Academy Awards Prediction Contests

80th Academy Awards Prediction Contests

This post discusses Oscars contests for the Academy Awards that took place on Sunday, February 24, 2008. For the most recent Oscars posts, be sure to check out the Oscars/Academy Awards category page. There, you should find the most recently updated contests, predictions, and results. Check back in 2009 for the next round of contests!

The Oscars

Here is the 2008 list of Oscars prediction contests. It doesn't matter if you love movies, love the Academy Awards ceremony, or just love entering contests — this is the page to check out! Just predict the Oscars and you can win big!

Never entered an Oscars contest before? No problem. See the end of the post for standard hints and suggestions.

Hints, Tips, & Tricks

  1. Make your picks before you start entering! Print the official Oscars printable ballot or WildAboutMovies.com's printable Oscars ballot.
  2. Decide on your tiebreaker answers ahead of time. See above for a list of tiebreakers you will encounter this year.
  3. Enter the same picks in every contest. This depends on your strategy, but this makes it much, much easier to keep track of how well you do in the contests. Second, you might think that "If I enter in multiple contests and try various selections, I'm more likely to win something," but the problem is that, even if you get all the selections correct, you're (usually) still in a drawing among all the other winners. If you nail the picks, then you've got a dozen or so chances to win. If you only get the correct picks in one or two different contests, you might not win anything at all.
  4. Vote early. Some contests' rules state that if multiple people tie, then the prize goes to the person who entered their guesses first. Also, it helps you avoid entering contests at the last minute.
  5. Bookmark the Academy Awards category page. Check back here for additional contests, and you'll have the site to check for next year's contests, too!

Guidelines

There are guidelines regarding which Oscars contests are displayed here and which are not. Contests must be:

  1. Skill-based. You pick the winners. No "enter your name and cross your fingers" lottery-style games here. If you've got knowledge and skill, get them all right. Then, you'll have a better chance.
  2. English only. Sorry, no hablo francais.
  3. National. No regional contest prizes. Most people reading this won't care about winning a dinner for two in Vancouver. If regional prizes are open to people in any location with non-regional prizes, they will be included. If there is a regional prize included but the grand prize also includes a generic prize, I will probably include the contest.
  4. Open to Americans. Americans must be eligible to enter. If you are under 18 (and maybe even if you're under 21), you'll want to double-check the rules to see if you're eligible.
  5. Free. Must be free. Registration might be a requirement, but
  6. Up to you. I will do my best to skim rules and regulations to confirm what I've mentioned above. No promises that I didn’t miss something. It’s up to you to read the rules yourself. I'm not responsible. I am also not responsible for any spam you might receive as a result of entering these contests. The guidelines above do not check for privacy or anything of the sort. I myself have created a special e-mail just for contests to catch all the spam (and congratulatory winners' e-mails, of course).

If you find a contest not listed here, you are encouraged to contact Novac and provide any available details.

Listing Format:

  • Site name (links directly to contest page) — Description or details, if necessary.
    Grand Prize(s) offered. You can read the details for any lesser prizes. (Approximate retail value of prize is listed, when available.)

The Contests:

