The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for achievement in film costume design.[1]
| Academy Award for Best Costume Design | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) |
| First awarded | 1948 |
| Most recent winner | Holly Waddington Poor Things (2023) |
| Website | oscars |
The award was first given in 1949, for films made in 1948. Initially, separate award categories were established for black-and-white films and color films. Since the merger of the two categories in 1967, the Academy has traditionally avoided giving out the award to films with a contemporary setting.[2]
Award
The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is given out annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for the best achievement of film costume design of the previous year. Films that are eligible for the award must meet a series of criteria, including the requirement that the costumes must have been "conceived" by a costume designer. For this particular criteria, each submission is reviewed by the costume designer members of the Art Directors Branch prior to the ballot process. Further rules include that the nominee(s) be only the principal costume designer(s), that the five films that receive the highest number of votes will become the ceremony's nominations for final voting, and that the final voting will only be undertaken by active and life members of the academy.[3]
History
The Academy Award for Best Costume Design was first given out at the 21st Academy Awards,[4] held on March 24, 1949. The award had two subcategories, one for films in black and white and one for films in color.[5] At the 30th Academy Awards, held on March 26, 1958, these two subcategories were merged into one,[6] which was the result of the academy reducing the number of competitive categories from 30 to 24.[7] The 32nd Academy Awards saw the category again be split into two for recognition of both black and white and color film.[8] Eight years later, the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, along with two other awards, were each combined into their own single category recognizing achievement in film.[9]
From 1949 to 1966, most Academy Awards for Best Costume Design in Black and White were given to a contemporary movie. On the other hand, epics, fantasies, and musicals dominated the color category.[10] Since the merger into one singular category for color films in 1967, films set in modern times have won only three times.[11] The three contemporary-set winners have been Travels with My Aunt, All That Jazz, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.[11] All other winners during this period have been set in the past or in a science-fiction or fantasy setting.
Superlatives
| Category | Name | Superlative | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Awards[12] | Edith Head | 8 awards | Awards resulted from 35 nominations |
| Most Nominations[12] | 35 nominations | Nominations resulted in 8 awards. | |
| Most Nominations (without ever winning) | Patricia Norris | 6 nominations | Nominations resulted in no awards |
Winners and nominees
1940s
| Year | Film | Costume designer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 (21st) [13] | Black-and-White | |
| Hamlet | Roger K. Furse | |
| B.F.'s Daughter | Irene | |
| Color | ||
| Joan of Arc | Dorothy Jeakins and Karinska | |
| The Emperor Waltz | Edith Head and Gile Steele | |
| 1949 (22nd) [14] | ||
| Black-and-White | ||
| The Heiress | Edith Head and Gile Steele | |
| Prince of Foxes | Vittorio Nino Novarese | |
| Color | ||
| Adventures of Don Juan | Leah Rhodes, Travilla and Marjorie Best | |
| Mother Is a Freshman | Kay Nelson | |
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Notes
Multiple wins and nominations
The following 93 designers have received multiple nominations for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. This list is sorted by the number of total awards (with the number of total nominations listed in parentheses).