What is gifted in Oscar awards?

Answer 1

There are currently 24 categories in which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) gives out the Academy Award of Merit (Oscar)

1. Best Picture

2. Best Director

3. Best Actor

4. Best Actress

5. Best Screenplay (Adapted)

6. Best Screenplay (Original)

7. Best Supporting Actor

8. Best Supporting Actress

9. Best Song

10. Best Score

11. Best Documentary

12. Best Documentary Short

13. Best Short Film - Live Action

14. Best Short Film - Animated

15. Best Animated Feature

16. Best Sound Editing

17. Best Sound Mixing

18. Best Editing

19. Best Visual Effects

20. Best Art Direction

21. Best Foreign Language Film

22. Best Makeup

23. Best Costume Design

The Academy also awards several scientific and techical awards each year. Occassionally, the Academy also presenst Special Awards and Humanitarian Awards and Lifetime Achievement Awards, but these are not presented every year.
Actor in a Leading Role

Actor in a Supporting Role

Actress in a Leading Role

Actress in a Supporting Role

Animated Feature Film

Art Direction

Cinematography

Costume Design

Directing

Documentary Feature

Documentary Short

Film Editing

Foreign Language Film

Makeup

Music (Score)

Music (Song)

Best Picture

Short Film (Animated)

Short Film (Live Action)

Sound Editing

Sound Mixing

Visual Effects

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Answer 2

The "prize" in the Oscar awards is a gold plate statuette of a man with a sword at rest in front of him. It is highly stylized and slightly abstract. The story is told that Mary Pickford named the statuette by commenting that it looked, "just like Oscar". The name stuck.

Answer 3

Academy Awards (aka Oscars) are given for excellence in movie making: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, etc.