has its Los Angeles opening in that subsequent calendar year.

Rule Fifteen

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE MAKEUP AWARD

Makeup is any change in the appearance of a performer’s face, or hair, or body created by the application of cosmetics, three-dimensional materials, prosthetic appliances or wigs and hairpieces, applied directly to the performer’s face or body. Makeup, as an achievement or a craft, shall be determined by the Makeup Award Rules Committee.
The Academy President shall appoint a chairman of the Makeup Award Rules Committee from the Makeup Artist members of the Academy. The Makeup Award Rules Committee shall be comprised of Makeup Artist and Hairstylist members of the Academy.
Makeup artist and hairstylist members of the Academy shall attend meetings to review a reminder list of all eligible motion pictures. Selected credited makeup artists and hairstylists of the films under consideration for the Makeup Award shall be required to provide the committee with written descriptions explaining the procedures used to create the makeup achievements, and the names and titles of the primary individuals—not to exceed two in number—directly involved with, and principally responsible for, the makeup and hairstyles achieved.
The Makeup Artist and Hairstylist members shall meet to cast secret ballots to select seven productions to be considered for the Makeup Award. Twenty percent (20%) of the eligible voters shall constitute a quorum for the selection of achievements to be considered further. Recommendations will be made to the Makeup Award Rules Committee for specific individual achievements to be considered for the Award for each production.
The producers, or directors, and responsible Makeup Artists and Hairstylists of the films selected for Award consideration shall be required to provide the committee with film excerpts of selected scenes showing the achievements. Excerpts shall be from composite prints of the final release version of the productions and shall not exceed ten minutes in total running time.
Eligibility of the contributor(s) to the makeup achievement, for nomination purposes, shall be determined by the Makeup Award Rules Committee no later than one week prior to the Makeup Artist and Hairstylist members’ voting screening (next paragraph). When the hairstyles and/or hair effects contribute greatly to the appearance and effect of the characters, the hairstylist most responsible for the hair design work may be included in the Makeup Award. This shall be at the discretion of the Makeup Award Rules Committee.
Makeup Artist and Hairstylist members of the Academy shall meet to screen the film excerpts and vote on the achievements. Immediately after the screening of excerpts and discussion relative to them, voting shall be conducted as follows:
1. A ballot, listing the productions in their running order (which shall have been determined by lot) shall be distributed to the committee. All members must mark a score of 10, 9, 8, 7 or 6 opposite each of the achievements.
2. A maximum of three productions achieving the highest average point score of 8.0 or more may be nominated for the Makeup Award.
3. If, as a result of this balloting, only one production achieves an average point score of 8.0 or more, the committee shall recommend to the Board of Governors that a Special Achievement Award for Makeup be made to that production.
4. If no production receives an average point score of 8.0 or more, the committee shall recommend to the Board of Governors that, in its opinion, no award for achievement in makeup should be made that year.
5. Makeup Artist and Hairstylist members unable to attend the voting screening, but who have seen all the productions under consideration, will receive ballots to be mailed and received no later than the day preceding the screening.
Final voting for the Makeup Award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.
Such other rules or modifications as may be necessary for the proper conduct of this award shall be adopted by the Makeup Award Rules Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Board of Governors.

Rule Sixteen

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE MUSIC AWARDS

CATEGORIES

I. Original Score

An original score is a substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.

II. Original Song

An original song consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody, used in the body of the film or as the first song in the end credits.