  • Oscars.com — ABC.com membership required
    Prize: One Women’s Right-hand ring from the Kwiat Star Collection, set in 18k white gold with 1.53cts or round brilliant and marquise cut diamonds.; One pair of Men’s Cufflinks from the Kwiat Men’s Solaris Collection, featuring black and white diamonds set in 18k white gold with 1.28cts or round brilliant diamonds. ($11,720 ARV)
    (Sign up under DVD Talk's group on Oscars.com and also be entered in their contest to win a stack of screeners (ARV Unknown). More information at DVD Talk.
  • CNN.com
    Prize: 47" Flat Screen HDTV ($1,500 ARV)
  • eFilmCritic — Unique method of entry for this one, as you can vote for multiple films in each category
    Prize: 50 DVDs (Est. $1,000 ARV)
  • DE Concierge
    Prize: $100 gift certificate to Burke Williams Day Spa in CA, a $100 restaurant gift certificate, and a $100 gift certificate to the Arclight Cinema in LA ($300 ARV)
  • JoBlo
    Prize: Apple 80 GB iPod classic Silver ($236 ARV)
  • AroundCinci
    Prize: Movie showings from Movies on Demand for an entire year — probably only redeemable by customers of Time Warner Cable in the Cincinatti region ($179.64 ARV)
  • the-numbers.com
    Prize: All five Best Picture Nominees on DVD. (Est. $100 ARV)
  • Kentucky.com
    Prize: $50 in movie tickets and a $50 gift certificate to a Lexington-area restaurant ($100 ARV)
  • Movie City News
    Prize: Stanley Kubrick Box Set of DVDS and an MCN Know It All tee ($87 ARV)
  • PredictTheOscars.com
    Prize: $50 VISA gift card ($50 ARV)
  • Scuba.com
    Prize: $50 scuba.com gift certificate ($50 ARV)
  • AbsolutePunk
    Prize: Sports Night: The Complete Series DVD ($48 ARV)
  • Fort Worth Public Library
    Prize: Two AMC movie passes, The Departed DVD, 2-liter bottle of Coca-Cola Classic, and a box of Orville Redenbacher's Microwave Gourmet Popping Corn (Est. $35 ARV)
  • York Daily Record
    Prize: $30 gift certificate to Regal Cinemas ($30 ARV)
  • web-goddess
    Prize: One Striking Writer sock monkey (Est. $30 ARV)
  • The Daily Camera and The Video Station
    Prize: Dinner and a movie for two (ARV unknown)
  • The Augusta Chronicle
    Prize: An entertainment prize package (ARV unknown)
  • The News Tribune
    Prize: Unknown
  • Practicalmadness
    Prize: Unknown
  • Box Office Mojo
    Prize: Nothing?
  • Variety
    Prize: Nothing ($0 ARV)
  • Awards Daily
    Prize: Nothing ($0 ARV)
  • Entertainment Weekly
    Prize: "Bragging rights" ($0 ARV)
  • . . .
  • TheEnvelope.com (Los Angeles Times) (Coming soon???)
    Prize: $1,000

Defunct Contests:


This is a list of contest from the last three years that do not have any obvious 2008 contest listed. This could be that they are not doing another contest this year, or perhaps they haven't announced it yet, or perhaps I simply couldn't find it.

  • Louisville Courier-Journal
    2007 Prize: $200; Two tickets to the 2008 Family & Children First's Oscar Night America Party
  • Rochester, MN Post-Bulletin
    2007 Prize: $100; Two free movie tickets per week for an entire year (104 tickets) from Cinemagic theaters
  • Lansing State Journal
    2007 Prize: $100 (You may have to travel to Lansing to pick the prize up within 60 days.)
  • Quad-Cities Online
    2007 Prize: Trip for 4 to Universal Orlando Resort
  • n:zone Movies & The Oscar Igloo
    2007 Prize: A signed Happy Feet Poster; Little Miss Sunshine DVD; A Happy Feet snow globe; A boy and girl's Happy Feet t-shirt; The Departed cap; The Good Shepard cap; Happy Feet hat; Blood Diamond bracelet; The Good Shepard notebook; Cars soundtrack; Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack
  • FilmGuru.Net
    2007 Prize: $25 gift certificate to the FilmGuru.Net store; FilmGuru.Net t-shirt
  • OscarWatch
    2007 Prize: Nothing?
  • CentreDaily.com
    2006 Prize: Movie theater gift certificate
  • oregonlive.com
    2006 Prize: 40 Regal Cinema Movie Passes
  • Movieline's Hollywood Life
    2006 Prize: JVC TH-C5 Digital Theater System; over a dozen Oscar-nominated films
  • TV Oracle
    2006 Prize: $25 gift certificate to Best Buy
  • Drew's "Predict The Oscars…Poorly" Contest — With Drew's contest, be sure to pick losers for every category.
    2006 Prize: Fifty movie goodies (posters, promos, keychains, magnets, hats, postcards, buttons, soundtracks, bumper stickers, bookmarks, yadda yadda)
  • Norwich Bulletin — No online form. You must e-mail your picks. (See page for further details.)
    2006 Prize: $50
  • Mercury News
    2006 Prize: iPod valued at $300
  • HardRock.com
    2005 Prize: Two Red Carpet bleacher seats to the 78th Academy Awards Red Carpet pre-show
  • The New York Times
    2005 Prize: Dream vacation for 2. Destination options: London, England (Finding Neverland); Hollywood, CA (The Aviator); or California's Central Coast wine country (Sideways)
  • Miami Herald
    2005 Prize: Panasonic DIGA DVD Recorder with TV Guide On Screen
  • The Press of Atlantic City
    2005 Prize: Unknown

Tiebreaker Questions:

Here are the tiebreaker and/or nontraditional questions you will encounter in some of these contests:

  • How many standing ovations will there be?
  • Choose A Number between 1 and 1,000.
  • How many dead people will be featured in the annual Hollywood obituary tribute reel?
  • Film winning most awards and number of awards won.