Oscars 2022: How the coveted award got its name

Oscars 2022: The world is counting down to the 94th Academy Awards, scheduled to be handed out in LA on March 27.

The world is counting down to Oscars 2022, the biggest night in cinema. On March 27 (28 in India), the most coveted film awards will be handed out to nominees in Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress and other categories.

The first Academy Awards were presented in 1929. How did the awards come to acquire the name “Oscars”? There are different theories for it.

One theory suggests that librarian Margaret Herrick, who went on to become the Academy’s executive director, once commented that the Academy statue reminded her of an uncle named Oscar.

In 1934, writer Sidney Skolsky used the name “Oscars” in one of his articles and the name became prevalent, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The name got official acceptance from the Academy in 1939.

Skolsky, best remembered as a Hollywood gossip columnist, said that he wanted a name that would do away with “(the Academy’s) phoney dignity”, The Independent reported, quoting from his book Don’t Get Me Wrong – I Love Hollywood

“It was my first Academy Awards night when I gave the gold statuette a name,” he was quoted as saying in the book. “I wasn’t trying to make it legitimate. The snobbery of that particular Academy Award annoyed me. I wanted to make the gold statuette human.”

Another theory points to actor Bette Davis. She is believed to have named the trophy after her first husband, musician Harmon Oscar Nelson Jr.

Cinema lovers across the world are waiting to find out which nominees will walk home with the prized trophies at Oscars 2022. 

This time, 10 films are in the race to win the Best Picture Award. They are The Power of the Dog, Belfast, Don’t Look Up, CODA, Drive My Car, King Richard, Dune, Licorice Pizza, West Side Story and Nightmare Alley.