III. Original Musical

An original musical consists of not fewer than five original songs (as defined in A.II above) by the same writer or team of writers either used as voice-overs or visually performed. Each of these songs must be substantively rendered, clearly audible, intelligible, and must further the storyline. What is simply an arbitrary group of songs unessential to the storyline of the film will not be considered eligible. The adapter (if any) or the composer of the instrumental score may be considered eligible—in this category only—if his or her contribution is deemed relevant and substantial.
ELIGIBILITY
1. The work must be specifically created for the eligible feature-length motion picture.
2. The work must be the result of a creative interaction between the film maker(s) and the composer(s) or songwriter(s) who have been engaged to work directly on the film.
3. The measure of the work’s qualification shall be its effectiveness, craftsmanship, creative substance and relevance to the dramatic whole.
4. The work must be recorded for use in the film prior to any other usage, including public performance or exploitation through any of the media whatsoever.
5. Only the principal composer(s) or song writer(s) responsible for the conception and execution of the work as a whole shall be eligible for an award. This expressly excludes from eligibility all of the following:
  1. supervisors
  2. partial contributors (e.g., any writer not responsible for the overall design of the work)
  3. contributors working on speculation
  4. scores diluted by the use of tracked or pre-existing music
  5. scores diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs
  6. scores assembled from the music of more than one composer.
6. The Executive Committee shall resolve all rules interpretations and all questions of eligibility.
7. It is within the sole and confidential discretion of the Board of Governors to determine what awards, if any, shall be given.
SUBMISSION
1. For an achievement to be eligible for nomination in any of the three music categories, an OFFICIAL SUBMISSION FORM, obtainable from the Academy, must be requested personally by the principal writer(s) who alone may make the submission.
2. The submission form must be accompanied by a complete Music Cue Sheet (listing all music cues), Vocal Lead Sheets (in the Original Song and Original Musical categories), and the signatures of all submitting writers.
3. Submissions may be made prior to the qualifying Los Angeles release opening, but must be made no later than sixty days after such opening, or Monday, December 1, 2003, whichever comes first.
4. The Executive Committee has the right, but not the obligation, to initiate submissions in all three categories, but must do so no later than noon of December 31, 2003.
VOTING
1. A reminder list of works submitted in each category shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Academy Music Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements in each category.
2. The five achievements in each category receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the Music Awards.
3. If there are 25 or fewer qualified works submitted in any category, the Executive Committee may recommend to the Board of Governors that nominations be limited to three. If there are four or fewer qualifying works submitted in any category, the Executive Committee may recommend to the Board of Governors that no award be given in that category this year.
4. The entire active and life Academy membership shall vote for final selections in each category: ORIGINAL SCORE, ORIGINAL SONG, and ORIGINAL MUSICAL.

Rule Seventeen

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR AWARD

A reminder list of all eligible pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all active and life members of the Academy who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions.
The five pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Best Picture Award.
The individual(s) who shall be credited for Academy Award purposes shall be the person(s) having screen credit as producer or produced by. Persons with screen credits of executive producer, co-producer, associate producer, line producer, produced in association with, or any other credit, shall not receive nominations or Academy Statuettes. Studio executives and personal managers with producer credit are likewise ineligible for Best Picture nominations and statuettes unless they have fully functioned as producers on the picture. No more than three producers may be nominated or receive statuettes; if more than three producers are credited on a nominated picture, the Academy Award recipients shall be those three or fewer who have performed the major portion of the producing functions. The Producers Branch Executive Committee shall resolve any questions of eligibility.
Final voting for the Best Picture Award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

Rule Eighteen

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievement shall be made by the Board of Governors upon recommendation of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. Awards may be given for devices, methods, formulas, discoveries or inventions of special and outstanding value to the arts and sciences of motion pictures. Posthumous awards for achievements in prior years will not be voted in this category.
The Academy President shall annually appoint outstanding representatives of the motion picture and technical fields to serve on the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. The committee will be dissolved upon the completion of its annual term.
Awards for scientific and technical achievement may be granted in any of the three following classifications:
ACADEMY AWARD OF MERIT (Academy Statuette)
For basic achievements which have a definite influence upon the advancement of the industry.

SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING AWARD (Academy Plaque)
For those achievements which exhibit a high level of engineering and are important to the progress of the industry.

