Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The Testimonial Awards include the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Honorary Award. They are determined and bestowed by the Board of Governors.

1. Nominations for the Testimonial Awards shall be made at an annually designated meeting of the Board of Governors. Nominations for all three awards shall be conducted as a single procedure in which a nominee is named along with the award for which he or she is proposed.
2. When the nominations are closed, voting shall be conducted by secret ballot. The governors shall indicate their preference for a Testimonial Award by selecting one candidate from among the names listed. The candidate who receives a majority of the votes shall then stand for further consideration. If a tie occurs, a run-off vote between the tied candidates shall take place until a preferred candidate is determined.
3. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the two candidates with the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated and the remaining candidates shall stand for a second round of voting. If after the second round of voting no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the one candidate receiving the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated and the remaining candidates shall be voted upon. This process of elimination shall continue until a candidate with a majority is determined.
4. Once a single candidate has emerged, an additional secret vote shall take place to determine whether the particular award proposed will be conferred. A “yes” vote from a majority of the governors present is necessary to endorse the proposal. In the absence of a majority endorsement, no Testimonial Award will be given for the current Awards year.
5. A second and third Testimonial Award may also be presented, following the same nominating and voting procedures as described above. A fourth award may also be proposed and voted, but three-fourths of the governors present must endorse the giving of the award.

1. No more than four Testimonial Awards may be presented in a given Awards year.
2. No more than one Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and one Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award may be presented in a given Awards year. There is no such restriction on the Honorary Award.
3. No proxies shall be permitted in balloting for any Testimonial Award. No Testimonial Award shall be voted posthumously. No sitting member of the Board of Governors shall be eligible to receive a Testimonial Award. No individual shall be eligible to receive any particular Testimonial Award more than once.