The Academy has increasingly embraced casting directors in recent years. Practitioners have belonged to the organization for decades, but were classified as members-at-large until 2013, when the organization created a casting directors branch.

Six years later, a casting director was elected Academy president for the first time. David Rubin held that position from 2019 through 2022.

There are 158 active members of the casting directors branch, making it the smallest of the Academy’s 19 branches.In statement issued Thursday, current Academy president Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer declared: “Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate. We congratulate our casting directors branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process.”

The three governors of the Academy’s casting directors branch  are: Richard Hicks, Kim Taylor-Coleman and Debra Zane.

They noted: “On behalf of the members of the casting directors branch, we’d like to thank the board of governors, the awards committee and Academy leadership for their support. This award is a deserved acknowledgment of our casting directors’ exceptional talents and a testament to the dedicated efforts of our branch.”

Category rules for eligibility and voting for the inaugural award will be announced in April 2025 as part of the complete 98th Oscar Rules. The specifics of the award’s presentation will be determined by the Academy’s board of governors and its administrative leadership at a future date.