Awards shows like the Oscars have long been such a major element of filmmaking that they are easily taken for granted; they’re expected, some people win, and a lot more people lose. Everyone dresses very nice and is ‘super excited and honored to be there.’ But what really are awards shows, and why do they exist? Why do some people love them, and why do others hate them?

Those are very loaded questions that contain multiple answers. Awards shows exist to honor the people who have worked so hard to make something that has an impact on people’s lives. Films and television are able to impact people all over the world, so shouldn’t that be recognized and thus awarded? Yes, trophies from said awards shows have been used as marketing tools in future projects, and it’s usually a group of very rich people being congratulated, but more importantly it is a moniker for the people who win them. It is a part of their names for the rest of their lives and proves to everyone that they are great at their craft. Awards shows are not everyone’s cup of tea but at the end of the day, they mean something to someone and that is reason enough for them to exist.

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What’s the Problem with Awards Shows?

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While there is no exact problem with awards shows, there are quite a few issues that viewers tend to have with the category. The prominent problem people tend to have is that the shows feel like Hollywood just applauding itself for doing its jobs. People may say things like, “Well I do my job and I don’t get awards for it,” but that’s frankly not true. Many careers give out annual or quarterly awards for people who do their job well and help their community through their work, so aren’t awards shows just that on a bigger scale? Aren’t awards shows just the best way for people to see the films they love be awarded for their success and artistry?

The other major issue people have with awards shows is that the films nominated are not what they would have chosen; there is an obvious divide between critics and audiences, and the films which win awards (like the great Nomadland) aren’t usually the films which win at the box office (like Spider-Man: No Way Home). There is no satisfying answer to this conundrum; awards shows will never please everyone, whether that is with nominations or winners, and not everyone will like the outcome.

Everyone’s a Critic

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Even when someone publishes a simple list ranking the best of something, there are disgustingly toxic comments posted about how ‘stupid’ the person is for not including the commenter’s favorite movie. Everyone’s a critic, and you can’t please everyone (or even a plurality). Additionally, there are a great multiplicity of awards shows, and many of them honor completely different films. The People’s Choice Awards and the MTV Movie and TV Awards are likely going to honor extremely different films than the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or, or the Oscar’s Best Picture.

One of the few real, legitimate complaints against awards shows is for their lack of diversity, something highlighted by the recent #OscarsSoWhite campaign. People of color and women have always been dominated by white males in awards shows, and these programs are only now just beginning to diversify and consider a broader spectrum of people.

Are There Good Things About Awards Shows?

Of course, most things are not black and white; nothing is all bad and without good elements, and awards shows are a balance of both, but generally seem to have more positives, especially for those who work in the film and television industry or those who love their art. These shows can be monumental for the film or series that they were nominated for and can also be monumental in affecting people’s career trajectory as a whole.

When it comes to what’s being nominated, those pieces of media are helped dramatically by being included in nominations during awards season. There are many people who watch movies or shows specifically because they are nominated for prestigious awards like the Palme d’Or, so these films and shows often see a boom in viewers after being nominated (and sometimes come back to theaters as a result).

In this way, it makes sense to celebrate lesser-known films at awards shows; just like film critics and writers, exposing great art to a bigger audience is much more rewarding than congratulating something that’s already made one billion dollars. This can also help the creative team on and off-screen to get other jobs, since their last piece of work was nominated. In many literal and practical ways, awards shows still matter for movies.

Why Do People Watch Awards Shows?

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There is also the aspect of watching awards shows. Perhaps many people are questioning the same thing as this article — what’s the point of awards shows? This is evidence by the fact that awards show viewership has been on a downward slope for years. Viewership of the 2022 Oscars was down 52% from 2016 (which is even better than 2021, which was down by 64%); viewership of the Emmy Awards was down 31% and viewership of the MTV Movie and TV Awards was down by 67%. Perhaps people have stopped caring about which rich celebrities win trophies, or which film they’ve never heard of receives applause in California.

However, this is not to say that awards shows are completely rejected. Even with such decreased viewership, the 2022 Academy Awards drew in 16.5 million people (along with the hundred million others who watched WIll Smith slap Chris Rock). For many people, it’s a light-hearted thrill to see their favorite stars dress up, wearing the biggest and best designers, and giving great speeches. Awards Shows aren’t all bad; in fact, there is quite a bit of good in all of them.

There are so many reasons that Awards Shows appeal to people all over the world. There are the obvious reasons like the glitz and glamour, the elaborate, expensive costumes, jewelry and makeup, and the red carpet interviews where you get a sneak-peek at celebrities’ unattainable brains. There is nothing like seeing a first-time winner be so grateful and shocked that they’ve won this honor, and re-watching the best awards speeches is a feel-good pastime.

However, maybe the most important reason why people watch awards shows is the simple fact of hope. There are countless young people who tune in, thinking that maybe they can be on that stage someday; maybe they could be the next Steven Spielberg or Meryl Streep, and that they could win those awards if they dream big enough and pursue it with everything they’ve got. That idea is so important for young creatives, because it gives them a goal that in some, small way feels attainable.