Oscars 2026: Sinners Smashes Nomination Record in Wild Year
The 98th Academy Awards nominations have landed, and the field is full of surprises. Sinners leads with a record haul, but the competition is fierce. See which films and stars are in the running.
This year’s Oscar race has been anything but predictable, with a line-up of contenders that’s got punters talking. The 98th Academy Awards, set for 15 March, will shine a spotlight on the standout films of 2025. Sinners has stormed ahead, notching up a record 16 nods. Hot on its heels, One Battle After Another has scored 13 nominations, including four for acting, making it a strong tip for Best Picture.
The Secret Agent has made a solid impression too, picking up a nod for Best Casting and a Best Actor spot for Wagner Moura. Netflix’s big hope, Frankenstein, has bagged nine nominations, while Neon has dominated the International Feature category, nabbing four out of five slots. Sentimental Value, their major push, surprised many with Elle Fanning’s fourth acting nomination, also totalling nine nods.
Best Picture and Major Contenders
The Best Picture field is stacked, featuring Bugonia (Focus Features), F1 (Apple TV), Frankenstein (Netflix), Hamnet (Focus Features), Marty Supreme (A24), One Battle After Another (Warner Bros), The Secret Agent (NEON), Sentimental Value (NEON), Sinners (Warner Bros), and Train Dreams (Netflix).
Directing honours are up for grabs between Chloé Zhao (Hamnet), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), and Ryan Coogler (Sinners).
Acting Categories: Fierce Competition
For Best Actress in a Leading Role, the nominees are Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), and Emma Stone (Bugonia).
The Best Actor field includes Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent).
Supporting roles are just as competitive. Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (both for Sentimental Value), Amy Madigan (Weapons), Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) are up for Best Supporting Actress. For the blokes, Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn (One Battle After Another), Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), and Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value) are in the running for Best Supporting Actor.
Screenplay, Animation, and International Features
Adapted Screenplay contenders are Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, and Train Dreams. Original Screenplay sees Blue Moon, It Was Just an Accident, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, and Sinners vying for the prize.
Animated Feature is a lively field with Arco, Elio, KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2. The International Feature category is led by It Was Just an Accident (France), The Secret Agent (Brazil), Sentimental Value (Norway), Sirât (Spain), and The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia).
Technical and Short Film Categories
Cinematography nods have gone to Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners, and Train Dreams. For Costume Design, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, and Sinners are in the mix.
Editing nominees include F1, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value, and Sinners. Makeup and Hairstyling features Frankenstein, Kokuho, Sinners, The Smashing Machine, and The Ugly Stepsister. Production Design sees Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, and Sinners up for the award.
Original Score nominees are Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, and Sinners. For Original Song, the shortlist includes “Dear Me” (Diane Warren: Relentless), “Golden” (Kpop Demon Hunters), “Sweet Dreams Of Joy” (Viva Verdi!), “I Lied to You” (Sinners), and “Train Dreams” (Train Dreams).
Sound and Visual Effects categories feature F1, Frankenstein, One Battle After Another, Sirât, and Sinners, with Avatar: Fire and Ash, F1, Jurassic World: Rebirth, The Lost Bus, and Sinners up for Visual Effects.
Short film categories are also well represented. Animated Short Film nominees are Butterfly, Forevergreen, The Girl Who Cried Pearls, Retirement Plan, and The Three Sisters. Documentary Short Film includes All the Empty Rooms, Armed with Only a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud, Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”, The Devil Is Busy, and Perfectly a Strangeness. Live-Action Short Film features Butcher’s Stain, A Friend of Dorothy, Jane Austen’s Period Drama, The Singers, and Two People Exchanging Saliva.
The 98th Academy Awards will air on ABC on 15 March 2026.