The nomination ballots for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were mailed Tuesday, December 27, 2011 to the 5,783 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the Academy announced.

The voters have until Jan. 13 to return the ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the firm tasked with preparing the ballots, verifying and tabulating the results.

Each ballot was numbered to make sure that every voting member gets his opportunity.

The Academy will announce its nominations live on Jan. 24.

The Oscar ceremony, to be hosted by Billy Crystal, is scheduled for Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.