The Academy President shall appoint a chairman who will form an Executive/Steering Committee from active and life members from the Academy Visual Effects Branch.

The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee shall review a Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures, and in a series of meetings shall cast secret ballots to select a maximum of seven pictures for further consideration. Achievements shall be judged within the parameters defined by the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee and on the basis of:

a. consideration of the contribution the visual effects make to the overall production and

b. the artistry, skill and fidelity with which the visual illusions are achieved.

The producers of the pictures selected for award consideration (or their designees) shall be requested to provide the committee with the following:

a. Written descriptions explaining the procedures used to create the effects,

b. Excerpts from film composite release prints - not to exceed fifteen minutes (1,350 feet) in total running time - showing the effects described. Producers wishing to present a matching digital version of their film excerpt reel may do so, provided the film was originally released in that format; however, a duplicate film excerpt reel must still be provided.

c. The names and titlesof no more than four individuals directly involved with and principally responsible for the visual effects achieved, and a description of their contributions. Additional names will not be considered. As the Visual Effects award is a craft award, producers, coordinators and other executives are not eligible for this award unless they are also craftspeople with primary creative responsibility for the achievement.

The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee shall determine whether an achievement is eligible. They shall also determine the eligibility of the contributor(s) to the achievement for nomination purposes.

Active members of the Visual Effects Branch are eligible to serve on the Visual Effects Award Nominating Committee. Those members shall attend a meeting to view the film excerpts and vote on the achievements. Written descriptions of the effects shall be made available to the committee prior to the meeting.

The producers (or their designees) may attend the meeting of the nominating committee; however, only the potential nominees will be allowed to address the nominating committee.

Following the viewing of film excerpts and discussion relative to the achievements, voting shall be conducted as follows:

a. All members of the Visual Effects Nominating Committee present shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than three of the seven achievements.

b. The three productions receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Visual Effects award.

c. Final voting for the Visual Effects award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

Excerpt reels shall become the property of the Academy and placed in the Academy Film Archive, with the proviso that the Academy will not use these reels for commercial gain.

Such other rules or procedures necessary for the proper conduct of this award shall be adopted by the Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, subject to the approval of the Academy Board of Governors.