Miley Cyrus was celebrated for her Avatar: Fire and Ash song “Dream As One” at the Palm Springs Film Awards on Saturday, where she spoke out about a downside of Hollywood’s awards season.

Taking the stage at the Palm Springs Convention Center, the star shouted out the orchestra playing her song, teasing, “You guys did amazing — if you’re available for the Oscars, that’s what we’re hoping for.” She also joked that the night was “truly the most elegant Palm Springs party that I have ever been to. There are fewer drag queens than I like, but I’ll be stopping by Toucans on the way back to L.A. to get my fix.”

Cyrus noted how refreshing the awards show was “without the stress of competition,” as the 12 honors are all announced in advance. “So often during awards season, we’re set up as competitors, but we’re meant to be a community, not opponents. There is no single best, it’s only our personal best work,” she said. “Numbers can make it feel like a sport, but performance runs so much deeper than a scoreboard, because each artist, they bare their soul in a completely unique way, and every contribution leaves its own mark on history.”

“Whether you’re in or out of this industry, we all have a persona, even the ones that are rooted in authenticity, because self creation is an art form, and all of us, we perform genuinely,” she continued. “That’s something that I deeply admire in both award-winning actors and actresses, and the drag queens of Toucans — they’re kind of the same.”

Cyrus also expressed her appreciation to support “stories like Avatar by my friend James Cameron — it’s always cool to say that,” and thanked the room for “recognizing their work that I’m totally backpacking off of. They’ve worked on this movie for 16 years; I’ve been involved for like a month, and I get to go to all the same events!”

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