History Main / ConsolationAward

* Some critics saw ''Film/DancerInTheDark'''s MediaNotes/PalmeDOr win as consolation for director Creator/LarsVonTrier's previous film (And first installment in his Golden Heart trilogy, in which 'Dark was the final installment) ''Film/BreakingTheWaves''.

* It's pretty much acknowledged that Music/RandyNewman only won the Oscar for Best Song in 2002 ("If I Didn't Have You", from ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'') because it was one of the weakest years for that category and Newman had already lost many times.

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[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* Within ''minutes'' of her 2012 Best Actress win, the general consensus was that Creator/MerylStreep won for ''Film/TheIronLady'' as compensation for... oh, everything she's ever done since ''Film/SophiesChoice'' (her last Oscar win, nearly 30 years and 17 nominations ago). It's been said that Meryl is simply beyond awards, and she's usually excluded simply to give the rest of the gender a chance. Unfortunately, the fact that she won over Viola Davis (who really should have won for ''Theatre/{{Doubt}}'' four years earlier) means that many people are crying racism. There were even accusations that Creator/OctaviaSpencer's win for Best Supporting Actress was a deliberate step by the Academy to stave off such cries, though that may be taking the conspiracy theories a bit too far.

* When Music/{{Cher}} won the 1987 best actress Oscar for her film ''Film/{{Moonstruck}}'' some commentators felt this award was being given to her to make up for her snub for not winning best actress for ''Film/{{Mask|1985}}'' a few years earlier. While the film ''Moonstruck'' recieved critical praise that year and her performance was also praised, it was not seen as the best of all the nominees that year.

* Music/{{Metallica}} won a Consolation UsefulNotes/GrammyAward after losing Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance to (shockingly) Music/JethroTull the year before, with drummer Lars Ulrich facetiously thanking Jethro Tull for not putting out an album that year during his acceptance speech. The Grammys finally realized how much Metallica had contributed to heavy metal and decided to give the award for their SelfTitledAlbum, ''[[Music/MetallicaAlbum Metallica]]''. Tull's infamous win was itself a likely attempt at this that backfired on the Recording Academy.

* Creator/WhoopiGoldberg's win for ''Film/Ghost1990'' [[http://www.agonybooth.com/ghost-1990-part-1-4222 was argued by Agony Booth]] to have been a consolation award for her snub for ''Film/TheColorPurple''.

** However, in doing so, she beat Creator/ReneeZellweger in ''Film/{{Chicago}}'', who ended up winning Best Supporting Actress in 2003 for ''Film/ColdMountain''. A lot of the reviews of ''Cold Mountain'' actually contained comments along the lines of "just give Renee the Oscar already" (NOTE: She had been nominated for Best Actress in 2001 as well, for ''Literature/BridgetJones's Diary''.

* Creator/BetteDavis herself said that her Oscar for ''Film/{{Dangerous}}'' was a consolation prize for ''Literature/OfHumanBondage'', for which she was not nominated.

* Possibly the most famous (or infamous) of these is that Creator/AlfredHitchcock never won an Oscar as a director (though ''Film/{{Rebecca}}'' won Best Picture). The Academy gave him a lifetime achievement award, which he deserved anyway, but it was mostly an apology for never giving him an award for ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'', ''Film/{{Psycho}}'', ''Film/NorthByNorthwest'', ''Film/TheBirds'', ''Theatre/{{Rope}}'', ''Film/StrangersOnATrain'', ''Film/TheManWhoKnewTooMuch'', ''Film/ToCatchAThief'', ''Film/DialMForMurder'', ''Film/RearWindow'', ''Film/{{Marnie}}''...

* Creator/PeterOToole was nominated eight times for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, making him the most-nominated actor never to win the award. In 2003, he instead received an Academy Honorary Award for his entire body of work and his lifelong contribution to film. Well gee, thanks a lot, Academy. O'Toole received another Best Actor nomination afterwards for Venus (2006), only to lose to Creator/ForestWhitaker for ''Film/TheLastKingOfScotland''.

* Creator/PeterOToole was nominated eight times for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, making him the most-nominated actor never to win the award. In 2003, he instead received an Academy Honorary Award for his entire body of work and his lifelong contribution to film. Well gee, thanks a lot, Academy. O'Toole received another Best Actor nomination afterwards for ''Film/{{Venus}}'', only to lose to Creator/ForestWhitaker for ''Film/TheLastKingOfScotland''.

* Creator/HalleBerry's Best Actress win for ''Film/MonstersBall'' is considered by some a consolation towards black actresses - including Creator/AngelaBassett, nominated a few years prior for ''Film/WhatsLoveGotToDoWithIt''.

* When Music/{{Cher}} won the 1987 best actress Oscar for film ''Film/{{Moonstruck}}'' some commentators felt this award was being given to her to make up for her snub for not winning best actress for ''Film/{{Mask|1985}}'' a few years earlier. While the film ''Moonstruck'' recieved critical praise that year and her performance was also praised, it was not seen as the best of all the nominees that year.

* Creator/HenryFonda finally won a Best Actor Oscar for ''Film/OnGoldenPond'' -- the last movie he ever made. Notably, this came just a year after he won an Honorary Oscar (like Paul Newman below), but the idea that he was horribly overdue for an award was so strong that '''no one''' expected any of his four nominees to beat him. Softening the blow was the fact that the movie was a huge box office hit, the second-biggest of its year in fact.