1st Academy Awards

Louis B. Mayer, the founder of the Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation, which would later merge into Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), established the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in 1927. Mayer's purpose in creating the award was to unite the five branches of the film industry: actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers. Mayer commented on the creation of the awards: "I found that the best way to handle [filmmakers] was to hang medals all over them ... If I got them cups and awards, they'd kill themselves to produce what I wanted. That's why the Academy Award was created." Mayer asked Cedric Gibbons, art director of MGM, to design an Academy Award trophy. Nominees were notified through a telegram in February 1928. == Ceremony ==

.|alt=Large, ornate room, filled with people in formal dress sitting at different tables. The ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, Actors and actresses arrived at the hotel in luxury vehicles, and gathered outside to cheer the attendees. The ceremony was not broadcast on radio, during a event. Janet Gaynor for Best Actress (7th Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans); Frank Borzage for Best Director, Drama (7th Heaven); Lewis Milestone for Best Director, Comedy (Two Arabian Knights); and Wings for Best Picture (which was the most expensive film produced up to that time). Two Special Award were also presented, to Charles Chaplin and Warner Bros. Chaplin, who was nominated multiple times for the 1928 film The Circus (Best Actor, Best Writer, and Best Director, Comedy), was instead honored for his overall contribution to the industry, while Warner Bros. was awarded for pioneering talking pictures with The Jazz Singer (1927). Three categories were eliminated for subsequent presentations: Best Engineering Effects, Best Title Writing, and Best Unique and Artistic Quality of Production. The major film studios received the majority of awards: Fox Film Corporation, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, Radio-Keith-Orpheum, and Warner Bros. == Winners and nominees ==

Awards At the 1st Academy Awards (19271928), the nomination process allowed candidates to be nominated and awarded for a single film, multiple films, or without reference to any specific film. Nominees were announced on February 2, 1929. Winners are listed first, in boldface. ; Notes Special Awards The following Honorary Awards then called Special Awards were conferred: • To Charles Chaplin for acting, writing, directing and producing The Circus. • To Warner Bros. for producing The Jazz Singer, the pioneer outstanding talking picture, which has revolutionized the industry. == Multiple nominations and awards ==

The following six films received multiple nominations: The following three films received multiple awards: == Changes to Academy Awards ==

After the 1st Academy Awards (19271928), the following changes were made by the AMPAS: • Award categories were reduced from twelve to seven: • The award for Best Engineering Effects was discontinued. • The award for Best Unique and Artistic Picture was discontinued. These categories would be separated again for the 4th Academy Awards. • The award for Best Writing (Title Writing) was discontinued. == Gallery ==