The Most Surprising Oscars Rules—Including the New Voting Guidelines

Academy Members Must Watch Every Film They Vote For

In the we-can't-believe-this-needs-to-be-said category, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences declared in April 2025 that those voting in any of the Oscars' 24 competitive categories must actually watch each film. 

Of course, some, uh, sinners have already found a workaround. If you don't watch the movie through the Academy's digital screening room, you can simply check a box attesting that, yes, you already saw Bugonia, One Battle After Another and Frakenstein. 

But there are some who still appreciate the sentimental value of the award season finale.

Asked ahead of the 2022 ceremony if she had any films left on her viewing list, Kirsten Dunst told Variety, "No, I saw everything because I’m a member of the Academy."

The Use of AI in Filmmaking Is A-OK

In a sign of the times, that same 2025 press release from the Academy addressed the use of generative AI and other digital technology in film, announcing "the tools neither help nor harm the chances of achieving a nomination."

The modern mechanisms certainly provided a boost to three-trophy winner The Brutalist, filmmakers using the tools to make Best Actor winner Adrien Brody and costar Felicity Jones' accents sound more authentically Hungarian. 

Though that's not to say a computer will soon be accepting Best Directing honors. "The Academy and each branch will judge the achievement," the press release stated, "taking into account the degree to which a human was at the heart of the creative authorship when choosing which movie to award."

The Oscars Trophy Must Remain Nude

The naked truth, per returning host Conan O'Brien, is that he was very limited in the ways he could manipulate the famed eight-and-a-half-pound trophy. 

"No clothing on Oscar," he detailed during a March 2025 episode of his Conan Needs a Friend podcast, explaining why his proposed bit about dressing the trophy as a trad wife serving up leftovers was shot down. "Oscar is always naked." 

And standing tall. "At one point, I thought, 'Wouldn’t it be great if it’s just on the couch?'" he recounted of another rejected idea. "Let’s lay it on a really big couch and I’ll be vacuuming and say, 'Could you at least lift your feet? Or could you at least get up and help? Load the dishwasher?'"

In a word, no. 

"One of the people from the Academy came forward and said, 'Oscar can never be horizontal,'" he explained. "That blew my mind. Like, wow, this is like the thigh bone of St. Peter. This is a religious icon."

Winners May Not Sell Their Trophy

Winning an Academy Award is no doubt a priceless experience for most honorees. But the 13.5-inch trophy is worth literal pennies to the Academy. 

To ensure the 24-karat gold-plated statuette isn't devalued, a rule was put into place in 1951 forbidding victors from selling their prize. Instead, they must offer to sell it back to the Academy with a symbolic $1 price tag. 

And, as the rule stated, "This provision shall apply also to the heirs and assigns of Academy Award winners who may acquire a statuette by gift or bequest."

Acceptance Speeches Can't Be Longer Than 45 Seconds

In theory, anyway. 

Winning for her turn in Erin Brockovich, Julia Roberts laid out quite the convincing case for her nearly four-minute victory speech. "Sir, you're doing a great job, but you're so quick with that stick," the 2001 winner said to the conductor, "so why don't you sit. Because I may never be here again." 

But really her issue was with Mrs. Miniver star Greer Garson, whose five-and-a-half-minute speech in 1943 prompted the Academy to introduce a 45-second time limit. 

Of course, this is one of those rules that's made to be broken as Brody actually bested Garson's talk, speaking for five minutes and 40 seconds when he won his second trophy in 2025.

Attendees Can Only Enter the Theater During Commercials

Should nature call during the three-and-a-half hour ceremony, attendees are able to get up to use the restroom. But doing so may flush away their chances at viewing crucial categories. 

Since producers don't want to broadcast empty seats during the telecast, when celebrities exit the theater, seat fillers are tasked with stepping in. And if stars don't make it back to their spot before the end of the commercial break, they'll be left on the outside looking in. 

Such was the case for Emma Stone, who had to watch her Poor Things coworkers accept three of their four trophies from the lobby TV during the 2024 ceremony. 

"Oh my God, Oh my God, we won, and I was not sitting down," she told nearby ceremony-goers, per USA Today. "Sorry, we went to the bathroom and missed this. We can’t go in right now. They won’t let us, right?"

Fortunately, she was able to sprint to her spot in time to accept her Best Actress honors. 

The Dress Code Isn't So Black and White

Once upon a time in Hollywood, Oscars attendees were tasked with wearing white tie garb to the ceremony—considered the most formal option. But when Broadway dancer Gower Champion was tasked with choreographing the show in 1969, he introduced a new move, relaxing the dress code to black tie. 

These days stars are expected to appear formal with their Louis Vuitton and Saint Laurent looks. But more importantly, per Academy directives, they should follow the Sustainability Style Guide, which encourages attendees to opt for vintage, recycled or borrowed garb.