This year, the Oscars promise to be a diverse and widely exciting one with women and Asians in prominent places on the nominee lists. 

For the first time in the 93 years that the Oscars has been running, two women, Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell, have been nominated for Best Director in one year. They are the sixth and seventh women to ever appear in this category. Zhao is also the first woman of colour to be nominated in this category for Nomadland. 

Steven Yeun, who starred in the film Minari, based on a Korean-American family who moves into a farm in Arkansas, is also the first Asian-American nominee in the Best Actor category. In the same category is Riz Ahmed, the first Muslim actor nominated for Best Actor.

South Korean veteran actress, Youh Yuh-jung also received a nod for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Minari, the first South Korean and fourth Asian woman to be nominated in the category.

Black actors are also on many of the lists this year with Viola Davis earning a nomination for her role in Mother of Blues and the late Chadwick Boseman receiving one for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The biopic on the life and death of Fred Hampton, a Black Panther leader and activist, Judas and the Black Messiah, has also been nominated for Best Picture. 

Derek Tsang also makes with his film, Better Days, the first film to bag a Best International Feature Film nomination in 28 years and the first Hong Kong-born director to have his work nominated for an award.

For a full list of the nominees, visit the Oscars official website.

See also: Oscars 2021: 6 Asians That Made History

As of today, there has been no word on who will be hosting the Oscars. If there is no host, this will be the third consecutive year that the awards show has gone without a presenter. 

Celebrity couple Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas had earlier announced this year's Oscar's nominees.

See also: Oscars 2021: Hollywood Stylist Micaela Erlanger Predicts This Year's Red Carpet Looks

On March 19, show producers, Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderbergh, announced that Glenn Weiss would be returning to direct the 93rd Oscars. 

Weiss has directed five previous Oscar shows for which he won two Primetime Emmy awards as well as numerous live televised events. 

See also: 5 Things To Know About Chloé Zhao, The Award-Winning Director Of "Nomadland"

An ensemble of A-list stars is presenting at the Oscars this year as an attempt to style the awards show like a movie rather than a television show. Big names such as Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon will be handing out the golden statuettes to the winners.

They will be joined by Don Cheadle,  Joaquin Phoenix, Renee Zellweger, Regina King, Rita Moreno, Laura Dern, Angela Bassett, Bryan Cranston, Marlee Matlin, Zendaya and Bong Joon-ho.

More than being household names, these presenters are also either last year's winners or are award-winning stars in their own right. For instance, Joaquin Pheonix won last year's Best Actor award while Bong Joon-ho bagged the Best Director award. Zendaya on the other hand is the youngest winner of the Drama Lead Actress category in Emmys history.

See also: 5 Things To Know About Derek Tsang And His Oscar-Nominated Film, "Better Days"