Oscars finally add Best Stunt Design category just in time for the 100th Academy Awards

After years of public outcry, the industry’s top stunt designers will be eligible for competitive recognition from the Oscars.

On Thursday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced plans to add a Best Stunt Design category to the Academy Awards, beginning with the historic 100th annual ceremony in 2028.

“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. “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.”

According to the Academy, the category’s rules for eligibility and voting for the award will be announced in 2027 when the group releases its complete 100th Academy Awards Rules. How the award will be presented “will be determined by the Academy’s Board of Governors and executive leadership at a future date.”

The Best Stunt Design category is the second significant addition to the Oscars in the last 14 months. Previously, the Academy added a competitive Oscar for casting, which will be awarded for the first time at next year’s ceremony.

Although the Academy does not have a stunt branch, it noted that “more than 100 stunt professionals are members of the Academy’s Production and Technology Branch.”

Calls for a Best Stunt Design Oscar have grown louder over the last several years. During the 2024 ceremony, The Fall Guy stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt introduced a special package to honor the industry’s stunt performers over the years, to much ballyhoo online.

"The Academy's history runs deep with the fearless work of the incredible artisans of the stunt community," Gosling said as part of the clip package. "Every award season features their work in every genre — from Butch and Sundance to Black Panther, from the depths of space to the battlefields of earth and beyond. Stunt performers and the action they design continue to create some of the most memorable moments in the history of cinema. And they’ve been doing it from the start."

Filmmaker David Leitch (The Fall Guy, Bullet Train, and Deadpool 2), led the initiative to make Best Stunt Design into an official Oscars category. on behalf of the stunt community to make Achievement in Stunt Design an official Oscar category. Leitch and stunt coordinator and designer Chris O’Hara of Stunts Unlimited and others made several presentations to the Academy, leading to the Board of Governors approving the new awards category today.

“Stunts are essential to every genre of film and rooted deep in our industry’s history—from the groundbreaking work of early pioneers like Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin, to the inspiring artistry of today’s stunt designers, coordinators, performers, and choreographershis has been a long journey for so many of us,” Leitch said in a statement. “Chris O’Hara and I have spent years working to bring this moment to life, standing on the shoulders of the stunt professionals who’ve fought tirelessly for recognition over the decades. We are incredibly grateful. Thank you, Academy.”

The 2027 release calendar is not yet fleshed out, but blockbuster projects such as Avengers: Secret Wars, The Legend of Zelda, and How to Train Your Dragon 2 are already dated and likely to include a fair share of exemplary stunt work.