Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======Academy Award====== =====Award Information===== * **Type:** [[Muggle]] Award * **Presented by:** Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (a [[Muggle]] organization) * **Purpose:** To recognize outstanding artistic and technical merit in the international film industry. =====Description===== An Academy Award, colloquially known as an "Oscar," is a prestigious award in the [[Muggle]] world. The award itself is a golden statuette of a knight holding a crusader's sword, standing on a reel of film. It is considered one of the highest honours a person or film in the cinematic industry can receive. =====History===== The Academy Awards are a real-world, non-magical set of awards first presented by the [[Muggle]] Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1929. Their existence and prestige are evidently known to some members of the [[Wizarding World]], who use the award as a point of comparison for their own accolades. =====Mention in the Wizarding World===== The only direct reference to the Academy Award in the novels occurs in //[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]//. While introducing himself as the new [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] teacher, [[Gilderoy Lockhart]] boasts about his many achievements. He specifically mentions winning //[[Witch Weekly]]'s// Most-Charming-Smile Award five times in a row. To emphasize the significance of this feat, he tells the class, "but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the [[Bandon Banshee]] by smiling at her." The narrative states that [[Lockhart]]'s claim to this award was comparable to a [[Muggle]] winning an Academy Award, establishing a direct parallel between the two honours in terms of perceived prestige. =====Role in the Story===== The mention of the Academy Award serves two primary functions in the narrative: * **Characterization:** It immediately establishes the immense vanity and self-obsession of [[Gilderoy Lockhart]]. By comparing a superficial award for his smile to a globally recognized [[Muggle]] honour, he reveals his shallow priorities and his need for public adoration. * **World-Building:** The reference demonstrates that there is some level of cultural awareness between the [[Wizarding World]] and the [[Muggle]] world. It implies that wizards and witches, particularly those like [[Lockhart]] who crave fame, are familiar with prominent aspects of [[Muggle]] culture and use them as a frame of reference. =====Behind the Scenes===== Ironically, while used as a benchmark for success within the story, the real-world *Harry Potter* film series was frequently nominated for Academy Awards but never won one. Across the eight films, the franchise received a total of 12 Oscar nominations in categories such as Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects, but did not secure a win for any of them (film).
