On May 11, 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was formed, marking the beginning of Hollywood’s most prestigious institution. Founded to advance the film industry, promote artistic and technical excellence, and mediate labor disputes, the Academy soon became synonymous with the Academy Awards—better known as the Oscars.

The organization was spearheaded by Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), who envisioned an elite group that would bring unity and credibility to Hollywood. Other major backers included Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Sid Grauman, and Cecil B. DeMille. The Academy’s first Board of Governors featured industry titans such as Fairbanks (who served as its first president), Pickford, DeMille, and Irving Thalberg.

The very first Academy Awards ceremony took place on May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. It was a private dinner event attended by just 270 guests, a far cry from today’s global spectacle. Tickets cost $5, and the ceremony lasted only 15 minutes.

To ensure fairness, the Academy initially had five branches—actors, writers, directors, producers, and technicians—each selecting nominees and voting on winners within their own categories. While the process has evolved over time, it laid the groundwork for the peer-based voting structure still used today.

The iconic Oscar statuette, designed by Cedric Gibbons and sculpted by George Stanley, depicts a knight holding a crusader’s sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes—each representing one of the Academy’s original branches. The nickname “Oscar” was reportedly coined when Academy librarian Margaret Herrick remarked that the statue resembled her Uncle Oscar.

Notable winners at that first ceremony included Emil Jannings, who won Best Actor for his performances in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh, and Janet Gaynor, who took home Best Actress for a trio of roles in Seventh Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. Wings won the first-ever Best Picture award (then called “Outstanding Picture”).

What started as a quiet industry gathering has since evolved into one of the most-watched and influential award shows in the world.