Ceremony Date: Sunday, November 16, 2025
Venue: Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, California
Producer: Jennifer Fox
Academy Honorary Award Honorees: Debbie Allen, Tom Cruise, and Wynn Thomas
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Recipient: Dolly Parton
Website: www.oscars.org
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) annually presents various lifetime achievement honors for the film industry.
The first Governors Awards was held in 2009 to recognize the industry’s finest performers and creatives. Before the award show was established, the recognitions were given during the Academy Awards ceremony.
The Governors Awards are typically held before the Academy Awards. However, the three honorees will receive a short mention and a montage presentation during the Oscars, with the recipients in attendance.
Three worthy recipients will typically accept the Academy Honorary Award each year, which is presented for an “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.
Other awards are often presented at the Governors Awards at the Academy’s discretion. For instance, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is often given for “outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes.”
Also, the Academy occasionally presents the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to “creative producers, whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production.” However, the accolade will not be presented at the 2025 ceremony.
The 16th Annual Governor’s Ball will present three Academy Honorary Awards and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award on Sunday, November 16, 2025.
The event will be held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, California.
The 2026 Honorees
The Academy recently announced that Debbie Allen, Tom Cruise, and Wynn Thomas will receive an Academy Honorary Award at the 2025 ceremony.
Debbie Allen will accept the award due to an extensive career as a trailblazing choreographer, a gifted actor, and a talented producer. In addition to a career spanning five decades in multiple genres and disciplines, Allen has choreographed the Oscars ceremony a record-breaking ten times.
Tom Cruise will accept an Academy Honorary Award this year for his extensive body of work and commitment to filmmaking, the theatrical experience, and the stunt community. It will mark the first Academy Award of the year, despite receiving four nominations over the decades across various categories, including two Best Actor nominations and one for Best Supporting Actor.
Wynn Thomas is set to receive an Academy Honorary Award to recognize his work as a visionary production designer and his legacy and impact across films such as Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing, A Beautiful Mind, and Hidden Figures.
Dolly Parton will also receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award due to her remarkable dedication to charitable efforts. For instance, the Dollywood Foundation, a non-profit organization, was launched to inspire children to “dream more, learn more, care more, and be more.” As a result, it supports many exceptional programs, such as the flagship Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which supports literacy across America.
The Guest List
The Academy typically doesn’t unveil the exclusive guest list until the event date draws closer. Many high-profile figures in Hollywood will attend the prestigious ceremony, as it is viewed as a crucial stop on the Oscar campaign trail.
The award presenters are often presented by famous collaborators or close friends of the honorees, making the moment feel more meaningful, memorable, and personal.