1949 (22nd) Voting Rules Book cover


1949 (22nd 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 1949 (22nd) 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).

22nd Annual
ACADEMY AWARDS of MERIT
For Achievement During 1949



VOTING RULES

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, 1949 and midnight of December 31, 1949, 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.
COSTUME DESIGN:For the best achievement in costume design of a black-and-white production.
For the best achievement in costume design 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) 1,000-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 motion picture story.
For the best screenplay.
For the best story and screenplay.

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 18).
  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 necessarily 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. (See Rule 21).
  3. DOCUMENTARY ACHIEVEMENT: For the best feature-length Documentary film and for the best Documentary Short Subject. (See Rule 19).
  4. FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM AWARD: This Award is intended to honor films first made in a language other than English and first released in a commercial theatre in the United States during the Awards year. (See Rule 20).
  5. 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. Pictures nominated for the Best Production Award cannot qualify for Special Awards other than the Foreign Language Film Award and the Special Documentary Feature Award.
  6. 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 designations 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

BLACK-AND-WHITE ART DIRECTION
  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 five productions in the order of their preference.
  3. The ballots of the Art Directors and the ballots of the Set Decorators shall be counted separately. The five productions on each list receiving the highest number of votes shall then be screened to give all members of the Art Directors Branch an opportunity to see them under the same conditions.
  4. Following these screenings, a Nominations ballot, listing separately the five productions nominated by the Art Directors and the five productions nominated by the Set Decorators shall be sent to all members of the Art Directors Branch, who shall vote, in the order of their preference, for two productions from each list of five. It is not necessary that the pictures selected from the Art Directors list be different from those selected from the Set Decorators list. Failure to vote for two from each list will invalidate the ballot. The two productions from each list 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 balloting (Paragraph 2). Only members of the Art Directors Branch shall be eligible to participate in the Nomination voting (Paragraph 4) for this Award. Only 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.
COLOR ART DIRECTION
  1. 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 Awards.
SET DECORATION
  1. Recognition in the form of an Academy Plaque shall be given the Set Decorators of each production which received an Award for Achievement in Art Direction.

EIGHT

Special Rules for the Cinematographic Awards

BLACK-AND-WHITE CINEMATOGRAPHY
  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 may submit 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 Photography thereby occur, only the one receiving the greatest number of entries 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 ten or less productions in the order of his preference.
  3. The ten productions receiving the greatest number of votes from this Preliminary ballot shall then be screened to give all Directors of Photography an opportunity to see these productions under the same conditions.
  4. Following these screenings, a Nominations ballot, listing these ten productions, shall be sent to all Directors of Photography in the industry. Each Director of Photography shall vote for not more than five productions in the order of his preference. The five 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 the final voting.
  6. In order that the list of Directors of Photography shall be completed, 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 Executive Committee. This Committee shall 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.
COLOR CINEMATOGRAPHY
  1. The voting procedure for the Award for Color Cinematography shall be the same as specified in the rules above governing the Black-and-White Cinematographic Award.

NINE

Special Rules for the Costume Design Awards

BLACK-AND-WHITE COSTUME DESIGN
  1. Each Costume Designer in the motion picture industry shall be given the opportunity to submit one Black-and-White production, either his own work or that of another.
  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 Costume Designers in the industry who shall vote for ten productions in the order of their preference.
  3. The ten productions receiving the greatest number of votes from this Preliminary ballot shall then be listed on a Nominations ballot and shall be screened to give all members of the Art Directors Branch an opportunity to see these productions under the same conditions.
  4. Following these screenings, a Nominations 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 their preference. The two productions receiving the greatest number of votes shall be nominated for the Black-and-White Costume Design Award.
  5. All Costume Designers 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 voting (Paragraph 4) for this Award. All Academy members participate in the final voting.
  6. The Art Directors Branch Executive Committee shall be charged with the responsibility of the preparation of a full and complete list of Costume Designers eligible to submit productions under Paragraph (1).
  7. Final ballots for the Costume Design Award shall be sent to all members of the Academy.
COLOR COSTUME DESIGN
  1. The voting procedure for the Award for Color Costume Design shall be exactly the same as specified in the rules above governing the Black-and-White Costume Design Award.

TEN

Special Rules for the Directing Awards

  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.

ElEVEN

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 Preliminary or Primary ballot to be sent to all Film Editors in the industry. In addition, each Film Editor may submit any one eligible foreign production which he deems worthy of Awards consideration. In the event that two or more achievements by a foreign Film Editor thereby occur, only the one receiving the greatest number of entries 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 Film Editors in the industry who shall vote for ten productions in the order of their preference.
  3. The ten productions receiving the greatest number of votes from this Preliminary ballot shall then be screened to give all Film Editors in the industry an opportunity to see these productions under the same conditions.
  4. Following the screenings, a Nominations ballot, listing the ten productions, shall be sent to all Film Editors in the industry who shall vote for not more than five productions in the order of their preference. The five productions receiving the greatest number of votes shall be nominated for the Film Editing Award.
  5. All Film Editors 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 the final voting.
  6. In order that the list of Film Editors shall be complete, a list shall be obtained from the Film Editors Local and any other available source and shall be checked and approved by the Film Editors Executive Committee. This Committee shall be charged with the responsibility of the preparation of a full and complete list of Film Editors.
  7. Final ballots for the Film Editing Award shall be sent to all members of the Academy.

