The race for Hollywood’s biggest night officially kicked off on Thursday as organisers of the 98th Academy Awards unveiled the first round of nominations for the 2026 Oscars.
The announcement, presented by actors Lewis Pullman and Danielle Brooks, revealed contenders across all 24 award categories and immediately set the tone for what is shaping up to be one of the most hotly contested awards seasons in recent memory.
Early momentum clearly favours two standout films: Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.
Both projects dominated the nominations list, emerging as the leading forces heading into the ceremony.
Sinners made Oscar history by securing an unprecedented 16 nominations — the most ever earned by a single film.
The feat breaks a long-standing record of 14 nominations previously shared by All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land, a benchmark that had stood unchallenged for decades.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s *One Battle After Another* followed closely behind with an impressive 13 nominations, cementing its status as a major awards contender.
The film features prominently in top categories such as Best Picture, Best Director and several acting races.
This year’s Best Picture lineup showcases an eclectic mix of genres, ranging from sweeping historical narratives and biographical dramas to bold, genre-blurring storytelling — a reflection of the Academy’s increasingly expansive tastes.
Meanwhile, the Best Actor category promises fierce competition, pairing established Hollywood icons with critically acclaimed performances from across the global film landscape.
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood.
Adding to the excitement, comedian and television personality Conan O’Brien will return to host the Oscars, marking another chapter in his association with the iconic event.
With record-breaking nominations, powerhouse filmmakers, and tightly packed major categories, the 2026 Oscars are already being hailed as one of the most competitive and unpredictable ceremonies in Academy history.
Below is the complete list of nominees across all categories:
Bugonia
F1: The Movie
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
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
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia
Best Supporting Actor:
Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Best Supporting Actress:
Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Best Director:
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Original Screenplay
Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon
Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident
Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Eskil Vogt & Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Adapted Screenplay
Will Tracy, Bugonia
Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein
Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, Train Dreams
Animated Feature:
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Documentary Feature:
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
Mr Nobody Against Putin
The Perfect Neighbor
International Feature:
The Secret Agent, Brazil
It Was Just an Accident, France
Sentimental Value, Norway
Sirāt, Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab, Tunisia
Editing:
Stephen Mirrione, F1: The Movie
Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another
Olivier Bugge Coutté, Sentimental Value
Michael P. Shawver, Sinners
Cinematography:
Dan Laustsen, Frankenstein
Darius Khondji, Marty Supreme
Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another
Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners
Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams
Original Score
Jerskin Fendrix, Bugonia
Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein
Max Richter, Hamnet
Jonny Greenwood, One Battle After Another
Ludwig Goransson, Sinners
Casting:
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sinners
Production Design
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Costume Design
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1: The Movie
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Sound
F1: The Movie
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirât
Makeup and Hairstyling
Frankenstein
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Original Song
Dear Me from Diane Warren: Relentless; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
Golden from KPop Demon Hunters; Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon, and Teddy Park
I Lied to You from Sinners; Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson
Sweet Dreams of Joy from Viva Verdi; Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike
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Train Dreams from Train Dreams; Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave
Live-Action Short
Butcher’s Stain
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
The Singers
Two People Exchanging Saliva
Documentary short
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
Butterfly
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters.
