Academy unveils new major category for its 100th ceremony

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science has announced a new vital category as part of the Oscars’ 100th anniversary.

The group of board of governors on Thursday, announced the first Achievement in the Stunt Design category. It will celebrate the stunt work of films released in 2027.

"Since early days of cinema, stunt design has been an integral part of filmmaking. We are proud to honour the innovative work of these technical and creative artist," Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement.

"We congratulate them for their commitment and dedication in reaching this momentous occasion," they added.

Soon after the announcement, stuntman-turned-filmmaker David Leitch, known for films like Deadpool 2 and The Fall Guy, took to his Instagram to celebrate the news.

"This has been a journey for so many of us! @airaware1(Chris O'Hara) and myself have invested several years into this," he captioned the post. "We built on the work of all the stunt designers who fought so hard for this in the past over the past decades. We are very grateful. Thank You @theacademy."

According to Entertainment Weekly, Leitch and O’Hara took charge of the project for the category to put into effect. They made several presentations to the board of Academy which was then finally approved.

Last year, Oscars added one more new category which will begin next year at the 98th Academy Awards, Achievement in Casting, honouring films released in 2025.

The upcoming 28th Oscar Awards will air on March 15, 2026, with Conan O’Brien returning as host.