Academy Awards

Tonight is the biggest night of the year for the film industry—the Academy Awards! Download and print our free Oscar Bingo game and Oscar Ballot to play at home as you watch the festivities! The first Academy Awards ceremony took place on May 16, 1929. It was a private dinner party with less than 250 guests in attendance and tickets cost $5. The ceremony only lasted fifteen minutes! Today, tens of millions tune in worldwide to watch the pomp and circumstance of the ceremony live on television.

The trophy for the Academy Awards is a knight, gripping a crusader’s sword, and standing on a reel of film. The reel has five spokes representing the original branches of the Academy: actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers. The statuette is officially known as the Academy Award of Merit, but was nicknamed “Oscar” in the 1930s. Each of the Oscars costs $500 to produce and weighs about 8.5 pounds.

So, who will take home the award for Best Picture this year? Who will be the best dressed on the red carpet? Tune in tonight to find out!