Academy Awards voting begins

The first round of voting for the 2009 Oscars has begun after ballot papers were mailed to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Nearly 6,000 members will select which actors and movies are to be nominated for this year's ceremony. The selections will then be narrowed down to the final nominees, who will be unveiled at the Academy's Beverly Hills headquarters on January 22, 2009.

Following the official announcement, a second round of voting will commence to decide who will receive the coveted statues at the February 22 ceremony.

Critics have described this year's Academy Awards as a wide open race. Early frontrunners include The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt, and Danny Boyle's Mumbai-based Slumdog Millionaire.

The first round of voting ballots must be returned by January 12 to PriceWaterhouseCooper, who will tabulate and certify votes.