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (Academy Certificate)
For those accomplishments which contribute to the progress of the industry.
The committee shall endeavor to acquaint itself with all motion picture scientific and technical achievements of the awards year. To assist the committee, letters shall be sent to individuals and organizations engaged in scientific and technical developments for motion pictures, requesting that they submit any information they may have regarding achievements which may have been developed in their own or any other organizations.
A list of all achievements being considered shall be widely publicized to permit anyone with claims of prior art or with devices similar to those under consideration to bring them to the attention of the committee.
The committee shall then conduct a series of meetings and examinations and, when feasible, shall arrange for such demonstrations as are necessary to evaluate the achievements properly and make recommendations for action by the Board of Governors.
In evaluating the submitted achievements, the committee shall strive to seek out other items similar to those being considered for awards. If such items are discovered, they may be considered on an equal basis.
Where achievements are covered by patents, the committee shall request that copies of the patent be made available to it. If a patent is pending, the date of filing and names of authors must be submitted.
Full claim for originality and development of each achievement must be established to the satisfaction of the committee. If any controversy should arise as to the origin or authorship of an achievement, the committee may request that the Academy Board of Governors postpone action until proper credit shall have been established.
The committee may appoint subcommittees for each technical classification in which there are achievements to be considered. The chairman of each subcommittee shall be one of the members of the subcommittee and shall conduct its meetings and discussions.
Each subcommittee shall consider all achievements in its field. The subcommittees shall evaluate those achievements and forward their conclusions to the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee in the form of a written report prepared by the respective subcommittee chairmen.
All voting by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee shall be done by secret ballot. Committee members may voluntarily abstain from voting on any item. All decisions as to award recommendations and classifications shall require a two-thirds majority vote of those present and voting. Members of the committee having a personal connection with any achievement shall not be present during discussion of that achievement except by invitation of the chairman. Members of the committee who do not have a personal connection with the achievement but who are affiliated with the organization responsible for the achievement may be present at the discussion and voting at the discretion of the chairman, but may not vote on the achievement.
The committee shall recommend to the Academy Board of Governors the person(s) and/or organization(s) to whom an award shall be made, the type of award and the text thereof. The committee shall carefully evaluate all information regarding actual authorship of each item being considered for an award and shall, at its sole discretion, identify the individual(s) and/or organization(s) to be recognized.
In recommending awards, the committee will judge to the best of its ability the scientific and technical merits of the achievements, but does not warrant that the person or persons named are responsible for the origin or development of the achievement named in the award.
It shall be within the discretion of the committee to recommend no awards if, in its judgment, there have been no achievements worthy of recognition. It shall also be within the discretion of the committee, but only on its own motion, to review any Academy Award conferred for scientific and technical achievement to determine whether the classification of such achievement should be elevated by reason of its contribution to the arts and sciences of motion pictures subsequent to the granting of such award, and to recommend elevation in classification to the Academy Board of Governors.
Such other rules as may be considered necessary for the proper conduct of these awards shall be adopted by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Board of Governors.

Rule Nineteen

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SHORT FILMS AWARDS

DEFINITIONS and CATEGORIES
1. A short film is defined as a motion picture that is not more than 40 minutes in running time (including all credits).
2. An award shall be give for the best achievement in each of two categories:
  Animated Films
  
  An animated film usually falls into one of two general fields of animation: character or abstract. Some of the techniques of animating films include eel animation, computer animation, stop-motion, clay animation, puppets, pixilation, cutouts, pins, camera multiple pass imagery, kaleidoscopic effects and drawing on the film frame itself.
  
  Live Action Films
  
  A live action film utilizes primarily live action techniques as the basic medium of entertainment.
3. DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED IN EITHER CATEGORY.
4. Previews and advertising films shall be excluded. A sequence from a feature-length film (an animated credit sequence, e.g.) may not be excerpted and submitted as a short film. An unaired episode of an established TV series or an unsold TV series pilot will not be accepted as a short film in the Academy’s Short Film competition.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Short Films in either category must be composite prints in 16mm, 35mm or 70mm or in a 24-frame progressive scan digital format (minimum native resolution 1280 by 1024 pixels), delivered to the screen by an image and sound file format suitable for existing digital cinema sites (or the current digital definition approved by the Board of Governors). Formats requiring special technical presentation will be given consideration if made available for Academy voting screenings in Los Angeles County. Dialogue or narration must be substantially in English or the film must have English subtitles.
2. To be eligible for award consideration for the 2003 awards year, a short film must fulfill (within two years of the film’s completion date) one of the following criteria between November 1, 2002, and September 30, 2003:
  1. The film must have been publicly exhibited for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County for a run of at least three consecutive days (no fewer than two screenings a day). Student films cannot qualify in this manner.
    
