Business of… Awards

Business of… Awards

With all this fuss surrounding the latest Nobel Prizes, Kipp decided to check out awards. From the Booker to the Olympics, we see prizes that really matter (and a couple that don’t).

October 17, 2010 2:20 by Samuel Potter

Kipp’s importance rating: 3/10

And now, on to awards that don’t matter so much. You may disagree, but we don’t think the Oscars count for much. First, let’s give them their proper name: Academy Awards. Designed to recognize excellence in the film industry, they were first held in 1929 in front of an audience of just 270 people. Winners had been announced three months before, but this was changed the following year, and by 1940, the famous sealed envelope was in use. A total of 2,789 Oscars have been given for 1,825 awards.

Everybody watches them, everybody talks about them, so why don’t they matter to Kipp? Simply, there is no discernable standard by which winners are chosen. It isn’t quality (Titanic, anyone?), it isn’t popularity (Avatar missed out on the top gong this year, despite taking so much money it makes Kipp’s head spin). It’s a sort of mish mash of both, with a little politics thrown in. Plus, film makers too often manipulate the vote by “timing” the release of certain films. Kipp loves the show, but we don’t rate the awards.

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