2026 Oscars Predictions
The nominations for the 2026 Oscars were released on January 22, after a stacked year for films, with multiple movies from big-name directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and Guillermo del Toro, just to name a few. Based on predictions from the public, it seems like this year will be a tight race with many films deserving to be rewarded.
Generally the most talked about category of the Oscars is the award for best picture. Ten films are nominated and this year, there are two international films in this category, Sentimental Value from Norway and The Secret Agent from Brazil. Fan favorite winners from this category seem to be pretty divided between Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, although both Hamnet and Marty Supreme seem to have other people hoping for their success.
Best director is another one of the most popular categories, and if it follows the trend of the 2025 Oscars, then the best picture winner might also take home the best director award. Once again, it seems like Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler might be fighting for this award. Although neither has won an Oscar, the fact that the Academy tends to have a bias towards older nominees, and Anderson has more past nominations under his belt, might do his likelihood a favor.
Because of the number of high-quality films that came out this season, the category for best actor in a leading role also seems like a difficult choice. Michael B. Jordan for Sinners and Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another are popular predictions, but there is an undercurrent of people who feel Marty Supreme’s Timothée Chalamet would be just as deserving, but this goes back to the tendency of the Academy to prioritize older nominees. If Chalemet won, he would be one year older than the current record for youngest actor to win best supporting actor, so even if the award is deserved, the Academy might not want to stray away from their habits.
Best actress in a leading role actually seems to be one of the categories that people are coming to a general consensus on. Jessie Buckley in Hament seems to be the overwhelming the most popular choice, and she already won a Golden Globe this year for her role. Although Emma Stone is nominated in this category for her role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, and Stone won best actress in a leading role at the 2024 Oscars for her role in Lanthimos’ Poor Things, so there is a history of good things between Stone and Lanthimos when it comes to the Oscars.
For best original score, once again, One Battle After Another seems to be a popular prediction, although Bugonia also had a great score that some people are rooting for, although the record has been set that the most Oscars one film has won is 11, so a sweep of Anderson’s popular choice is not impossible. The best original song category seems to have most people hoping for it to be awarded to Sinners’ “I Lied To You,” but the cultural phenomenon that is K-Pop Demon Hunters’ “Golden” cannot be denied and seems also a likely choice.
The 98th annual Oscars are happening on March 15, 2026. It will be interesting to see how everything shakes out with such strong contenders in each category, and the two most popular nominees, Sinners with a record-breaking 16 nominations and One Battle After Another with 13, warring to see who comes out on top. The Academy Awards will be live through ABC and Hulu starting at 6 p.m. CST.