The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences pulls its winners from a voting body of more than 10,000 industry professionals, a structure RTE.ie walks through in an explainer covering this year's Oscar voting mechanics and rule revisions.

Who votes in the nomination round?

For most categories, only members of the relevant branch submit nomination ballots. Actors screen the eligible performances and select the five Best Actor and Best Actress nominees; cinematographers fill the Cinematography shortlist; the Directors branch handles Best Director; the Writers branch narrows Original and Adapted Screenplay.

The Producers branch picks the Best Picture slate of up to 10 contenders. The Documentary branch handles Best Documentary Feature. The Short Films branch covers Live Action Short, Animated Short, and Documentary Short. The Music branch narrows Original Score and Original Song.

How does the final round work?

The full voting membership picks winners from each category's nominee slate. Best Picture is the only race using a preferential, ranked-choice ballot — a system the Board of Governors introduced for the 81st Oscars in 2009, replacing the prior plurality method that had produced split-decision winners in earlier years.

Members rank nominees from first to last. If no film clears 50 percent on the first count, the last-place finisher drops, its second-choice points redistribute to the next available rankings among remaining films, and the count repeats until one film crosses the majority threshold.

What changed this year?

The RTE.ie explainer covers rule revisions in effect for the current cycle, with the Board of Governors reviewing campaign rules, screening access, and disclosure standards each year. Recent cycles have also addressed streaming-eligibility thresholds, theatrical-window requirements, and AI usage disclosure for submitted films.

How do campaigns shape the race?

Studios spend on For Your Consideration ad campaigns, FYC events, and trade-press pushes, all governed by the Academy's campaign-promotion policy. The rules bar improper voter influence and limit direct contact between nominees and branch members outside sanctioned events. Documented violations have triggered rescinded nominations in past cycles.

When do the ballots go out?

Nominations voting typically opens in early-to-mid January and runs roughly a week. Final voting opens about two weeks before the ceremony and closes within three to five days. Honorary Oscars and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award bypass the membership ballot and go through the Board of Governors instead.

How does the membership keep growing?

The Board of Governors extends annual invitations to industry professionals who meet branch-specific credentials, with new members gaining voting privileges starting the following cycle. The Academy accelerated invitations significantly after 2015, when membership sat near 6,000, to broaden branch representation across crafts.