"Academy Award winners have no rights whatsoever in the Academy copyright or goodwill in the Oscar statuette or in its trademark and service mark registrations," reads the rule. "Award winners must comply with these rules and regulations.
Since 1951, all Academy Award winners must sign an agreement that they “shall not sell or otherwise dispose of the Oscar statuette, nor permit it to be sold or disposed of by operation of law, without first offering to sell it to the Academy for the sum of $1”.
In 1950 the Academy introduced a law prohibiting the sale of the Oscars. The real price of the statuettes is actually one dollar. In the event that a person wants to get rid of one of the awards, they cannot sell it and will have to return it to the Academy for that price.
A famous case is that of Harold Russell, the only actor to ever win two Oscars at the same ceremony for the same role. In 1992, Russell sold the Best Actor in a Supporting Role trophy that he won in 1947 for his role in The Beast Years of Our Lives for $60,500.
To put it simply, the answer is 'no,' the winners don't get paid in cash. As per media reports, there never really is any direct cash prize for winning an Oscar; however, those who do win, see a boost to their bank accounts and reputation, often eventually.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hosts and coordinates the awards each season, has strict rules regarding the statuettes. The official regulations state that winners cannot sell their Oscar without first offering to sell it back to the Academy for $1, which makes each one worth a mere $1.
That's because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Oscars, has strict rules in place to prevent winners from profiting off of the sale of their trophies.
According to the Academy's rulebook, if a winner wants to sell his or her Oscar, he or she must offer it to the Academy, which may pay one dollar for the statuette.
The statuettes are solid bronze and plated in 24-karat gold. Due to a metal shortage during World War II, Oscars® were made of painted plaster for three years. Following the war, the Academy invited recipients to redeem the plaster figures for gold-plated metal ones.
As of 2022, Katharine Hepburn maintained her lead as the actor with the most Oscar wins of all time. While the "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" star scored four acting accolades during her career, six fellow actors tied for the second spot with three wins each.
Through a study carried out by IBISworld some time ago, it was estimated that the average salary of an Oscar winner rises by up to 20% after receiving the award, so although they don't receive anything directly, it does increase their income.
There's no monetary prizes attached to the Academy Award. The statuette is made from solid bronze and painted with 24-karat gold, it cost around $400 to make them.
It is composed of 24-karat gold-plated bronze. The sleek award stands 13.5 inches tall and weighs a hefty 8.5 pounds. If cast in 24-karat gold, the award would weigh 22.7 pounds, a mass equivalent to a large watermelon or two-year-old child.
In fact, though there are those who have rejected their Oscars (Marlon Brando, Dudley Nichols), only one award has ever been revoked in Academy history — the 1969 prize for Best Documentary, which was given to Young Americans before it was determined that the film was released in 1967 and therefore ineligible.
(NEXSTAR) – The Academy Award is generally regarded as one of the highest honors that an actor can receive — the keyword being “generally.” In the history of the Oscars, however, there have only been three people who refused their awards: actors George C. Scott and Marlon Brando, and screenwriter Dudley Nichols.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are very serious about their Oscars not ending up on some pawnbroker's shelf. Every actor who wins one has to sign an agreement saying that if they want to sell their Oscar, they first have to offer it to the Academy for $1.
It's because of a strange rule that was put in place by the Academy that means that the Oscars statues cannot be sold without first being offered back to the awarding body for a nominal price of $1, which - you'd have to imagine - they'd always accept.
Made in solid bronze and plated in 24-karat gold, the 1-foot tall, 8-pound golden statuette has become one of the most recognizable and desired trophies in the world since the first Academy Awards in 1929. Shaped like a male body, the statue is said to be modeled after a Mexican man — and no, his name is not Oscar.
A final theory attributes the nickname to Academy librarian Margaret Herrick who reportedly made an off-hand comment that the statuette reminded her of her uncle Oscar. The name eventually stuck, especially when she later became the Executive Director of the Academy.
As of now, no Oscar winner has ever had their award rescinded by the Academy, although producer and serial sexual abuser Harvey Weinstein was expelled from the governing body in 2017.
Only one Oscar has ever been revoked in the history of the Academy Awards, and it was not an acting Oscar. The documentary film Young Americans won Best Documentary Feature in 1969, but it was later discovered that the film had been released in 1967, not 1968 (the year of eligibility).
An Oscar winner can't sell or otherwise dispose of a statuette without “first offering to sell it to the Academy for the sum of $1.00.” And the rules don't just apply to the winner, but also to their heirs and anyone who is given one.
And one of the highest amounts ever paid for an Oscar was the $1.5 million Michael Jackson (a known movie buff!) plunked down for the Best Picture Oscar won by producer David O. Selznick for 1939's Gone With the Wind.
However, the title for the cheapest movie to win the award goes to Barry Jenkins' 2016 coming-of-age Moonlight. A24 decided to finance Moonlight in 2013, and the film began the company's foray into production, immediately winning them a 'Best Picture' title.
However, once the statuette is awarded, its actual value drops to $0, as the Recording Academy prohibits the resale of its awards. Although the award has no value, there is a monetary addition to the winners due to the phenomenon known as the 'Grammy bounce.
