1st Academy Awards

Award ceremony for films of 1927 and 1928

Arts & Culture

1st Academy Awards — Image via Wikimedia Commons or Wikipedia.

Overview

What happened

1929, The First Oscars Founding, in Hollywood, California, honored film achievements, with 'Wings' winning Best Picture, 12 awards given

Date

May 16, 1929

Location

Hollywood, California, USA

Key people

Louis B. Mayer, David Thomson, Cedric Gibbons

What was 1st Academy Awards?

The 1st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and hosted by AMPAS president Douglas Fairbanks, honored the best films from August 1, 1927, to July 31, 1928, and took place on May 16, 1929, at a private dinner held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Tickets cost $5 ($94 in 2025, considering inflation); 270 people attended the event, which lasted 15 minutes. It is the only Academy Awards ceremony not broadcast on either radio or television; a radio broadcast was introduced for the 2nd Academy Awards. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards – later to be colloquially known as "Oscars" – in 12 categories. The winners had been announced three months ahead of the ceremony.

Background and consequences

Some nominations did not reference a specific film, such as Ralph Hammeras and Nugent Slaughter, who were nominated for Engineering Effects, a category that was dropped the following year – along with those for Unique and Artistic Production, Best Director (Comedy), and Best Title Writing.

Related on thisDay

The First Oscars Founding — May 16, 1929

12 awards were given at the 1929 Oscars in Hollywood, California, where 'Wings' won Best Picture in a night that would change film history forever

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Date article: The First Oscars Founding — May 16, 1929 Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“1st Academy Awards.” thisDay, thisday.info/history/1st-academy-awards/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

APA

1st Academy Awards. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://thisday.info/history/1st-academy-awards/

Chicago

“1st Academy Awards.” thisDay. Accessed October 19, 2026. https://thisday.info/history/1st-academy-awards/.

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