20th ANNUAL

VOTING RULES

ACADEMY AWARDS of MERIT

FOR ACHIEVEMENT DURING 1947

ONE

The Awards Year

Academy Awards of Merit shall be bestowed for achievements in connection with motion pictures first publicly exhibited for paid admission (previews excluded) in the Los Angeles area, (defined as Los Angeles, West Los Angeles or Beverly Hills) between January 1, 1947 and midnight of December 31, 1947, such exhibition being for a consecutive run of not less than a week after an opening prior to midnight of December 31st, following normal exploitation and advertising utilized by the producer for his other pictures within the dates specified. Short subjects which shall have been first publicly exhibited in a 35mm. theatre anywhere in the United States for any definite first paid play date during the aforesaid period shall be eligible for consideration for the Awards.

TWO

The Annual Awards

Subject to the inability of the Producer to comply herewith, 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.

Awards of Merit shall be conferred for the following achievements:

ACTING:	For the best performance by an actor. For the best performance by an actor in a supporting role. For the best performance by an actress. For the best performance by an actress in a supporting role.
ART DIRECTION:	For the best achievement in art direction of a black-and-white production. For the best achievement in art direction of a color production.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:	For the best achievement in cinematography of a black-and-white production. For the best achievement In cinematography of a color production.
DIRECTING:	For the best achievement In directing.
FILM EDITING:	For the best achievement in film editing.
MUSIC:	For the outstanding achievements in music in connection with motion pictures: (a) Best scoring of a musical picture. (b) Best music score of a dramatic or comedy picture. (c) Best original song.
PRODUCTION:	For the best motion picture. The trophy shall be awarded to the Producing Company.
SHORT SUBJECTS:	For the best achievement in each of three classifications: (a) Cartoons (b) l,OOO-foot subjects (c) Subjects between 1,000 and- 3,000 feet.
SOUND RECORDING:	For the best achievement by a studio sound department.
SPECIAL EFFECTS:	For the best achievement in special effects.
WRITING:	For the best written screenplay. For the best original screen play (the writer or writers of which are also the authors of the original story). For the best original motion picture story.

THREE

The Special Awards

Special Awards may be conferred as follows:

1. SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT: For a device, method, formula, discovery or invention of special and outstanding value to the art or science of motion pictures, and actually employed in the motion picture industry during the Awards year. (See Rule 17).
2. IRVING G. THALBERG MEMORIAL AWARD: “Shall be given at such times as in the judgment of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences there is a deserving recipient, but not neccessarily [sic] each year. It shall be given for the most consistent high quality of production achievement by an individual producer based on a picture or pictures he has personally produced since the last Award, and also on his general record of production achievement throughout several years preceding the Award.”
3. DOCUMENTARY ACHIEVEMENT: For the best feature-length Documentary film and for the best Documentary Short Subject. (See Rule 18).
4. OTHER SPECIAL AWARDS: For outstanding achievements not strictly within the categories listed in Rule Two. These achievements may be in connection with foreign as well as domestic productions, and are not limited to the Awards year.
5. Special Awards shall be in such form as the Academy Board of Governors may decide.

FOUR

General Rules

1. Final balloting on all achievements shall be done by the Academy membership as a whole.
2. The established gold statuette trophy of the Academy shall be conferred for all achievements listed in Rule Two. The Academy plaque shall be given to the Set Decorators on the pictures which win the Art Direction Awards and for Class II of the Scientific or Technical Award whenever this Award is made. (Scientific or Technical Awards I, II and III are given only on recommendation of the Academy Board of Governors and are for special achievements in the scientific field). Trophies for Special Awards shall be decided upon by the Board of Governors.
3. Final voting for Awards shall be by secret ballot. Printed forms and ballots shall be supplied by the Academy and shall be returned unsigned.
4. Ballots shall be opened and counted by a firm of Certified Public Accountants designated by the Academy President.
5. Awards shall be conferred at an Awards Presentation Ceremony.
6. In the event that an achievement voted an Award was done in collaboration, each of the collaborators shall receive an Award trophy.
7. In the nominations vote, except where otherwise specified, the marking and tabulation of all ballots shall be according to the preferential or proportional system used in Academy elections. No “write-in” votes shall be counted on the final ballots.
8. In the event that two achievements for the same Award by one actor, director, writing team or writer without collaborator shall receive sufficient votes to be nominated, only the one which, in the preferential tabulation process, first receives the quota (number of votes required to be nominated) shall be nominated. The votes for the second achievement shall, upon reaching the quota, be redistributed.
9. The Board of Governors shall provide for such meetings, sub-committees and special showings as may be desirable to insure a full and fair consideration of the merits of all eligible achievements.
10. It being the intention that motion pictures from all countries shall be eligible for consideration for the Awards, the rules shall be construed liberally to include such motion pictures, except that they must have been shown in the Los Angeles area (defined as Los Angeles, West Los Angeles or Beverly Hills) within the Awards year, must be in English or with English titles, and the producers or distributors shall provide prints when necessary for review showings.