TWElVE

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. Any pictures which are difficult to classify shall be screened by the Special Committee on Classification. These screenings shall be open to all Music Branch members who may wish to attend. Only the Committee on Classification shall deliberate following such screenings. Any member of said Committee who himself worked on a picture under discussion may have a vote in the Committee’s decisions.
  5. A second general meeting of the Branch shall then be called and the Committee will report its recommendations to the Branch, giving the reasons for the classification recommended in each case. The Music Branch, by majority vote of those present at the meeting, shall make the final decision on classification.
  6. Nominations ballots for the (a) Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and (b) Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture shall be sent to all members of the Academy Music Branch in good standing. Each ballot shall be accompanied by the proper eligibility list.
  7. The Nominations ballots for the Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture shall have spaces numbered from one to five for write-in voting in order of the voter’s preference. This shall constitute the nominations voting on the Music Scoring Awards. Ballots shall be accompanied by return envelopes addressed to Price, Waterhouse, where votes will be tabulated.
  8. Price, Waterhouse will then certify to the Academy the three nominated achievements in each of the two Music Scoring categories. The three achievements nominated for the Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and the three achievements nominated for the Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture shall appear on the official final ballot for the Music Scoring Awards.
  9. The Nominations ballots for the Best Song Award, accompanied by an eligibility list, shall be sent to all members of the Academy Music Branch in good standing. Each ballot shall have spaces numbered from one to ten for write-in voting in order of the voter’s preference. Price, Waterhouse will then certify to the Academy the five nominated achievements. The five nominated songs shall appear on the official final ballot for the Best Song Award.
  10. The Academy membership as a whole shall vote for final selections in each category.

THIRTEEN

Special Rules for the Production Award

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

FOURTEEN

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 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 three Academy Short Subjects Branch members from each studio and/or distributing organization, to be chosen by the heads of the studio Short Subjects Departments; but no more than a total of three shall represent the studio and/or distributing organization combined. In the event a studio and/or releasing organization is unable to supply such three members, alternates from the Academy membership may be chosen by the entrant. The Point System of voting, i.e., 10, 8, 6, is to be used at this Preliminary Screening only. (10 excellent; 8 good; 6 fair.)
    2. Preliminary showings shall be held in a studio projection room.
    3. Nominations shall be limited to five in each category, but in the event that one entrant is represented by more than one subject in any classification, the entrant may, with the consent of the producer or producers, withdraw from the nominations list all but one nomination in that category, (cartoons, one-reel subjects or two-reel subjects.) This provision is made to accommodate those who do not wish to be represented in the final balloting by more than one entry in a classification and may reduce the number of nominations in that category to less than five. No replacements shall be made. Withdrawals must be made within forty-eight (48) hours after the nominations are announced.
  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, and shall vote for only one entry in each classification. The running order for the final judging shall be: two-reel subjects, one-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.

FIFTEEN

Special Rules for the Sound Recording Award

  1. One production from each Sound Department may be submitted for consideration for nomination for this Award, each production to be submitted by the Director of the Sound Department concerned.
  2. The Sound Recording Award Rules Committee shall survey the field of eligible foreign films and submit for consideration for nomination any deemed worthy of Awards consideration.
  3. The three productions nominated for the Sound Recording Award shall be chosen from those productions submitted for consideration in accordance with Paragraphs (1) & (2) above, by a committee to be known as the Sound Recording Award Nominating Committee, which shall consist of two representatives and one alternate from each Sound Department.
  4. In order that each member of the Sound Recording Award 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 must 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 Award 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 Rules 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.

SIXTEEN

Special Rules for the Special Effects Award

  1. The following basic requirements shall be used to judge all Special Effects achievements under consideration for nominations 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. 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.
  5. 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 sha1l increase that studio’s representation by an additional appointment or appointments.
  6. Cartoons or productions containing intercut live action and cartoons are not eligible for this Award.
  7. Such other rules as may be considered necessary for the proper conduct of this Award shall be put into effect by the Special Effects Awards Nomination Committee subject to the approval of the Academy Awards Rules Committee.
  8. Final Ballots for the Special Effects Award shall be sent to all members of the Academy.

SEVENTEEN

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.

EIGHTEEN

Special Rules for Scientific or Technical Awards

Academy Awards for Scientific or Technical Achievement shall be made by the Board of Governors upon recommendation of the Scientific or Technical Awards Committee for a device, method, formula, discovery or invention of special and outstanding value to the arts and sciences 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 November 30, 1949, and consideration of achievements shall be limited to those submitted in writing on or before this date, except as provided for in Paragraph (4).
  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 submitting 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 also 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 may notify all individuals and/or organizations credited with participation in each nominated achievement and each individual and/or organization may be requested to confirm the individual or joint credit outlined in the nominations, 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 will judge to the best of its ability the scientific or technical merit of the nominations, but does not 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.
  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.

