This year, a record 928 people were invited to join the motion picture academy and will be eligible to vote for the 2019 Oscars. Compare this intake to the totals of the previous four years: 774 in 2017; 683 in 2016; 322 in 2015; and 271 in 2014.

While Academy Awards nominees are automatically eligible for consideration, the rest of the candidates must go through a fairly cumbersome process. A candidate must meet certain branch specific requirements before even being eligible.

For example, actors must “have a minimum of three theatrical feature film credits, in all of which the roles played were scripted roles, one of which was released in the past five years, and all of which are of a caliber that reflect the high standards of the Academy.” For writers, directors and producers they need have just two of these credits.

The executive committee of the branch must endorse the application before forwarding it to the Board of Governors for final approval.