The first Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature was presented for films released in 1942.
At the 15th Academy Awards, documentary features and documentary shorts competed together in a combined Best Documentary category. “The Battle of Midway,” directed by John Ford for the United States Navy, shared the award with several other wartime documentaries, including “Kokoda Front Line!” and “Moscow Strikes Back.”
The wording can be confusing because the ceremony took place in 1943, while the Academy labels awards by the films’ eligibility year. The winning films were therefore listed under 1942. Before this competitive category, the Academy had already given special awards for feature-length documentaries released in 1941, including “Kukan” and “Target for Tonight.”
The standalone Best Documentary Feature category developed from these wartime awards and became an annual competitive Oscar. The 1942 award was unusual because features and shorts shared one category, rather than competing separately as they generally do today.