Special Achievement Award

The Special Achievement Award, an Oscar statuette, is given for an achievement which makes an exceptional contribution to the motion picture for which it was created, but for which there is no annual award category.

Unlike an Honorary Award, a Special Achievement Award is conferred only for achievements in films which meet the Academy's eligibility year and deadline requirements.

In the Makeup and Sound Effects Editing categories, the Award can be given if those committees fail to come up with three nominations. In that case the committee may recommend to the Board of Governors that a special Achievement Award be voted instead. That was the case in the Visual Effects category, too, before Visual Effects became an annual award.

Thirteen of the 17 Special Achievement Awards given since the category was instituted in 1972 were given for visual effects or sound effects achievements.

The other four times it's been given have been:

In 1977, to Benjamin Burtt, Jr., for the creation of the alien, creature and robot voices featured in "Star Wars."

In 1979 to Alan Splet for sound editing of "The Black Stallion."

In 1988, to Richard Williams for the animation direction of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."

In 1995, to John Lasseter, "for his inspired leadership of the Pixar 'Toy Story' team, resulting in the first feature-length computer-animated film."