Oscar Nominations 2026 Announced: Full List of Nominees and Biggest Surprises

By Swikblog | UK

The Oscar nominations for 2026 were officially announced on Thursday during a scheduled live presentation, marking a key moment in the global awards calendar and setting the direction for the final phase of the film awards season.

The nominations were unveiled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organisation responsible for the annual Academy Awards. The announcement immediately triggered widespread attention across the film industry, broadcasters and social media platforms as audiences awaited confirmation of this year’s contenders.

Best Picture once again emerged as the focal point of the nominations, with the category featuring a competitive mix of films that gained recognition for storytelling, direction and ensemble performances. Several titles entered the announcement with strong awards momentum and successfully converted industry buzz into multiple nominations.

List of Nominees

Best Picture: Bugonia; F1; Frankenstein; Hamnet; 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); Chloé Zhao (Hamnet); Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme); Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value).

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); Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value); Emma Stone (Bugonia); Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue).

Best Supporting Actor: Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein); Sean Penn (One Battle After Another); Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value); Benicio del Toro (One Battle After Another); Delroy Lindo (Sinners).

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 Original Screenplay: Blue Moon (Robert Kaplow); It Was Just an Accident (Jafar Panahi, with Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, Mehdi Mahmoudian); Marty Supreme (Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie); Sentimental Value (Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier); Sinners (Ryan Coogler).

Best Adapted Screenplay: Bugonia (Will Tracy); Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro); Hamnet (Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell); One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson); Train Dreams (Clint Bailey, Greg Kwedar).

Best Original Score: Bugonia (Jerskin Fendrix); Frankenstein (Alexandre Desplat); Hamnet (Max Richter); One Battle After Another (Jonny Greenwood); Sinners (Ludwig Göransson).

Best Original Song: Golden (KPop Demon Hunters); Train Dreams (Train Dreams); Dear Me (Diane Warren: Relentless); I Lied To You (Sinners); Sweet Dreams Of Joy (Viva Verdi!).

Best Animated Feature: Arco; Elio; KPop Demon Hunters; Little Amélie or the Character of Rain; Zootopia 2.

Best International Feature: The Secret Agent (Brazil); It Was Just an Accident (France); Sentimental Value (Norway); Sirât (Spain); The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia).

Best Documentary Feature: The Perfect Neighbor; The Alabama Solution; Come See Me in the Good Light; Cutting Through Rocks; Mr. Nobody Against Putin.

Best Casting: Hamnet; Marty Supreme; One Battle After Another; The Secret Agent; Sinners.

Best Cinematography: Frankenstein; Marty Supreme; One Battle After Another; Sinners; Train Dreams.

Best Film Editing: F1; Marty Supreme; One Battle After Another; Sentimental Value; Sinners.

Best Production Design: Frankenstein; Hamnet; Marty Supreme; One Battle After Another; Sinners.

Best Costume Design: Avatar: Fire and Ash; Frankenstein; Hamnet; Marty Supreme; Sinners.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Frankenstein; Kokuho; Sinners; The Smashing Machine; The Ugly Stepsister.

Best Sound: F1; Frankenstein; One Battle After Another; Sinners; Sirât.

Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash; F1; Jurassic World Rebirth; The Lost Bus; Sinners.

Best Live Action Short: Butcher’s Stain; A Friend of Dorothy; Jane Austen’s Period Drama; The Singers; Two People Exchanging Saliva.

Best Animated Short: Butterfly; Forevergreen; The Girl Who Cried Pearls; Retirement Plan; The Three Sisters.

Best 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.

The acting categories delivered some of the most closely watched outcomes. A number of performers earned their first-ever Oscar nominations, signalling major career milestones, while established actors also returned to the awards conversation after extended absences. Observers noted that the 2026 nominations reflect a balance between emerging talent and long-standing industry figures.

Directing and screenplay categories produced notable talking points, with a blend of expected nominees and less-predicted inclusions. Some filmmakers widely tipped for recognition received fewer nominations than anticipated, leading to early discussions about omissions that could shape the narrative of this year’s race.

In the technical categories, films recognised for visual ambition and production quality performed strongly. Cinematography, sound, production design and visual effects categories highlighted the growing importance of technical innovation, with several films securing nominations across multiple craft disciplines.

Reaction to the announcement was immediate. Entertainment analysts and critics began assessing potential winners within minutes, while fans debated perceived surprises and snubs online. Historically, early reaction to the nominations often influences campaign strategies as studios adjust promotion efforts ahead of final Academy voting.

The release of the nominations is also expected to impact viewing figures. In previous years, nominated films have seen renewed interest in cinemas and on streaming platforms following the announcement, a trend industry experts anticipate will continue during the 2026 awards season.

The nominations also highlighted a continued shift in Academy voting patterns, with a greater mix of studio-backed productions and independently financed films represented across categories. Industry analysts note that this balance reflects changing audience tastes and evolving distribution models.

Official category details, voting rules and historical information are published by the Academy via its official channels, including the Academy Awards website.

As the awards season continues, attention will now shift toward campaign momentum, precursor ceremonies and final predictions. The 2026 Oscar nominations establish a competitive field and set expectations ahead of the ceremony itself.

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