Okay, so I decided to set up an Oscar pool for the 2024 awards. I’ve done this before, but this year I wanted to make it a bit more organized. Let me tell you, it took some doing!
Getting Started
First, I grabbed a list of all the nominees. I mean all of them. Best Picture, Best Director, all the acting categories, even those short film categories that nobody really knows about. It was a long list, let me tell you.
Creating the Ballot
Then, I created a simple ballot. Nothing fancy, just a list of all the categories and the nominees underneath each one. I opted for a simple paper ballot because, well, I like the old-school feel. I thought about doing it online, but honestly, that seemed like more work.
- Best Picture: (List of Nominees)
- Best Director: (List of Nominees)
- …and so on…
Setting the Rules
I had to come up with the entry. It is all about having some fun.
So, I made it a simple point system. One point for each correct pick. Whoever gets the most points wins. I didn’t want to get into tie-breakers and complicated scoring, so I kept the rules as simple as I could.
Spreading the Word
Next, I sent out the ballots to my friends and family. I gave everyone a deadline to get their picks in. I figured a week before the ceremony was plenty of time. I know some people like to wait until the last minute to see if there’s any late buzz, but I wanted to get everything sorted early.
Collecting the Ballots
The deadline arrived, and I collected all the * was fun to see who everyone picked, even if some of the choices were… interesting.
Watching the Show
Finally, the big night arrived! I watched the Oscars with my ballot in hand, marking off the winners as they were announced. There were definitely some surprises, which is always part of the fun. It was fun to root for my picks and see how I stacked up against everyone else.
Declaring a Winner
After the last award was handed out, I tallied up the scores. It was actually pretty close! But in the end, there was one clear winner. I announced the champion, and the virtual bragging rights were officially bestowed. Overall, it was a blast, and I’m already thinking about how to tweak things for next year’s pool. Maybe I’ll try that online ballot after all…