Predicting the 2026 Oscar Nominations

Following months of speculation and precursors, the nominations for the 98^th Academy Awards are set to be revealed on Thursday, 22^nd January 2026. Ryan Coogler’s horror-thriller Sinners and Paul Thomas Anderson’s caper One Battle After Another are set to lead the nominations, while history could be made if the projected Best Picture nominees are accurate, as it would be the first time that there would be 3 non-English language films up for the top prize. However, when it comes to the Oscars, you should always expect the unexpected, so we all eagerly wait to find out where the surprises will show up. Here are our picks for what we think is going to be nominated this year:

Best Picture

• Bugonia
• Hamnet
• It Was Just An Accident
• Frankenstein
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• The Secret Agent
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners
• Train Dreams

Best Director

• Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
• Ryan Coogler – Sinners
• Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
• Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
• Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

Best Actor

• Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
• Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
• Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
• Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
• Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent

Best Actress

• Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
• Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
• Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
• Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
• Emma Stone – Bugonia

Best Supporting Actor

• Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
• Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
• Paul Mescal – Hamnet
• Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
• Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Best Supporting Actress

• Odessa A’zion – Marty Supreme
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
• Amy Madigan – Weapons
• Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
• Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Original Screenplay

• Blue Moon
• It Was Just An Accident
• Marty Supreme
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Bugonia
• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• One Battle After Another
• Train Dreams

Best Animated Feature

• Arco
• Elio
• KPop Demon Hunters
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
• Zootopia 2

Best Cinematography

• Hamnet
• Frankenstein
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners
• Train Dreams

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• Frankenstein
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners
• The Smashing Machine
• Wicked: For Good

Best Costume Design

• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• Sinners
• Wicked: For Good

Best Original Score

• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners
• Wicked: For Good

Best Film Editing

• F1
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners

Best Production Design

• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• Sinners
• Wicked: For Good

Best Sound

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• F1
• Frankenstein
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners

Best Visual Effects

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• F1
• Frankenstein
• The Lost Bus
• Superman

Best Casting

• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners

Best International Feature

• It Was Just an Accident (France)
• No Other Choice (South Korea)
• The Secret Agent (Brazil)
• Sentimental Value (Norway)
• Sirāt (Spain)

Best Documentary

• The Alabama Solution
• Apocalypse in the Tropics
• Mr. Nobody Against Putin
• The Perfect Neighbour
• 2000 Meters to Andriivka

Best Original Song

• “Dear Me” – Diane Warren: Relentless
• “The Girl in the Bubble” – Wicked: For Good
• “Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters
• “I Lied to You” – Sinners
• “Train Dreams” – Train Dreams

Best Live Action Short Film

• Butcher’s Stain
• Dad’s Not Home
• Rock, Paper, Scissors
• The Singers
• Two People Exchanging Saliva

Best Documentary Short Film

• All the Empty Rooms
• All the Walls Came Down
• Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
• Heartbeat
• Perfectly a Strangeness

Best Animated Short Film

• Autokar
• Butterfly
• Éiru
• The Girl Who Cried Pearls
• Playing God

The nominations for the 98^th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, 22^nd January 2026.

Joseph Trusson is a BA Graduate in Film and Television Studies from the University of Nottingham and an MA Graduate in Film Distribution and Marketing from Birmingham City University. He specialises in film awards analysis and hosts the Best Picture Must Be Doing Something Right Podcast, and is covering the 2025/26 Awards Season for Celestial Cinephile. You can find him on Letterboxd @JosephT.