Oscar Nominations anr made by academy membership who is divided into
different branches, with each representing a different discipline in
film production. Actors constitute the largest voting bloc, numbering
1,311 members (22 percent) of the Academy's composition. Votes have been
certified by the auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (and its
predecessor Price Waterhouse) for the past 73 annual awards ceremonies.
All
AMPAS members must be invited to join by the Board of Governors, on
behalf of Academy Branch Executive Committees. Membership eligibility
may be achieved by a competitive nomination or a member may submit a
name based on other significant contribution to the field of motion
pictures.
New membership proposals are considered annually. The
Academy does not publicly disclose its membership, although as recently
as 2007 press releases have announced the names of those who have been
invited to join. The 2007 release also stated that it has just under
6,000 voting members. While the membership had been growing, stricter
policies have kept its size steady since then.
In 2012, the
results of a study conducted by The Los Angeles Times was published
which revealed the demographic breakdown of approximately 88% of AMPAS'
voting membership. Of the 5,100+ active voters confirmed, 94% were
Caucasian, 77% were male, and 54% were found to be over the age of 60.
33% of voting members are former nominees (14%) and winners (19%).
In
May 2011, the Academy sent a letter advising its 6,000 or so voting
members that an online system for Oscar voting will be implemented in
2013