Oscars 2026: A Year of Long-Overdue Recognition and Lingering Absences

The 98th Academy Award nominations were unveiled on January 22, 2026, marking one of the most talked-about Oscar nomination days in recent years, filled with record-breaking honors, major firsts, and plenty of surprises.

Before getting into the list of nominees, it’s worth pausing for a moment.

This year’s nominations feel genuinely exciting.

Seeing Black artists being recognized across major categories matters, not as a trend, not as a gesture, but as long overdue acknowledgment of work that has always been there.

Casting directors are finally being celebrated by the Academy, it's another first.

For those of us who know how deeply casting shapes a film’s soul, this recognition feels historic.

That said, excitement can coexist with disappointment. It’s hard not to feel a little let down by the continued lack of recognition for Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

Both delivered performances that resonated with audiences and carried enormous cultural weight, yet once again found themselves outside the conversation. It’s not about entitlement or expectation, but about noticing patterns that still persist.

Awards seasons are always a mix of celebration and reflection.

They tell us where the industry is moving, but also quietly reveal where it still hesitates. This year feels like a step forward in many ways, even if some absences remind us that the work toward true recognition isn’t finished yet.

With that in mind, here are the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards.

Best Picture

• Bugonia

• F1

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• Marty Supreme

• One Battle After Another

• The Secret Agent

• Sentimental Value

• Sinners

• Train Dreams

Directing

• Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

• Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme

• Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

• Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value

• Ryan Coogler – Sinners

Actor in a Leading Role

• Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme

• Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another

• Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon

• Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

• Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent

Actress in a Leading Role

• Jessie Buckley – Hamnet

• Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

• Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue

• Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value

• Emma Stone – Bugonia

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another

• Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein

• Delroy Lindo – Sinners

• Sean Penn – One Battle After Another

• Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value

• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value

• Amy Madigan – Weapons

• Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners

• Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Original Screenplay

• Blue Moon

• It Was Just an Accident

• Marty Supreme

• Sentimental Value

• Sinners

Adapted Screenplay

• Bugonia

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• One Battle After Another

• Train Dreams

Achievement in Casting

• Hamnet

• Marty Supreme

• One Battle After Another

• The Secret Agent

• Sinners

Cinematography

• Frankenstein

• Marty Supreme

• One Battle After Another

• Sinners

• Train Dreams

Film Editing

• F1

• Marty Supreme

• One Battle After Another

• Sentimental Value

• Sinners

Production Design

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• Marty Supreme

• One Battle After Another

• Sinners

Costume Design

• Avatar: Fire and Ash

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• Marty Supreme

• Sinners

Makeup and Hairstyling

• Frankenstein

• Kokuho

• Sinners

• The Smashing Machine

• The Ugly Stepsister

Sound

• F1

• Frankenstein

• One Battle After Another

• Sinners

• Sirāt

Original Score

• Bugonia

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• One Battle After Another

• Sinners

Original Song

• “Dear Me” – Diane Warren: Relentless

• “Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters

• “I Lied to You” – Sinners

• “Sweet Dreams of Joy” – Viva Verdi!

• “Train Dreams” – Train Dreams

Animated Feature Film

• Arco

• Elio

• KPop Demon Hunters

• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

• Zootopia 2

International Feature Film

• The Secret Agent – Brazil

• It Was Just an Accident – France

• Sentimental Value – Norway

• Sirāt – Spain

• The Voice of Hind Rajab – Tunisia

Documentary Feature Film

• The Alabama Solution

• Come See Me in the Good Light

• Cutting Through Rocks

• Mr. Nobody Against Putin

• The Perfect Neighbor

Documentary Short Film

• All the Empty Rooms

• Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

• Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”

• The Devil Is Busy

• Perfectly a Strangeness

Animated Short Film

• Butterfly

• Forevergreen

• The Girl Who Cried Pearls

• Retirement Plan

• The Three Sisters