FIVE

General Rules For Nomination

1. Each Branch shall be permitted to work out its own Special Rules, provided the final ballot presents not more than five achievements, and that the Academy Membership as a whole votes for final selections in each category. All Branches shall present their Special Rules for approval of the Board of Governors before putting them into operation.
2. No 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.
3. All nominations 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 in which the achievement occurred.
4. Performances by an actor or actress in any leading role shall be eligible for nomination only for the Best Acting Award. However, if performances or a performance by any actor or actress shall receive sufficient votes to be nominated for both the Best Acting Award and the Award for Supporting Player only the achievement which, in the preferential tabulation process, first receives the quota (number of votes required to be nominated) shall be placed on the ballot.

   The votes for the second achievement shall, upon reaching the quota, be redistributed. The Academy shall prepare a list of all eligible pictures, but before distribution to voters studios must check and assume full responsibility for errors, omissions and designation of actors as stars or supporting players.

SIX

Special Rules for the Acting Awards

1. Class A and AJ members of the Screen Actors Guild and members of the Academy Actors Branch shall be invited to take part in the nominations voting.
2. Final Ballots for the Acting Awards shall be sent to all members of the Academy.

SEVEN

Special Rules for the Art Direction Awards

1. Each Art Director and Set Decorator in the Motion Picture Industry shall be given the opportunity to submit one black-and-white production.
2. The productions submitted in accordance with Paragraph (1) above, shall be listed on a Preliminary ballot. This Preliminary ballot shall be sent to all Art Directors and Set Decorators in the industry who shall vote for ten productions in the order of preference.
3. The ten productions receiving the greatest number of votes from this Preliminary ballot shall then be listed on a Nomination ballot and shall be screened by the Academy to give all members of the Art Directors Branch an opportunity to see these productions under the same conditions.
4. Following this screening, this Nomination ballot, listing these ten productions, shall be sent to all members of the Art Directors Branch who shall vote for not more than two productions in the order of preference. The two productions receiving the greatest number of votes shall be nominated for the Black-and-White Art Direction Award.
5. All Art Directors and Set Decorators in the industry shall be eligible to vote in the Preliminary voting (Paragraph 2). Only members of the Art Directors Branch shall be eligible to vote in the Nomination balloting (Paragraph 4) for this award. All Academy members shall participate in the final voting.
6. In order that the list of Art Directors and Set Decorators shall be complete, a list shall be obtained from the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors, each Studio, and any other available source and shall be checked and approved by the Art Directors Branch Executive Committee. This committee shall be charged with the responsibility of the preparation of a full and complete list of Art Directors and Set Decorators.
7. Final ballots for the Art Direction Awards shall be sent to all members of the Academy.

8. The voting procedure for the Award for Color Art Direction shall be exactly the same as specified in the rules above governing the Black-and-White Art Direction Award.

9. Recognition in the form of the Academy plaque shall be given the Set Decorator of each production which receives an Award for Achievement in Art Direction.

