Oscars 2018: Get Out's Jordan Peele becomes first black screenwriter to win Best Original Screenplay award

The category was one of the ceremony's most hotly-contested​

Get Out writer-director Jordan Peele has won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay providing the evening with a landmark - he is the first black screenwriter to ever win the award.

The category was one of the ceremony's most hotly-contested with the horror satire beating out the likes of The Big Sick, Lady Bird, The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri to scoop the trophy.

Cheers erupted in the Hollywood venue as Peele took to the stage to give a graceful speech expressing his surprise at being awarded for the film that was released earlier than the 2017 ceremony.

Only four black film screenwriters have been nominated for the award in the ceremony's 90-year history: Suzanne de Passe (Lady Sings the Blues in 1972), Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing in 1989) John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood in 1991) and eventual winner Peele.

Following the film's Best Film win at the Independent Spirit Awards last night (3 March), Get Out's odds have been slashed with many convinced it could go on to beat hot favourites Three Billboards and The Shape of Water to take home the night's biggest award.

Ahead of The Shape of Water filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's acceptance speech for Best Director, category presenter Emma Stone repeated Natalie Portman's killer Golden Globes jab by highlighting the fact that four nominees were male while just one was female (Lady Bird filmmaker Greta Gerwig).

Jimmy Kimmel hosted the ceremony kicking things off with a rather safe opening monologue which poked fun at Harvey Weinstein and Mike Pence.

You can find a full list of all 24 winners here.

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