Oscar Shorts - The Main Character Effect

Cinematic hero image with a vintage film reel on a wooden table in a dimly lit movie theater, featuring the Oscar Shorts title.

Context and quick takes on the Academy Award–nominated short films.

Animated

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Documentary

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Live Action

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What Counts as an Oscar Shorts?

Run time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits.
Eligibility is based on when and how a film qualifies, not its release date.
Films must qualify through theatrical exhibition, approved festivals, or Academy-recognized awards.

Official Academy eligibility rules →

Animated

Definition:
Films in which animation is the primary storytelling tool, with movement created through human-crafted techniques rather than captured live performance. At least 75 percent of the film’s runtime, excluding credits, must be animated, and animation must drive the narrative rather than simply enhance.

Who Votes:
Shortlist: Animation and Short Films Branches
Nominees & Winner: Academy Members

Documentary

Definition:
Nonfiction films that explore real people, events, or issues, using factual storytelling as the foundation. Documentary shorts may incorporate reenactments, archival footage, stills, animation, or other techniques, but the emphasis must remain on truth and real-world subject matter rather than fictional narrative.

Who Votes:
Shortlist & Nominations: Documentary Branch
Winner: Academy Members

Live Action

Definition:
Live action shorts tell fictional stories using performances captured through traditional photographic techniques, including physical actors, real-world sets, props, and locations. The emphasis is on staged narrative storytelling rather than animation or nonfiction subject matter.

Who Votes:
Shortlist, Nominations & Winner: All active and life Academy Members