    OR
  2. The film must have participated in a “recognized” competitive film festival and MUST HAVE WON THE BEST-IN-CATEGORY AWARD. Proof of award must be submitted with the film print. “Recognized” competitive film festivals comprise those established film festivals on the Academy’s Short Films Awards Festival List which may be obtained from the Academy.
  Television or internet exhibition does not disqualify a film, provided such exhibition occurs after its Los Angeles theatrical release, or after receiving its festival award.
3. A student film may qualify only under II.2(b) above or by winning a Gold Medal Award in the Academy’s Annual Student Academy Awards competition of 2003 (excluding the documentary category), provided it meets the length requirement. However, any student filmmaker submitting a film for consideration in the Short Films Awards categories may not subsequently enter the same film in the Student Academy Awards competition.
4. Only one entry in each classification will be accepted from each producer or each identical producing team.
SUBMISSION
1. The print submitted for Academy Award consideration must be identical in content and length to the print utilized for the qualifying exhibition. All entries submitted must include a synopsis of the film written in English.
2. Prints should be marked “SHORT FILM ENTRY” and shipped PREPAID to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California 90211. Those not chosen as nominations for final balloting will be returned to the sender at Academy expense. PRINTS SUBMITTED WILL BE RETAINED BY THE ACADEMY UNTIL THE VOTING PROCESS IS COMPLETED AND WILL NOT BE LOANED FOR USE BY OTHERS DURING THE PERIOD OF THE VOTING PROCESS.
3. THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIVING THE ENTRY FORM, SYNOPSIS, CAST AND CREDITS LIST, FILMOGRAPHIES, STILLS, PROOF OF QUALIFYING EXHIBITION OR AWARD AND FILM PRINT IS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2003. FOREIGN ENTRIES MUST ALSO COMPLY WITH THIS RULE. FOR FILMS THAT REACH THE BRANCH SCREENING ROUND OF VOTING, A SECOND FILM PRINT (WHICH WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU) IS REQUIRED TO FACILITATE FURTHER VOTING. THIS SECOND FILM PRINT IS DUE JANUARY 5, 2004.
4. “Every award shall be conditioned upon the delivery to the Academy of one print of every film nominated for final balloting for all Academy Awards, and such print shall become the property of the Academy, with the proviso, however, that the Academy shall not use such print for commercial gain. Such print shall be deposited with the Academy and, subject to matters not within its control, shall be screened by the Academy for the membership in advance of distribution of final ballots.” (Academy Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 6.) THE ACADEMY WILL RETAIN FOR ITS ARCHIVES ONE FILM PRINT OF EVERY FILM CHOSEN AS A NOMINATION FOR FINAL BALLOTING IN EACH CATEGORY OF THE SHORT FILMS AWARDS.
5. The recipient of the statuette will be the individual person most directly responsible for the concept and the creative execution of the film. In the event that more than one individual has been directly and importantly involved in creative decisions, a second statuette may be awarded. However, no more than two awards will be given to a winning production. In cases where more than two individuals claim major creative contributions, the copyright holder must decide which two will be eligible to receive Oscar statuettes and so inform the Academy. Companies or organized groups shall not receive nominations or awards.
6. No film may be submitted more than once for Academy Award consideration.
VOTING
1. A Reviewing Committee, consisting of volunteer active and life members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch, will view all films entered and mark all entries 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 or 5 with the guidelines of 10 (excellent), 8 (good), 6 (fair) or 5 (poor). Not more than ten films in each category receiving the highest average numerical scores above 7.5 shall be considered further. In the event that fewer than six films receive average numerical scores of 7.5 or more, those with the next highest average numerical scores of 7.5 or less shall be included until six films are selected.
2. All entries selected by the Reviewing Committee shall be screened by the Branch Nominating Committee consisting of all active and life members of the Academy Short Films and Feature Animation Branch. Those members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch who served on the Reviewing Committee and who viewed all the selected films in either or both categories are entitled to receive ballots by mail. The running order of the films in each classification shall be determined by lot. The point system of voting, from 10 to 6, is to be used at this screening to select nominations. Those films receiving an average score of 7.5 or more shall be eligible for nomination. However, there may be not more than five nor fewer than three nominations in each category.
3. Final voting for the Short Films Awards shall be restricted to active and life Academy members who may vote only for one film in each of the two classifications after official Academy screenings of the nominated achievements. However, those members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch who served on the Branch Nominating Committee and who viewed all the nominated films are entitled to receive ballots by mail. When a non-standard format nominated film cannot be included in the official Academy voting screenings for its category, members must submit evidence of having seen that film elsewhere in order to vote in that category.
4. Excellence of the entries shall be judged on the basis of originality, entertainment and production quality without regard to cost of production or subject matter.
5. All technical and classification questions shall be resolved by the Executive Committee.

