Why Are the Academy Awards Called Oscars? History of the Awards Show Amid the 2025 Ceremony

While most pop culture fans know that the Academy Awards are also called the Oscars, not many people are aware of why the awards show has the nickname. In honor of the 97th Academy Awards in March 2025, In Touch breaks down the history of the awards show.

Why Are the Academy Awards Called Oscars?

The Academy Awards’ nickname dates back nearly an entire century. After the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was formed in 1927, the organization hosted a dinner at the Crystal Ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles to discuss its goals. One topic that was discussed was how they would honor the outstanding moviemaking achievements and encourage excellence in the field moving forward, according to the Oscars website.

After the group agreed to have an awards ceremony and to hand out knight-inspired trophies to the winners, they were tasked with coming up with a name for the statue. The Academy Award was eventually named Merit, though is better known by its nickname of Oscar.

The Oscars website states that the origin of the moniker is not completely clear, though a popular theory is that Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, who went on to become the organization’s executive director, noted that the statue resembled her Uncle Oscar.

The nickname was officially adopted by the Academy in 1939, and it’s been widely known as Oscar ever since. In fact, many people learned of the moniker when Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used the nickname Oscar in an article referring to Katharine Hepburn’s first Best Actress win for her role in the 1933 film Morning Glory.

How Was the Oscars Trophy Designed?

After the group agreed to institute an annual awards ceremony honoring the best films of each year, they set their goals on creating a trophy that was suitable for the honor.

Cedric Gibbons, who worked as the MGM art director at the time, designed a statuette of a knight that stood on a reel of film and gripped a crusader’s sword. The famous statuette was completed after the group enlisted the help of Los Angeles sculptor George Stanley to make it three dimensional.

What Are the Academy Awards Trophies Made of?

The statuettes are solid bronze, and they are plated in 24-karat gold.

However, the Oscars trophies haven’t always been made the same. Due to a metal shortage during World War II, the statuettes were briefly made of painted plaster for three years. Once the war came to an end and the metal shortage was done, the Academy invited recipients to turn in their plaster figures for the gold-plated metal ones.

When Was the 1st Academy Awards Ceremony?

The first Academy Awards ceremony was more quaint than the glitzy awards show fans are used to watching today. The debut Oscars was held on May 16, 1929. Instead of being televised like the awards show today, the first Oscars was a private dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles.

The awards show honored the best movies that were released between August 1, 1927, to July 31, 1928.