Claim: The Academy Honorary Award is given to celebrate achievements.

The Academy Honorary Award -- instituted in 1948 for the 21st Academy Awards -LRB- previously called the Special Award , which was first presented in early 1929 -RRB- -- is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -LRB- AMPAS -RRB- to celebrate motion picture achievements that are not covered by existing Academy Awards , although prior winners of competitive Academy Awards are not excluded from receiving the Honorary Award . Unless otherwise specified , Honorary Award recipients receive the same gold Oscar statuettes received by winners of the competitive Academy Awards . Unlike the Special Achievement Award instituted in 1972 -LRB- and discontinued in 1995 -RRB- , those on whom the Academy confers its Honorary Award do not have to meet `` the Academy 's eligibility year and deadline requirements . '' Like the Special Achievement Award , the Special Award and Honorary Award have been used to reward significant achievements of the year that did not fit in existing categories , subsequently leading the Academy to establish several new categories , and to honor exceptional career achievements , contributions to the motion picture industry , and service to the Academy . The Academy Honorary Award is often awarded in preference to those with noted achievements in motion pictures who have nevertheless never won an Academy Award . Thus , many of its recipients are Classic Hollywood stars , such as Lillian Gish , Barbara Stanwyck , Kirk Douglas , and Lauren Bacall .   Since 2009 the Honorary Award is presented at the annual Governors Awards rather than at the Academy Awards .