Oscars 2021 guests receive $250,000 gift bag for award nominations

Hollywood A-listers walked away from the Oscars with an eye-watering gift, even if they didn’t win an award.

A handful of Hollywood A-listers left the Oscars a quarter of a million dollars richer than when they arrived thanks to the award night’s infamously decadent gift bags.

Better known as swag bags, nominees in the categories of Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director received the curated gift bags irrespective of whether they won or lost.

Managed by the Los Angeles-based marketing company Distinctive Assets, this year’s gift bags included gourmet cookies and tequila to 24 carat vape cartridges, vegan sneakers, skincare products, shaman-blessed jewellery and even two all-expenses paid holidays.

Some of the more unusual items included a consultation with a liposuction and cosmetic surgeon, a complimentary bathroom or kitchen remodelling, breast supplements, a GPS tracker for pets, an IV concierge service, and a portable hammer designed to smash through car windows to help trapped pets escape.

Carey Mulligan has been nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Promising Young Woman. Picture: supplied

With 52 curated gifts, each bag was worth just over $250,000. In total, the bags were worth over some $6.25 million.

This year, the lucky 25 recipients included Olivia Colman, Glenn Close, Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hopkins, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried, Riz Ahmed, Daniel Kaluuya, Viola Davis, Vanessa Kirby, and Frances McDormand.

According to Distinctive Assets founder Lash Fary, who began curating gifts for the Grammys back in 2000, the swag bags may seem over the top to some, but a huge amount of effort and consideration went into their planning.

“While this gift bag does, as always, have an impressive six-figure value, that is neither our focus nor goal. A great gift has nothing to do with a price tag,” says Fary.

“This year’s ‘Everyone Wins’ gift bag is one of my favourites we have ever assembled because it represents a lot more than just a bag full of free stuff.”

Two decades in, Fary’s annual awards show roster also includes the American Music Awards and Tonys.

A select group of 2021 Oscar nominees were gifted an all-inclusive stay on a remote Swedish Island. Picture: Supplied/Pater Noster

In addition to giving away an eye-watering amount of products, companies also pay a fee of anywhere between $5000 and $64,000 to Distinctive Assets to have their items included within the gift bags. For many companies, though, it’s a strategy that pays off.

In 2017, Viola Davis tweeted about the amazing Hawaiian resort she was holidaying at (which had been gifted to her in the swag bag she received for her Fences nomination).

Similarly, Mark Ruffalo posted snaps from his Italian getaway in 2015 after he was awarded a stay at the Grand Hotel Excelsior as part of his Foxcatcher nominee swag bag.

The one downside?

Those lucky enough to score themselves a swag bag are required by US law to pay income tax on the gifts come the end of the financial year.

Olivia Colman has been nominated for an Oscar for her role in The Father. Picture: supplied

Full list of 2021 Oscars swag bag gifts:

Consultation with cosmetic surgeon and liposuction specialist Dr. Su of Art Lipo Plastic Surgery

Golden Door luxury spa resort stay

Pater Noster all-expenses paid holiday

MoxēHub angel investment coaching session

Hollowtips 24k gold vape cartridges

PETA emergency hammer

AdVenture Media x Taillard Capital NFT-authenticated digital art

Consultation with Google AdWords expert Isaac Rudansky

Ciot New York kitchen/bath remodel collaboration

Maison Construction complimentary project management

2021 Oscar nominees are set to receive an all-expenses paid experience at the exclusive Golden Door Resort in California. Picture: Supplied/Rhiannon Taylor

Personal training sessions with Alexis Seletzky

Elixinol Good Night CBD capsules

SalTerrae broad-spectrum Hemp Intimate Oils

Fitness lifestyle package from Andrea Marcellus

D.O.S.E. by Daybreaker on-demand classes

Violet breast health supplements

Happiness Planner guided journals (and lifetime app subscription)

EEG-powered sleep tracking and meditation with Muse S: The Brain Sensing Headband

Sound healing with the Taiyi Institute Sound Acupuncture Device

Change-Maker Village anti-racist children’s book

Exploding Kittens’ games

Tractive GPS location & activity tracker for pets

Tribute.co collaborative video montage

5E FIRE/ICE High Performance Hemp Salve

IV on Call concierge infusion service

Daniel Kaluuya is set to receive a 2021 Oscars swag bag. Picture: Tolga Akmen / AFP

Hotsy Totsy Haus Healing Moon Natural Crystal Bath Bombs

Miage Transformative Skincare deluxe beauty box

British M Annatto Hair Oil

C60 Purple Power ultimate antioxidant protection

Isa Lazo body oil + body scrub

Kanai Organics face scrub

Lilac 11 gift set

Oxygenetix foundation and micro needling treatment

Soul Shropshire Relax Candle

Custom sunglasses from Vintage Eyewear

OMGigi shaman-blessed jewellery

Personalised sneakerbox from Kicksnation

LOCI vegan sneakers

Also included in the Distinctive Assets gift bag for Oscar nominees is the Muse S headband, which can be used while meditating and to improve sleep. Picture: Supplied/Muse

Bonfire x Defy:Disaster T-shirt and tote bag

Cozy Earth bamboo & silk loungewear

Happiest Tee luxury sweatshirts

London Sock Company socks

99GUARD #HowToSaveALife Medical-Grade Face Masks

Convertible wristband/protective face mask from Ryst Mask

Weed 91 Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey

HFactor Hydrogen Infused Water

Cup of Té Luxe Gold Organic Tea Starter Kit

Special reserve Tequila Antigua Cruz Añejo Cristalino

Trust Me Vodka limited-edition artist series vodka

Bahlsen Cookies

Comvita Premium Manuka Honey

Karma Nuts Sweet & Savory Collection