Rule Twenty

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SOUND EDITING AWARD

The Academy President shall instruct the Sound Editor Governor to chair the Sound Editing Award Committee, comprised of all sound editors and post-production mixers in the Academy Sound Branch and all members of the Sound Branch Executive Committee.
There are three options under these rules.
1. A Special Achievement Award for Sound Editing may be made by the Board of Governors upon recommendation of the Sound Editing Award Committee.
2. If the committee finds that two productions, but not more than three productions, are deserving of its recommendations, those shall be placed on the final ballot as nominated achievements to be voted upon by all active and life members of the Academy.
3. The Sound Editing Award Committee may also recommend to the Board of Governors that no award be made in a given year.
A reminder list of all eligible productions shall be sent with a ballot to all sound editors and post-production mixers of the Academy Sound Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions. The seven productions receiving the highest number of votes from this initial balloting shall be the achievements to be considered further for the Sound Editing Award.
Eligibility for this award shall be limited to the Supervising Sound Editor directly involved in and primarily responsible for the planning, creation, direction and execution of the sound design and editing for each achievement. The Supervising Sound Editor must be the primary creative decision maker and principal interpreter of the director’s vision to the sound editing team. The Supervising Sound Editor must approve the sound effects and their specific placement in the film , coordinate the creation of newly designed sound and foley effects and the editing of dialogue and ADR. The Supervising Sound Editor must oversee the recording of the pre-dubs and be present to supervise the final mix. In the event the above responsibilities are divided, both co-supervisors must adhere to the above criteria.
Nomination eligibility of the Supervising Sound Editor responsible for the achievement shall be determined by the Sound Editing Award Rules Committee.
The producers or directors (or their designees) shall also be requested to provide the committee with film excerpts of selected scenes from composite prints in the same sound format as that in which the film was commercially released in Los Angeles County and in accordance with Rules Two and Three. Double system or picture-and-track excerpts will be accepted only when a film was originally released in this format. Excerpts from each production shall not exceed ten minutes in total running time.
The Sound Editing Award Committee shall meet to screen the film excerpts and vote on the achievements. All film excerpts will be run at the Academy Standard sound level. Producers and directors of the productions under consideration (or their representatives) may attend the meeting at the option of the committee.
Following the screening of film excerpts, voting shall be conducted as follows:
1. A ballot, listing the productions under consideration in their running order, shall be distributed to all voting members who must mark a score of 10, 9, 8, 7 or 6 opposite each of the achievements. This point system shall represent a rating of 10 for the highest level on the scale of achievement.
2. If two productions, but not more than three productions, receive an average score of 8.5 or more, they shall be the achievements nominated for the Sound Editing Award.
3. If only one production receives an average score of 8.5 or more, the committee shall recommend to the Board of Governors that a Special Achievement Award for Sound Editing be made to that production. The committee shall provide the Board with a written description of the sound editing achievement.
4. If none of the productions receives an average score of 8.5 or more, the committee shall recommend to the Board of Governors that no award be made for achievement in sound editing that year.
Such other rules or modifications as may be considered necessary for the proper conduct of this award shall be adopted by the Sound Editing Award Rules Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Board of Governors.

Rule Twenty-one

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SOUND MIXING AWARD

A reminder list of all eligible pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all members of the Academy Sound Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions.
The five productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Sound Mixing Award.
The talents of the rerecording mixers on a panel (not to exceed three) and the production mixer will be judged as contributing equally to a sound track achievement. On an Official Data Record supplied by the Academy, the producer and the sound director shall designate the eligibility of the co-rerecording mixing collaborators (not to exceed three) who have contributed substantially to the final mix, and the production mixer (not to exceed one) for Academy Award purposes.
In the event of a credits dispute, the nomination eligibility for the Sound Award shall be determined by the Sound Branch Executive Committee.
Following a review of the Official Data Records, determination of nomination eligibility shall be the responsibility of the Academy, as provided in General Rule Two.
The Theater Sound Inspection Committee shall inspect and approve the projection sound system of the Academy’s theater at least four weeks prior to the annual screening of nominated achievements. No changes may be made in the sound system after final approval by the committee. Any production that deviates from the normal sound system, or requires modification of the system, must be approved by a majority of the committee before the final check of the system. Notification of such deviation or modification requirements must be submitted to the Academy at least three weeks in advance of the inspection and approval of the sound system. Any composite release print that plays on the normal projection sound system of the Academy’s theater requires no special approval of the committee.
Before screening films nominated for the Sound Mixing Award, representatives of the pictures to be shown may run a maximum of two contiguous reels of their pictures to audition them. At the actual screenings, films will be run at the Academy Standard sound level.
Final voting for the Sound Mixing Award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