EIGHT

Special Rules for the Cinematographic Awards

1. Each Director of Photography shall be given the opportunity to submit one black-and-white production on which he has received single or joint screen credit, which shall be included on a Preliminary or Primary ballot to be sent to all Directors of Photography in the industry. In addition, each Director of Photography shall be asked to list any one eligible black-and-white foreign production which he deems worthy of Awards consideration. In the event that two or more achievements by a foreign Director of Cinematography thereby occur, only the one receiving the highest number of votes shall be listed on the Preliminary ballot.
2. The productions submitted in accordance with Paragraph (1) above, shall be listed on a Preliminary ballot. This Preliminary ballot shall be sent to all Directors of Photography in the industry. Each Director of Photography shall vote for six or less productions in the order of his preference.
3. The six productions receiving the greatest number of votes from this Preliminary ballot shall then be listed on a Nomination ballot and shall be screened by the Academy to give all Directors of Photography an opportunity to see these productions under the same conditions.
4. Following this screening, this Nomination ballot, listing these six productions, shall be sent to all Directors of Photography in the industry. Each Director of Photography shall vote for not more than three productions in the order of his preference. The three productions receiving the greatest number of votes shall be nominated for the Black-and-White Cinematographic Award.
5. All Directors of Photography in the industry shall be eligible to vote in the Preliminary voting (Paragraph 2) and Nomination voting (Paragraph 4) for this Award. Only Academy members participate in final voting.
6. In order that the list of Directors of Photography shall be complete, individual lists of the Directors of Photography in each studio shall be obtained from the head of each studio camera department and/or any other available sources, and shall be checked and approved by the Cinematographic Awards Eligibility Committee to be appointed by the Chairman of the Cinematographers Branch. This committee will be charged with the responsibility of the preparation of a full and complete list of Directors of Photography.
7. Cartoons shall not be eligible for this Award.
8. Final ballots for the Cinematographic Awards shall be sent to all members of the Academy.

9. The voting procedure for the Award for Color Cinematography shall be exactly the same as specified in the rules above governing the Black-and-White Cinematographic Award.
10. Cartoons shall not be eligible for this Award.

NINE

Special Rules for the Directing Award

1. All Directors fulfilling the minimum qualifications for senior membership in the Screen Directors Guild and members of the Academy Directors Branch shall be invited to take part in the nominations voting.
2. Final ballots for the Directing Award shall be sent to all members of the Academy.

TEN

Special Rules for the Film Editing Award

1. Each Film Editor shall be given the opportunity to submit one production on which he has received single or joint screen credit which shall be included on a nomination ballot, which shall be sent to all Film Editors in the industry.
2. From those productions submitted in accordance with Paragraph (1) above, each Film Editor shall vote for five productions in the order of his preference. The five productions receiving the greatest number of votes shall be nominated for the Film Editing Award. This voting shall be by secret ballot by the Preferential System and shall be governed by the regular rules applying to this system of voting.
3. Final ballots for the Film Editing Award shall be sent to all members of the Academy.

ELEVEN

Special Rules for Music Awards

1. Three eligibility lists shall be prepared by the Academy office from the general list of pictures eligible for Awards voting. The lists shall be:
   1. Musical Pictures
   2. Dramatic or Comedy Pictures
   3. Songs written for and first used in an eligible picture
2. The Music Branch Executive Committee will check lists (a), (b), and (c) for proper classification and for errors or omissions.
3. A general meeting of the Music Branch shall be held to pass upon the eligibility of lists (a), (b) and (c).
4. Nominations ballots for the (a) Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, (b) Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, (c) Best Song shall be sent to all members of the Academy Music Branch in good standing. Each ballot shall be accompanied by the proper eligibility list and each ballot shall have spaces numbered from one to ten for write-in voting in order of voter’s preference. This shall constitute the nominations voting on the Music Awards. Ballots shall be accompanied by return envelopes addressed to Price, Waterhouse, where votes will be tabulated.
5. Price, Waterhouse will then certify to the Academy the five top achievements in each of the three categories (a, b and c) and these will become the official final ballots for the Music Awards.
6. The Academy membership as a whole shall vote for final selections in each category.

TWELVE

Special Rules for the Production Award

Nomination and final ballots shall be sent to all members of the Academy to determine the Award for the Best Motion Picture of the Year.

THIRTEEN

Special Rules for Short Subjects Awards

1. Nominations shall be submitted in three classifications:
   1. Cartoons and other animation photography of inanimate objects, whether in color or black-and-white.
   2. Short Subjects of 1,000 foot length or less.
   3. Short Subjects between 1,000 and 3,000 feet in length.

   The above classifications shall include entertainment short subjects made and distributed on a rental basis to 35mm. theatres for the profit of the producer and the distributor. Newsreels, films produced by any government and films made for advertising purposes shall be excluded.

