Every February Oscar^® Fever hits the entertainment community and film fans around the world, building to the crescendo of the annual Academy Awards Presentation a month later, when hundreds of millions of cinema lovers glue themselves to their television sets to learn who will receive the golden statuettes.

After more than seven decades of recognizing excellence in film-making achievement, the presentation of the Oscars^® has become the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' most famous activity.

The Academy Awards Presentation is also the Academy's most important activity and has enabled the organization to maintain a varied year-around calendar of programs and events and a wide-ranging educational and cultural agenda.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a professional honorary organization of over 6,000 motion picture professionals, was founded to advance the arts and sciences of motion pictures; foster cooperation among creative leaders for cultural, educational and technological progress; recognize outstanding achievements; cooperate on technical research and improvement of methods and equipment; provide a common forum and meeting ground for various branches and crafts; represent the viewpoint of actual creators of the motion picture; and foster educational activities between the professional community and the public-at-large.