Only four actors will walk away from Sunday’s Oscars with an Oscar statuette, but all 20 nominees will enjoy a six-figure prize.
For the 22nd year in a row, Los Angeles-based marketing firm Distinctive Assets is handing out jam-packed “Everybody Wins” gift bags to the men and women recognized in the Oscars’ top categories.
This year’s bag — which is not affiliated with the Academy — is valued at about $180,000, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. It’s packed with more than 50 prizes ranging from a $15 Rubik’s Cube to an invitation to enjoy a $50,000 stay in a Swiss ski chalet.
Indeed, calling it a “gift bag” might be a bit of an understatement.
“It rarely ever fits in one suitcase. We have an Olympia suitcase which is the largest rolling bag they make,” Distinctive Assets founder Lash Fary tells Make It. “And then it’s usually dumped into these eco-friendly bags.”
Some candidates have their bags delivered to their homes, while others provide Distinctive Assets with their hotel information so their bags are waiting to travel with them after the ceremony.
Although Distinctive Assets tries to deliver the bags in person while the stars are in Hollywood, they have shipped them in the past. Postage alone for a package of this size and weight can cost up to $850.
But for Fari, whose gift bag represents the end of awards season almost as much as the Oscars, it’s a worthwhile splurge.
“This is the end of the road for them,” he says. “They finally have a moment to sit back and go through these fun bags and enjoy the spoils of their success.”
What’s in the 2024 ‘Everybody Wins’ Gift Bag?
The most expensive gift in this year’s bag is a three-night stay at the Chalet Zermatt Peak, the reigning winner of ‘Best Ski Chalet’ from the World’s Ski Awards. Candidates who redeem the $50,000 invitation will have private use of the entire chalet for themselves and up to nine guests.
The six-story chalet features floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Matterhorn, a spa, a massage therapist and a sky observatory roof. Guests will dine on multi-course dinners prepared by a gourmet chef, have access to a fully stocked wine cellar, and a chauffeured car available 24 hours a day.
Recipients will also receive an invitation to a seven-day stay in Southern California Golden Door healing spring. The wellness retreat is valued at $24,000 and offers daily massages, farm-to-table meals, private hiking trails, and mindfulness and wellness classes.
But there’s more than just invitations to luxury retreats in the Everybody Wins bag. These are just a few of the dozens of items included in the Everybody Wins bag:
- A portable Schwank Grill with the possibility of heating up to 1500 degrees. The grill, which features convection burners that use infrared technology, is available at retail $1,350.
- ONE $335 bag “handmade by master artisans” from Canada Elboque.
- A red light sleep therapy device from Helight which features “a scientifically designed, patented 28-minute protocol that mirrors the natural end-of-day lgiht cycle.” Each hockey puck-sized device is available at retail $139.
- Also included in this year’s official Grammy gift bag, Oscar nominees are offered a $25,000 live broadcast from psychologist Carl Christman which “combines magic, mind reading, hypnosis and comedy”.
- A retro themed 50th Anniversary Rubik’s Cube featuring the original logo and color scheme of the puzzle. Sold for $15.
- A luxurious five-piece gift set from Miage skincare is valued at $515.
- ONE $10,000 micro needling treatment by Center of attention “designed to tighten and rejuvenate” skin and “minimize common signs of aging or reduce blemishes.”
Who will get this year’s swag bag?
The six-figure gift bag is reserved exclusively for nominees in the acting and directing categories. Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel will also receive an Everybody Wins bag for the fourth time.
These are the 26 recipients of this year’s gift bag:
- Host: Jimmy Kimmel
- Nominations for Best Director: Justin Triet, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, George Lanthimos, Jonathan Glazer
- Best Actor Nominations: Bradley Cooper, Coleman Domingo, Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy, Jeffrey Wright
- Best Actor Nominations: Annette Bening, Lily Gladstone, Sandra Hüller, Carey Mulligan, Emma Stone
- Supporting Actor Nominations: Sterling K. Brown, Robert De Niro, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan Gosling, Mark Ruffalo
- Supporting Actress Nominations: Emily Blunt, Danielle Brooks, America Ferrera, Jodie Foster, Da’Vine Joy Randolph
And while there are as many purses as there are nominations, Farry says he’s hoping to land one on “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig who it did not receive a nomination for Best Director for the highest-grossing film of the year.
“Typically there’s one candidate every year who doesn’t get accepted for whatever reason,” he says. “If there’s one available, I’ll see to it that Greta gets it.”
What about taxes?
Although the Everybody Wins bag has an impressive maximum value, there is only about $10,000 worth of products contained in the bag itself. This value is calculated as taxable income, according to the IRS.
Everything else, such as invitations to luxury holidays, will only incur a tax penalty if the recipients redeem them. For example, if they don’t make the trip to the ski chalet, the invitation is worth $0. If they decide to go, they will have to pay taxes on the value of the trip.
“Usually one or two people a year make a trip,” says Fary. “It depends on whether or not it works with their shooting schedule and all that stuff. A lot of stars have to align.”
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