A new Oscar for best casting will be introduced at the 98th edition of the Academy Awards, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Thursday.

The award category will be inaugurated in 2026 for films released in 2025, commending casting directors for their excellence.

Recognising the role of casting directors in filmmaking, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a joint statement that they were proud to add casting to the Oscar disciplines. “We congratulate our Casting Directors Branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process,” they added.

Members of the Casting Directors Branch — Richard Hicks, Kim Taylor-Coleman and Debra Zane — thanked the Board of Governors of the Academy for taking the decision. “This award is a deserved acknowledgment of our casting directors’ exceptional talents and a testament to the dedicated efforts of our branch,” they said in a joint statement.

The Academy has mentioned that the rules pertaining to the category will be announced in April 2025 along with the complete 98th Academy Awards rules. The specific rules will be determined by the Academy’s Board of Governors.

Created in July 2013, the Casting Directors Branch currently includes around 160 members.

The last new category introduced in the Oscars was in 2001 for Best Animated Feature Film.