NINETEEN

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.
  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., Hollywood 46, California by Tuesday, January 10, 1950. 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 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. Any member of the Documentary Committee who has actively participated in the making of any entry shall not be permitted to vote on films in that category (Short Subjects or Features).
  10. Prints of all entries accepted by the Committee must be received in the Academy Film Receiving office, 1455 North Gordon Street, Hollywood 28, California, on or before Monday, January 30, 1950, and must remain with the Academy for screening until March 23, 1950. 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. The Academy cannot pay import or customs duties on foreign films submitted for the Documentary competition. Our responsibility for return shipping costs applies only to transportation within the United States.
  11. “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 1. (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.
  12. Both Documentary trophies shall be statuettes.

TWENTY

Special Rules for the Foreign Language Film Award

  1. The head of each studio Foreign Department shall be invited to serve on a Nominations Committee under a Chairman to be appointed by the Academy President.
  2. The Committee shall review the list of all foreign language pictures first released commercially in the United States during the Awards year and shall select not more than four (4) pictures to be screened by the Academy Board of Governors.
  3. The vote of the Academy Board of Governors shall determine the recipient of the Foreign Language Film Award.

TWENTY-ONE

Special Rules for the Irving B. [sic] Thalberg Memorial Award

  1. A complete list of all producers and their achievements shall be given to every member of the Board of Governors prior to the meeting at which balloting for the Thalberg Award is to take place.
  2. When the meeting convenes no verbal nominations shall be made. Every Governor shall be handed a Thalberg Award ballot on which he will write the name of his candidate for the honor.
  3. The votes shall be counted immediately in the presence of the Board, and if one candidate has been chosen by two-thirds of the Governors present, he shall receive the Award.
  4. If, on this first ballot, no one candidate has been named by two-thirds of the Governors, a second ballot shall be distributed listing the names of the three (3) candidates who received the highest number of votes on the first ballot.
  5. Each Governor shall then mark his choice from the three names listed, and the ballots shall be counted in the presence of the Board.
  6. If, on the second ballot, a candidate secures a two-thirds vote of the Governors present, he shall be declared the winner of the Thalberg Award.
  7. If no candidate receives the vote of two-thirds of the Governors present on the second ballot, no Thalberg Award shall be given that year.

BALLOTING INFORMATION CHART
Twenty-Second Annual Awards - 1949 Calendar Year
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

AWARDNOMINATIONS BALLOTINGFINAL
BALLOTING
NUMBER OF
NOMINATIONS
NOMINATING GROUPS
ACTOR
ACTRESS
SUPPORTING ACTOR
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
5
5
5
5
ACADEMY ACTORS BRANCH MEMBERS
SCREEN ACTORS GUILD CLASS A & AJ
Final Balloting on all Awards by Entire Academy Membership
ART DIRECTION
  Black-and-White
  Color

4
4
Entries and Preliminary Balloting by all Art Directors and Set Decorators in the industry.
Nominations Balloting by members of
the Art Directors Branch.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
  Black-and-White
  Color

5
5
Entries, Preliminary and Nominations Balloting by all Directors of Photography
COSTUME DESIGN
  Black-and-White
  Color

2
2
Entries and Preliminary Balloting by all accredited Motion Picture Costume Designers.
Nominations Balloting by members of the Art Directors Branch.
DIRECTION 5 ACADEMY DIRECTORS BRANCH
  MEMBERS
SCREEN DIRECTORS GUILD SENIOR
  MEMBERS
FILM EDITING 5 Entries, Preliminary and Nominations Balloting by all Film Editors in the industry.
MOTION PICTURE 5 ALL ACADEMY MEMBERS IN GOOD
  STANDING
SCORING OF A MUSICAL
  PICTURE
MUSIC SCORE OF A
  DRAMATIC OR COMEDY
  PICTURE
ORIGINAL SONG

3


3
5
ACADEMY MUSIC BRANCH MEMBERS
MOTION PICTURE STORY
SCREENPLAY
STORY & SCREENPLAY
5
5
5
ACADEMY WRITERS BRANCH
  MEMBERS
SCREEN WRITERS GUILD ACTIVE
  MEMBERS
CARTOONS
1,000 FOOT SUBJECTS
SUBJECTS BETWEEN
  1,000 and 3,000 FEET
5
5

5
Three Academy Short Subjects Branch members from each studio and/or distributing organization.
SOUND RECORDING 3 Sound Recording Award Nominating Committee (comprised of two representatives from each Sound Department.)
SPECIAL EFFECTS 2 Special Effects Award Nominating Committee (comprised of twenty-two technical representatives in the Special Effects field.)