There are currently 24 competitive Oscars (Academy Awards) categories.

Quick Scoop: How Many Oscars Categories Are There?

In recent years, the Academy Awards have settled at 24 main, competitive categories that are presented during the annual ceremony. This is what people usually mean when they ask “how many Oscars categories are there.”

The Core Answer

  • The Oscars are “typically” or “presently” given in 24 categories.
  • These cover everything from acting and directing to writing, music, sound, and shorts.
  • A new category for stunt work (stunt design) has been approved and is planned to be first awarded in 2027, which would bring the total to 25 when it comes into effect.

So, if you’re asking right now, in practice :

  • The number you’ll see most often is: 24 categories at the Oscars.

Why You See Different Numbers (23 vs 24)

Forum discussions and some sites sometimes say 23 categories instead of 24. That usually happens because:

  • Some sources are counting only the categories used in very specific recent years where the Academy combined or structured categories slightly differently.
  • Others are simplifying or rounding when they say “around 23 categories” for the current Oscars era.

But major reference sources describing the ceremony as it is generally organized still list 24.

How It Evolved (Mini Storytime)

When the Oscars first started in 1929, there were only 15 categories. Over almost a century, the Academy has:

  • Added new fields as filmmaking evolved (visual effects, sound, animated feature, makeup and hairstyling, etc.).
  • Dropped or merged some older categories that no longer fit how films are made or credited today.

That back-and-forth of adding and removing is why the exact number has changed over time , even though it feels “fixed” when you watch a single ceremony.

Snapshot of What’s Included

Today’s 24 categories include (examples, not the full list):

  • Best Picture, Best Director
  • Best Actor, Best Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress
  • Original Screenplay, Adapted Screenplay
  • Cinematography, Film Editing, Production Design
  • Original Score, Original Song
  • Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling
  • Sound, Visual Effects
  • International Feature Film, Animated Feature Film
  • Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Animated Short, Live Action Short

All of these together make up the 24 competitive Oscars that get handed out on the big night.

TL;DR

  • How many Oscars categories are there?
    → Generally recognized current total: 24 categories.
  • What’s changing?
    → A stunt category is approved for 2027, which should push that to 25 once it’s actually awarded.

Information gathered from public data available on the internet and portrayed here.