Rule Twenty-two

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE VISUAL EFFECTS AWARD

The Academy President shall appoint a chairman who will form a committee from active and life members from the Visual Effects Branch. An executive committee on rules, a steering committee and a nominating committee shall constitute the Visual Effects Award Committee.
The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee shall select members of a Steering Committee from members of the Visual Effects Branch to review a reminder list of all eligible motion pictures and shall cast secret ballots to select a maximum of seven productions for further consideration. Achievements shall be judged within the parameters defined by the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee and on the basis of:
1. consideration of the contribution the visual effects make to the overall production and
2. the artistry, skill and fidelity with which the visual illusions are achieved.
The producers of the films selected for award consideration (or their designees) shall be requested to provide the committee with:
1. written descriptions explaining the procedures used to create the effects,
2. film excerpts from composite release prints—not to exceed fifteen minutes (1,350 feet) in total running time—showing the effects described and
3. the names and titles of the primary individuals—not to exceed four in number—directly involved with, and principally responsible for, the visual effects achieved and a description of their contributions. Additional names will not be considered. The Visual Effects Award is a craft award. Producers, coordinators and other executives are not eligible for this award unless they are also craftpeople [sic] with primary creative responsibility for the achievement.
Visual Effects, as an achievement or a craft, shall be determined by the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee. Eligibility of the contributor(s) to the achievement, for nomination purposes, shall be determined by the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee.
Qualified active members of the Visual Effects Branch will be eligible to serve on the Visual Effects Award Nominating Committee and shall attend a meeting to view the film excerpts and vote upon the achievements. Written descriptions of the effects shall be sent to the committee prior to the meeting.
The producers (or their designees) may attend the meeting of the nominating committee, however, only the potential nominees will be allowed to address the nominating committee.
Following the running of film excerpts and discussion relative to the achievements, voting shall be conducted as follows:
1. A ballot shall be cast by all members of the Visual Effects Nominating Committee present, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than three of the seven productions.
2. The three productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Visual Effects Award.
3. Final voting for the Visual Effects Award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.
Such other rules or procedures necessary for the proper conduct of this award shall be adopted by the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Board of Governors.

Rule Twenty-three

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE WRITING AWARDS

An award shall be given for the best achievement in each of two categories:
Adapted Screenplay

Original Screenplay
A reminder list of all pictures eligible in each category shall be sent with nominations ballots to all members of the Academy Writers Branch who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions in each category.
The five productions in each category receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Writing Awards.
Final voting for the Writing Awards shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

Rule Twenty-four

RULES FOR THE TESTIMONIAL AWARDS

DEFINITIONS
The Testimonial Awards include the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Honorary Award. They are determined and bestowed by the Board of Governors.
NOMINATING and VOTING PROCEDURES
1. Nominations for the Testimonial Awards shall be made at an annually designated meeting of the Board of Governors. Nominations for all three awards shall be conducted as a single procedure in which a nominee is named along with the award for which he or she is proposed.
2. When the nominations are closed, voting shall be conducted by secret ballot. The Governors shall indicate their preference for a Testimonial Award by selecting one candidate from among the names listed. The candidate with the most votes shall then stand for further consideration. If a tie occurs, a run-off vote between the tied candidates shall take place until a preferred candidate is determined.
3. Once a single candidate has emerged, an additional secret vote shall take place to determine whether the particular award proposed will be conferred. A “yes” vote from two-thirds of the Governors present is necessary to endorse the proposal. In the absence of a two-thirds endorsement, the entire process, beginning with nominations, may be repeated up to two additional times, to determine whether another candidate can muster the support of two-thirds of the Governors. If no proposed candidate has that support, no Testimonial Award will be given that year.
4. A second award—which may be anyone of the three Testimonial Awards—may also be presented, following the same nominating and voting procedures as described above, with the following distinction: in the final round of voting, three-quarters of the Governors present must endorse the giving of the award.
LIMITATIONS
1. No more than two Testimonial Awards may be presented in a given awards year. This limitation may only be exceeded by unanimous consent of the Governors present.
2. No proxies shall be permitted in balloting for any Testimonial Award. No Testimonial Award shall be voted posthumously. No sitting member of the Board of Governors shall be eligible to receive a Testimonial Award. No individual shall be eligible to receive any particular Testimonial Award more than once.

