The Oscars are the peak of awards season.
So it comes as little surprise that such a star-studded show comes with a tight list of guidelines.
This year’s awards will once again be hosted at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles at 7pm EST/4pm PST.
Those fortunate enough to attend must abide by the Academy’s dress code and are expected to follow the venue’s policies.
Celebrities and seat-fillers alike are subject to the same set of rules.
The shocking demands include bathroom breaks with parameters and a ban on outside refreshments.
There are tight guidelines in place for attendees, including Elle Fanning, at tonight’s Oscars
Those fortunate enough to attend, including Heidi Klum, must abide by Academy dress code
This year’s event will once again be hosted at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles
Dress Code
According to People magazine, the show’s legendary fashion consultant Edith Head issued a white tie dress code during her tenure.
She requested guests wear formal evening gowns that were either maxi or floor length, preferring pastel shades.
An archived note from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) suggested that shorter lengths were frowned upon.
They also discouraged the color red and ‘glittery’ ensembles.
Men were asked to arrive in ‘white tie with conventional formal evening accessories,’ per the outlet.
In the present day, the awards ceremony has evolved to black tie and a Sustainable Style Guide has been introduced.
With the new addition, honorees and attendees are urged to make use of sustainable fashion with vintage, loaned, and reused outfits.
Those fortunate enough to attend must abide by the academy’s dress code and are expected to follow the venue’s policies
Emma Stone and Dave McCary. Celebrities and seat-fillers alike are subject to the same rules
Previous advice is thought to have discouraged the color red and ‘glittery’ ensembles. Modern-day guidance is more relaxed, which is good news for Kylie Jenner
Limited Bathroom Breaks
As the show commences, guests are asked to stay in their seats and only get up during commercial breaks.
To enforce the rule, attendees who move about outside of the time breaks are not let back into the theatre until the next break.
‘Time your toilet needs so that you can get to the bathroom and back before the telecast continues, or you won’t be able to get back in until the next commercial break,’ an academy member told Vanity Fair in 2013.
No Outside Refreshments
The Dolby Theatre does not allow visitors to bring food or drinks from outside – not even water.
But when Ellen DeGeneres hosted the 2014 Oscars, she famously served slices of pizza between presentations.
And People noted that in 2020, child star Julia Butters was seen sinking her teeth into a turkey sandwich.
Just ten years old at the time, she adorably told the outlet: ‘It’s the Oscars, there can’t be any regrets. There’s no going back.’
Acceptance Speeches
An anonymous insider also told Vanity Fair that while it’s an unspoken expectation, it’s in good taste to ‘thank the boss’ in an acceptance speech.
‘Be modest, quick, and appreciative, and if you’re going to transgress any of this imposed modesty, be so brilliant and pithy nobody can accuse you of being in bad taste,’ the person said before quipping, ‘You obviously have to thank the boss.’
Winners’ speeches are capped at 45 seconds, at which point the play-off music will start.
Despite this, many Oscar winners will exceed the timeframe amid the excitement of one of the most important moments in their careers.
Adrien Brody proved this to be true as he broke the record for longest speech in 2025, going over five minutes as he accepted the Best Actor honor for The Brutalist.
‘I’m wrapping up. Please, please, please. I’m wrapping up. I will wrap up. Please. Turn the music off,’ he begged last year.
Rei Ami, Audrey Nuna and EJAE pose on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals
Barbie Ferreira attends the 2026 Academy Awards
Seat-fillers
The Dolby Theatre enlists ‘seat-fillers,’ people who attend the awards to give the appearance of a full audience when invitees get up to relieve themselves or leave the event altogether.
Media personality Arjun Manjunath told People that when it comes to the job, there is a separate set of expectations.
One rule is that ‘you can’t talk to [celebrities] unless they talk to you first – only organic interactions.’
He recalled his experience at the 2026 Grammys, ‘It was very dystopian. Very Hunger Games vibes.’
They must also surrender their phone and are responsible for their own transportation and lodging.
And there is no monetary compensation for their time at the starry events.
Winners cannot sell their Oscar gongs
Despite reasonable assumptions that a coveted golden Oscar statue could carry a hefty price tag, the award does not yield financial profit.
The resale value is merely $1 in accordance with AMPAS regulations.
The official Oscars website states, ‘Award winners shall not sell or otherwise dispose of the Oscar statuette, nor permit it to be sold or disposed of by operation of law, without first offering to sell it to the Academy for the sum of $1.
‘This provision shall apply also to the heirs and assigns of Academy Award winners who may acquire a statuette by gift or bequest.’