2026 Academy Awards Predictions

98th Academy Awards - 2026

Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Honoring movies released in 2025

I screened some of the nominations, but not as many as I’d like to see. I enjoyed seeing various nominations and felt some were sadly omitted from contention. Yes, getting a nomination is all about marketing, advertising, promotion, and more; this is similar to many awards ceremonies. One of my favorite categories is short films; I’m happy to see people celebrating these works of art. While teaching a stop motion unit, I’m impressed to see there were four films nominated. 

Bold = my prediction for winning the award

Best picture

• "Bugonia"

• "F1"

• "Frankenstein"

• "Hamnet"

• "Marty Supreme"

• "One Battle After Another" - Prediction

• "The Secret Agent"

• "Sentimental Value"

• "Sinners"

• "Train Dreams"

Best supporting actress

• Elle Fanning, "Sentimental Value"

• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, "Sentimental Value"

• Amy Madigan, "Weapons"  - Prediction

• Wunmi Mosaku, "Sinners"

• Teyana Taylor, "One Battle After Another"

Best actor

• Timothée Chalamet, "Marty Supreme"

• Leonardo DiCaprio, "One Battle After Another"

• Ethan Hawke, "Blue Moon"

• Michael B. Jordan, "Sinners"  - Prediction

• Wagner Moura, "The Secret Agent"

Best actress

• Jessie Buckley, "Hamnet"  - Prediction

• 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"  - Prediction

• Stellan Skarsgård, "Sentimental Value"

Best director

• Chloé Zhao, "Hamnet"

• Josh Safdie, "Marty Supreme"

• Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another"  - Prediction

• Joachim Trier, "Sentimental Value"

• Ryan Coogler, "Sinners"

Best makeup and hairstyling

• "Frankenstein"  - Prediction

• "Kokuho"

• "Sinners"

• "The Smashing Machine"

• "The Ugly Stepsister"

Best original score

• "Bugonia" -- Jerskin Fendrix

• "Frankenstein" -- Alexandre Desplat

• "Hamnet" -- Max Richter

• "One Battle After Another" -- Jonny Greenwood

• "Sinners" -- Ludwig Göransson  - Prediction

Best live action short film

• "Butcher's Stain"

• "Jane Austen's Period Drama"

• "A Friend of Dorothy"

• "The Singers"

• "Two People Exchanging Saliva"  - Prediction

Best adapted screenplay

• "Bugonia" -- Will Tracy

• "Frankenstein" -- Guillermo Del Toro

• "Hamnet" -- Maggie O'Farrell and Chloé Zhao

• "One Battle After Another" -- Paul Thomas Anderson  - Prediction

• "Train Dreams" -- Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar

Best original screenplay

• "Blue Moon" -- Robert Kaplow

• "It Was Just an Accident" -- Jafar Panahi

• "Marty Supreme" -- Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie

• "Sentimental Value" -- Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt

• "Sinners" – Ryan Coogler  - Prediction

Best animated short film

• "Butterfly"  - Prediction

• "Forevergreen"

• "The Girl Who Cried Pearls"

• "Retirement Plan"

• "The Three Sisters"

Best casting

• "Hamnet" -- Nina Gold

• "Marty Supreme" -- Jennifer Venditti

• "One Battle After Another" -- Cassandra Kulukundis

• "The Secret Agent" -- Gabriel Domingues

• "Sinners" -- Francine Maisler  - Prediction

Best original song

• "Dear Me" from "Diane Warren: Relentless"

• "Golden" from "KPop Demon Hunters"  - Prediction

• "I Lied to You" from "Sinners"

• "Sweet Dreams of Joy" from "Viva Verdi!"

• "Train Dreams" from "Train Dreams"

Best documentary feature film

• "The Alabama Solution"

• "Come See Me in the Good Light"

• "Cutting Through Rocks"

• "Mr. Nobody Against Putin"

• "The Perfect Neighbor"  - Prediction

Best documentary short film

• "All the Empty Rooms"  - Prediction

• "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"

Best international feature film

• Brazil, "The Secret Agent"

• France, "It Was Just an Accident"

• Norway, "Sentimental Value"  - Prediction

• Spain, "Sirât"

• Tunisia, "The Voice of Hind Rajab"

Best animated feature film

• "Arco"

• "Elio"

• "KPop Demon Hunters"  - Prediction

• "Little Amélie or the Character of Rain"

• "Zootopia 2"

Best production design

• "Frankenstein"  - Prediction

• "Hamnet"

• "Marty Supreme"

• "One Battle After Another"

• "Sinners"

Best film editing

• "F1" -- Stephen Mirrione

• "Marty Supreme" -- Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie

• "One Battle After Another" -- Andy Jurgensen  - Prediction

• "Sentimental Value" -- Olivier Bugge Coutté

• "Sinners" -- Michael P. Shawver

Best sound

• "F1"  - Prediction

• "Frankenstein"

• "One Battle After Another"

• "Sinners"

• "Sirât"

Best visual effects

• "Avatar: Fire and Ash"  - Prediction

• "F1"

• "Jurassic World Rebirth"

• "The Lost Bus"

• "Sinners"

Best cinematography

• "Frankenstein"

• "Marty Supreme"

• "One Battle After Another"  - Prediction

• "Sinners"

• "Train Dreams"

Best costume design

• "Avatar: Fire and Ash" -- Deborah L. Scott

• "Frankenstein" -- Kate Hawley  - Prediction

• "Hamnet" -- Malgosia Turzanska

• "Marty Supreme" -- Miyako Bellizzi

• "Sinners" -- Ruth E. Carter

Enjoy the movies! Support theaters!