Rule Twenty-five

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

This award shall be given for an achievement which makes an exceptional contribution to the motion picture for which it was created, but for which there is no annual award category. Such award shall only be conferred, however, for achievements in productions which also qualify under Rules Two and Three.
Nominations for the Special Achievement Award shall be made at a special meeting of the Board of Governors, and/or upon recommendation of the Animated Feature Film Screening Committee (see Rule 7), the Makeup Award Screening Committee (see Rule 15) and/or the Sound Editing Award Committee (see Rule 20).
Following completion of the nominations for this award, a secret ballot shall be taken on which the Governors vote for the nominee of their preference. The nominee receiving the highest numerical score shall be considered further in a second secret ballot to determine if this award shall be given. If the achievement receives a vote of two-thirds of the Governors present, the person(s) named as being responsible for the achievement shall receive the Special Achievement Award.
No proxies shall be permitted in balloting for the Special Achievement Award.
Such other rules or modifications as may be necessary for the proper conduct of this award shall be adopted by the Board of Governors.

Rule Twenty-six

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE GORDON E. SAWYER AWARD

This award shall be given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry.
The selection of this award is overseen by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee and brought before the Board of Governors for consideration. A vote of two-thirds of the Governors present is necessary to endorse the proposal.
Presentation of this award is made at a special event honoring scientific and technical achievements.
No proxies shall be permitted in balloting for the Sawyer Award. The Sawyer Award shall not be voted posthumously. No sitting member of the Board of Governors shall be eligible to receive the Sawyer Award. No individual shall be eligible to receive the Sawyer Award more than once.

Rule Twenty-seven

SPECIAL RULES FOR THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SPECIAL AWARDS

The Scientific and Technical Special Awards include:
JOHN A. BONNER MEDAL OF COMMENDATION (Medallion)—This award shall be given to an individual in appreciation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

AWARD OF COMMENDATION (Special Plaque)—This award shall be given in recognition of special technical achievements in the motion picture industry.
The selection of these awards is overseen by the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee and brought before the Board of Governors for consideration. A vote of two-thirds of the Governors present is necessary to endorse each proposal.
Presentation of these awards is made at a special event honoring scientific and technical achievements.
No proxies shall be permitted in balloting for any of these Special Awards. No Special Awards shall be voted posthumously. No sitting member of the Board of Governors shall be eligible to receive any of these Special Awards. No individual shall be eligible to receive any particular Special Award more than once.

BALLOTING INFORMATION CHART

76th Annual Awards - 2003 Calendar Year
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

ANNUAL AWARDS

AWARD	NOMINATIONS BALLOTING		FINAL BALLOTING
AWARD	MAXIMUM NUMBER OF NOMINATIONS	NOMINATING GROUPS	FINAL BALLOTING
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE	5 5 5 5	Academy Actors Branch Members.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM	5	Animated Feature Film Screening Committee.
ART DIRECTION	5	All Members of the Academy Art Directors Branch except Costume Designers.
CINEMATOGRAPHY	5	Academy Cinematographers Branch Members.
COSTUME DESIGN	5	Costume Designer Members of the Academy Art Directors Branch.
DIRECTING	5	Academy Directors Branch Members.
DOCUMENTARY AWARDS: FEATURES SHORT SUBJECTS	5 5	Academy Documentary Branch Members.
FILM EDITING	5	Academy Film Editors Branch Members.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM	5	Foreign Language Film Award Committee.
MAKEUP*	3	Makeup Artist and Hairstylist Members.
MUSIC: (I) ORIGINAL SCORE (II) ORIGINAL SONG (III) ORIGINAL MUSICAL*	5 5 5	Academy Music Branch Members.
BEST PICTURE	5	All Active and Life Academy Members.
SHORT FILMS: ANIMATED FILMS LIVE ACTION FILMS	5 5	Academy Short Films Branch Members.
SOUND EDITING*	3	Sound Editing Award Committee.
SOUND MIXING	5	Academy Sound Branch Members.
VISUAL EFFECTS	3	Visual Effects Award Nominating Committee.
WRITING: ADAPTED SCREENPLAY ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY	5 5	Academy Writers Branch Members.

TESTIMONIAL AWARDS

IRVING G. THALBERG MEMORIAL AWARD
JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD
HONORARY AWARD

Voted by Board of Governors.

SPECIAL AWARDS

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL AWARDS GORDON E. SAWYER AWARD	Voted by Board of Governors based on recommendations of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee.
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD OTHER AWARDS	Voted by Board of Governors.