2. Short Subjects shall be accepted for voting if they have a definite first paid play date in any regular motion picture theatre in the United States during the Awards year.
3. Short Subjects producers shall be permitted one entry from each series of shorts produced for regular release, i.e., if a studio has two or three series of cartoons, several series of two-reelers and one-reelers, etc., then one short from each series may be presented for nominations balloting.
4. Entry prints must be available for screening in Hollywood on dates to be specified.
5. There shall be three nominations screenings if necessary: one screening of cartoons only, one screening of one-reelers and one screening of two-reelers.
   1. The nominations committee shall consist of the Academy Board of Governors and three Academy Short Subjects Branch members from each studio to be chosen by the heads of the studio Short Subjects Departments. In the event a studio is unable to supply such three members, alternates from the Academy membership may be chosen by the entrant.
   2. Preliminary showings shall be held in a studio projection room.
   3. Nominations shall be limited to five in each category.
6. The final vote shall be taken at a special exhibition of the nominated subjects for Academy members and guests. All Academy members present shall participate in the final voting. The running order for the final judging shall be: one-reel subjects, two-reel subjects and cartoons, the order of showing within each group being decided by lot.
7. In both preliminary and final voting, the excellence of the entries shall be judged on the basis of entertainment, originality and production quality, without regard to cost of production or subject matter.

FOURTEEN

Special Rules for the Sound Recording Award

1. One production from each Sound Department shall be submitted for consideration for nomination for this Award, each production to be submitted by the Director of the Sound Department concerned. (A Sound Department shall be defined as one having equipment and personnel necessary for production recording and personnel for supervision of re-recording).
2. The Sound Branch Executive Committee shall appoint a committee to survey the field of eligible foreign films and to submit for consideration for nomination any deemed worthy of sufficient merit.
3. The three productions nominated for the Sound Recording Award shall be chosen from those productions submitted for consideration in accordance with Paragraph (1) above, by a committee to be known as the Sound Recording Award Nominating Committee, which shall consist of two representatives and one alternate of each production submitted for nomination.
4. In order that each member of the Sound Recording Nominating Committee may judge the recording of all submitted productions upon the same basis, arrangements shall be made for a series of runnings during the Awards period at which the committee may view the entire group of submitted productions. It is specified that to be qualified to vote in the nomination procedure, each member and alternate of the committee must view all of the submitted productions under the same conditions and in the same theatre or projection room designated for these viewings. It is further specified that all voting by the Sound Recording Nominating Committee shall be by the Preferential System of voting, with the exception that a committee member may not vote for the production which he represents.
5. Such other rules as may be necessary for the proper conduct of the nominating procedure for this Award shall be put into effect by the Sound Recording Award Nominating Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Awards Rules Committee.
6. Final ballots for the Sound Recording Award shall be sent to all members of the Academy.

FIFTEEN

Special Rules for the Award for Special Effects

1. The following basic requirements shall be used to judge all Special Effects achievements under consideration for nomination for this Award:
   1. Dramatic necessity of the effects to the picture.
   2. Economic necessity to the picture; it should be physically or economically impossible to produce the picture without the effects.
   3. Illusion of actual reality should be accomplished with such skill that the mechanism by which the effect is achieved is not apparent in the final result.
2. The President of the Academy shall appoint the Special Effects Award Nominating Committee consisting of at least fifteen technicians, representing each of the various special effects fields. This Committee shall be charged with the responsibility of nominating from all eligible productions, both domestic and foreign, not more than five or less than two productions representing in their judgment the best special effects work (visual or audible or both) of the year.
3. In making nominations for this Award, the committee shall decide which types of special effects in each production are worthy of nomination.
4. In requesting official credits from the studios, only the credits nominated as per Paragraph (3) above shall be requested and in each case the studio will be informed that credits shall be given to the departmental director or supervisor of the department or departments concerned.
5. The Committee shall view the special effects sequences submitted for consideration before voting to select the productions to be nominated for this Award. It is specified that to be qualified to participate in this vote, a member of the Committee must view all of these sequences during one consecutive viewing and in the same auditorium, this auditorium to be officially selected by the Committee. A Committee member may not vote for the production submitted by the studio which he represents.
6. It is further specified that if, after the group of productions under consideration is selected, any studio producing any of these productions is not represented by at least two members on the committee, the President of the Academy shall increase that studio’s representation by an additional appointment or appointments.
7. Cartoons or productions containing intercut live action and cartoons are not eligible for this Award.
8. Such other rules as may be considered necessary for the proper conduct of this Award shall be put into effect by the Special Effects Award Nomination Committee subject to the approval of the Academy Awards Rules Committee.
9. Final ballots for the Special Effects Award shall be sent to all members of the Academy.

SIXTEEN

Special Rules for the Writing Awards

1. All writers eligible for active membership in the Screen Writers Guild and members of the Academy Writers Branch shall be invited to take part in the nominations voting.
2. Final ballots for the Writing Awards shall be sent to all members of the Academy.

