Oscars introduces award for casting to take effect in 2026

The Academy Awards on Thursday, February 8, 2024, announced Achievement in Casting as a new category that will take effect in the 98th edition in 2026.

The Achievement in Casting Oscar will be the newest category added to the awards since the introduction of Best Animated Feature Film in 2001. The Casting Directors Branch of the Academy was created in July 2013 and currently includes nearly 160 members.

The CEO and Academy president, Janet Yang in a Press release shared that the inclusion came as a means to acknowledge that vital part of filmmaking. She stated that "Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate."

The rules for eligibility and voting for the new category will be announced in April 2025. The future announcements will also reveal whether or not the Nigerian film industry will be included in the new category.

In the meantime, Nigerian-British photographer, Misan Harriman's short film, The After, starring David Oyelowo has been nominated in the Best Live-Action Short Film category at the 2024 Academy Awards.

The short film, which is currently streaming on Netflix, competes with Invincible (Vincent René-Lortie and Samuel Caron), Knight of Fortune (Lasse Lyskjær Noer and Christian Norlyk), Red, White and Blue (Nazrin Choudhury and Sara McFarlane), The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Wes Anderson and Steven Rales) for the award.