How are Oscar winners chosen, and who knows the name of winners before they are announced? Know here

The Oscars are one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry. While many people watch and wait for the Oscars to air with bated breath, there are only a few who know the process behind giving the golden statuette into a winner's hand. 

Who votes at the Oscars?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has around 10,000-plus members, divided among 17 branches. All the members who are part of the Academy have to be a part of the movie business, however, the membership is not limited to creatives - there are also branches for executives and marketing and public relations professionals. 

While other nominations are mostly decided by members of the relevant branch, all the voting members can nominate films for best picture. Once nominees are selected, all voting members are qualified to cast their ballots in any category.

The Academy adds a new member each year.

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When does the Oscar voting happen? 

The Oscar voting takes place just a few days before the ceremony - in 2023, voting opened March 2 and ended March 7, five days before the awards night. 

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How are the Oscar votes cast? 

The voting takes place online and the nominee that gets the most votes wins. However, in the case of the best picture, voters order the nominees by preference. The process keeps going on till one movie wins a majority. 

Who knows the Oscar winner before they are announced? 

As per the Academy website, just two PricewaterhouseCoopers partners know the results beforehand. PwC is the accounting firm that calculates the votes.