Oscar Prediction Tips: How to Pick the Winners and Have a Great Time Doing It

Oscar prediction is a big part of the excitement surrounding the Academy Awards every year. Professionals and amateurs alike try their hands at Oscar prediction in the weeks leading up to Hollywood's biggest party, and finding out whose picks are right is a big part of every Oscar night party. If you are planning to give Oscar prediction a try this year, these tips and tricks may help you pick some winners, and they'll all but guarantee that you have a great time whether you are right or not.

The Past Can Give You Clues To The Future

Especially when you are making your Oscar prediction for Best Picture, thinking about what kind of films have won on the Oscar nights of yore can help you pick the winner for this year. For example, films that win this top honor tend to be very high budget, so you can all but rule out an inexpensive, character-driven film made by a small independent studio. The process of eliminating nominees that don't have a lot in common with past winners can give you a leg up in making an accurate Oscar prediction in many categories, but it especially foolproof when it comes to the night's biggest honors like Best Picture and Best Director.

Don't Base Your Guess On The Film

One key to successful Oscar prediction is remembering that most of the time the Academy gives an award to an actor for a body of work. To be certain, the award officially recognizes an outstanding performance, script, or directorial feat, but more often than not Oscars really reward an artist for an exciting past career. A quick look at Academy Award history will show that happens all the time: how else can one explain the fact that the highly respected and critically acclaimed Julie Andrews won the Oscar for her role in the family film "Mary Poppins," which garnered only a lukewarm reception from Hollywood bigwigs? Acknowledging this secret motivator behind a lot of Academy members' picks can help you think like an Academy member, and is especially useful when making your Oscar prediction for Best Actor or Actress.

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