SEVENTEEN

Special Rules for Scientific or Technical Awards

Academy Awards for Scientific or Technical Achievement shall be made upon recommendation of the Committee on Scientific or Technical Awards for a device, method, formula, discovery or invention of special and outstanding value to the art or science of motion pictures, and actually employed in the motion picture industry. This Award, to be known as the Award for Scientific or Technical Achievement, shall be made in accordance with the following rules:

1. Any individual, group of individuals or organization may submit written nominations for this Award to the Committee. In the case of nominations covered by patents, nominators will make copies of the patent available to the Committee. In submitting nominations, full claim for originality and development of the achievement nominated must be established with the Committee, and the person or persons claiming such credit must be named. If any controversy should arise as to the origin or development of the achievement in question, the Academy Board of Governors shall then set such nomination aside until full credit shall have been established to the satisfaction of the Board.
2. The closing date for nominations for this Award shall be noon of December 2, 1947, and consideration of achievements shall be limited to those submitted in writing on or before this date.
3. The Committee shall consider all nominated achievements, and fully acquaint itself as to the merits of each achievement and shall appoint subcommittees, consisting of representatives in the various professional fields within which nominations are submitted, to assist the Committee in appraising the nominations. It shall be the responsibility of those making the nominations to arrange for and hold a demonstration for the committee. If this is not feasible because of the nature of the nomination or due to its location away from Hollywood, the nominator shall furnish the committee full and detailed information on the nomination.
4. In reviewing the nominations the committee shall, to the best of its knowledge, give consideration to devices, methods, formulas, discoveries or inventions not nominated but similar to one or more of the nominations received, and an award, if any, shall be given to the device, method, formula, discovery or invention which, in the opinion of the Committee, is the most worthy.
5. The Committee shall notify all individuals and/or organizations credited with participation in each nominated achievement and each individual and/or organization will be requested to confirm the individual or joint credit outlined in the nomination; this confirmation to expressly state whether in the opinion of that individual and/or organization the achievement is a single or a joint credit.
6. The Committee shall recommend to the Academy Board of Governors the person, persons or organization on whom an Award shall be bestowed and the type of Award.
7. In making Awards, the Committee judges according to the scientific or technical merit of the nominations only, and does not represent nor warrant that the person or persons named in the nomination are responsible for the origin and development of the achievement named in the Award.
8. It shall be within the discretion of the Committee to recommend no Award, if in its judgment there has been no achievement worthy of recognition in this classification.
9. Such other rules as may be considered necessary for the proper conduct of this Award shall be put into effect by the Scientific or Technical Awards Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Board of Governors.

EIGHTEEN

Special Rules for the Documentary Awards

1. Documentary Films are defined as those dealing with significant factual events, whether photographed direct or re-enacted, and pertinent to historical, social, political or economic problems, where the emphasis is more on ideological content than pure entertainment.
2. Documentary Short Subjects are defined as those outside the general entertainment Short Subject Awards Classifications, and specifically including but not limited to shorts and cartoons produced by or for a government. Length shall be limited to 3,000 feet or less.
3. Films longer than 3,000 feet shall be classed as Documentary Features.
4. Only one entry in each classification will be accepted from each producing unit. No film in the competition for other Academy Awards shall be eligible for Documentary Award consideration.
5. To be eligible, Documentary films must have been first exhibited in the United States to the audience for which they were made, sometime during the calendar year.
6. Entries in the Documentary field will be limited to those that either have been produced in or enlarged to 35mm.
7. All entries must first be submitted in writing, with a description of the subject, to the Academy office, 9038 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles 46, California by January 10, 1948. Notification of acceptance by the Committee will be sent by telephone or telegraph, and prints may then be forwarded for viewing. This rule is to avoid unnecessary shipping.
8. The Documentary Awards Committee will sift all films entered in the competition and the committee’s selections will then become the nominations to be viewed by the Academy membership, whose balloting will determine the Awards.
9. Prints of all entries accepted by the Committee must be received in the Academy office, 9038 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles 46, on or before Monday, January 26, 1948 and must remain with the Academy for screening until March 20, 1948. Films should be shipped express prepaid and those not chosen as nominations for final balloting by the Academy membership will be returned to sender express prepaid by the Academy.
10. “Subject to the inability of the Producer to comply herewith, 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 By-Laws, Article 8, Section I. (f)). Unless notified to the contrary, the Academy will retain for its archives every print chosen as a nomination for final balloting on the Documentary Awards.
11. Both Documentary trophies shall be Statuettes.