Oscar winners must sign strict agreement after they’ve received award

It's arguably the most prestigious award an actor can win, but did you know there are certain rules and regulations around bagging an Oscar?

The likes of Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone and Robert Downey Jr. all took to the stage on Sunday evening (10 March) to collect their awards.

While Stone won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Lead Role for her incredible performance in Poor Things, Murphy took home the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in Oppenheimer.

Meanwhile, Downey Jr. landed his first ever Academy Award after picking up Best Supporting Actor.

While you'd expect most Hollywood stars to go home and proudly display their trophies in some sort of elaborate cabinet, The Academy actually has strict rules about what happens when the awards leave the building.

And celebs actually have to sign a strict agreement to comply.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

The 'regulations' section of the Academy Awards website explains that Oscar winners are banned from trying to sell their trophies unless they meet a certain requirement first.

We know - why would anyone want to sell their Oscar?

Whatever the reason, The Academy explains: "Award winners must comply with these rules and regulations. 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 $1.00."

Basically, if an actor wanted to sell their award, they'd need to first offer it to The Academy for just $1, which is the equivalent of 78p.

The website adds: "This provision shall apply also to the heirs and assigns of Academy Award winners who may acquire a statuette by gift or bequest."

Ultimately, this also applies to people who may inherit an award from a family member or receive it as a gift.

VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

The rule has been in place for decades and has even led to lawsuits in the past.

After first becoming a strict policy in 1951, The Academy actually sued one man after he auctioned off an Oscar that his uncle, Joseph Wright, had won in 1943.

In 2014, Joseph Tutalo sold the trophy for $79,200 (£62,000)

The Academy later sued Tutalo and the auction house for breach of contract.

However, Michael Jackson did pay $1.5m (£1.1m) back in 1999 for the Best Picture Oscar, originally awarded to producer David Selznick in 1939 for Gone With the Wind.