2026 Oscar: Nominees for the 98th Academy Awards and Cinematic Excellence

The highly anticipated 98th Academy Awards is just around the corner, and the excitement around the Oscar nominations 2026 is already accelerating. With a stellar lineup of films released in 2025, from groundbreaking dramas to critically acclaimed indies, the race for the golden statue is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling in recent years. This year’s nominations are nothing short of remarkable, with ‘Sinners’ leading the field with a record-setting 16 nominations, followed closely by ‘One Battle After Another’ with 13 nominations.

The nominations were officially announced by Oscar®-nominated actor Danielle Brooks and actor Lewis Pullman. As previously confirmed, Conan O’Brien will return to host the ceremony, which will take place on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The event will be broadcast live on ABC, streamed on Hulu, and aired in more than 200 territories worldwide. Read this article for the list of nominees who may walk away with Hollywood’s most desired honor.

98th Academy Awards: Oscar nominations by Category

The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards (Oscars 2026) were announced on January 22, Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller Sinners made history by earning a record-breaking 16 nominations, the most ever for a single film in Oscars history. In the Best Picture category, 10 films received nominations, reflecting a diverse mix of genres and styles: Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams.

Oscar Nominations for the Best Actor

Oscar nominations 2026 for the best actor in a Leading Role features some of the year’s most admired performances. The nominees in this category are:

• Timothée Chalamet for ‘Marty Supreme’

• Leonardo DiCaprio for ‘One Battle After Another’

• Ethan Hawke for ‘Blue Moon’

• Michael B. Jordan for ‘Sinners’

• Wagner Moura for ‘The Secret Agent’

Timothée Chalamet’s nomination highlights his performance as Marty Mauser in ‘Marty Supreme’, and at age 30 he becomes one of the youngest actors with multiple Best Actor nods, further strengthening his awards season momentum. Leonardo DiCaprio’s nomination adds to his long history of Oscar recognition, while Ethan Hawke continues his strong awards presence with a nod for ‘Blue Moon’. Michael B. Jordan earns his first Oscar nomination for his role in the record-breaking ‘Sinners’, which leads the overall nominations this year, and Wagner Moura’s nomination marks a milestone as a first for a Brazilian actor in this category.

Oscar Nominations for the Best Picture

Oscar nominations 2026, reveals a competitive field of ten films eligible to win cinema’s highest honor. The Oscar nominated movies for the Best Picture is:

Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams.

Among these, Sinners made history by earning 16 nominations overall, the most of any film in Oscars history, including a Best Picture nod. Other strong contenders include One Battle After Another with 13 nominations and critically acclaimed films like Frankenstein and Hamnet.

Films are nominated for Best Picture based on voting by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ members, a group of industry professionals across disciplines such as directing, acting, writing, and technical crafts. To qualify, a film must meet stringent eligibility criteria including a qualifying theatrical release within the calendar year and adherence to Academy rules on runtime, format, and distribution. Best Picture nominations reflect not just storytelling excellence but also achievements in acting, directing, writing, technical proficiency, cultural impact, and overall artistic quality as assessed by Academy voters.

Oscar Nominations for the Best Directors

The Best Director nominees for Oscar nominations 2026 are

• Chloé Zhao for ‘Hamnet’

• Josh Safdie for ‘Marty Supreme’

• Paul Thomas Anderson for ‘One Battle After Another’

• Joachim Trier for ‘Sentimental Value’

• Ryan Coogler for ‘Sinners’

These directors were recognized alongside their respective films in one of cinema’s most prestigious categories. Behind each nomination is a body of work from 2025 that exemplifies exceptional skill in bringing a story to life on screen through vision, storytelling, execution, leadership of cast and crew, and artistic impact. The Academy’s directors’ branch votes on directing achievements across eligible films released in the previous year; nominees are those who receive the most votes from their peers in that branch. Final winners are then chosen by the entire Academy membership.

Nomination in this category reflects a combination of creative artistry, innovation, emotional resonance with audiences and critics, technical mastery, and influence on the medium. Being nominated itself is a mark of high respect and recognition from industry professionals and confirms the director’s work as among the year’s best.

Oscar Nominations for the Best Animated Feature

The five films nominated are: Arco, Elio, KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2. These picks represent a diverse mix of animated storytelling from independent auteur films to major studio franchises. KPop Demon Hunters notably also secured a nomination for Best Original Song, highlighting its musical impact beyond animation.

Academy nomination criteria for this category require that a film must be primarily animated (with animation constituting a significant portion of the running time), exceed 40 minutes in length, and have a qualifying theatrical release in the United States within the calendar year. Eligible films are reviewed by members of the Academy’s Short Films and Feature Animation Branch, who vote to determine the nominees. Only then can all voting members of the Academy participate in selecting the final winner.

This category celebrates excellence in animated filmmaking, including storytelling, innovation in visual style, character animation, and overall artistic achievement. The nominees reflect both global creativity and technical craftsmanship in animation for 2025 releases.

Oscar Nominations for the Best Actress

The nominees in the Best Actress category are:

• Jessie Buckley for ‘Hamnet’

• Rose Byrne for ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’

• Kate Hudson for ‘Song Sung Blue’

• Renate Reinsve for ‘Sentimental Value’

• Emma Stone for ‘Bugonia’

This group reflects a mix of acclaimed dramatic performances from literary adaptations (Hamnet) to experimental storytelling (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) and comedy-drama (Song Sung Blue). Emma Stone’s nomination also marks a notable milestone: she became one of the youngest women to earn seven Oscar nominations overall at age 37, combining acting and producing credits.

Celebrating Excellence: A Look at the 2026 Oscar Nominations

The Oscar nominations 2026 showcase a year of remarkable talent, storytelling, and cinematic achievement. From groundbreaking performances to visually stunning productions, this year’s selections highlight the diversity and creativity that define modern cinema. Among the best Oscar-nominated movies, audiences can expect a mix of emotional dramas, compelling character studies, and inventive narratives that push the boundaries of the art form. The Oscar nominations for Best Movie category reflect this richness, honoring films that resonate both critically and culturally, demonstrating the power of storytelling to move, challenge, and inspire viewers worldwide.

Alongside these, the Oscar nominations Best Actor and Best Actress categories underscore the extraordinary dedication and skill of performers who bring complex, memorable characters to life. Each nomination represents not only individual excellence but also the collaborative efforts of directors, writers, and production teams that make these films possible. As the industry anticipates the awards ceremony, the Oscar nominations 2026 serve as a celebration of cinematic innovation and artistic achievement. For film enthusiasts, these nominations offer a curated list of the year’s most compelling work, encouraging audiences to explore and appreciate the finest examples of modern filmmaking while looking forward to which films and performances will ultimately claim Hollywood’s most desired honors.