Academy Awards 2026: What to know before the big night

Hollywood is gearing up for a ceremony packed with excitement, fiery speeches and unexpected moments. Among the season’s favorites are titles like the Brazilian film The Secret Agent, which arrives with multiple nominations and strong support from critics, and major contenders such as It Was Just an Accident, the new film by Jafar Panahi, which managed to secure spots in key categories. In the acting races, established names and long-awaited comebacks are shaping the lead-up to the ceremony. The big question of the night will be whether Timothée Chalamet finally takes home the statuette, while the race for Best Picture is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent years.

As always, the red carpet will be the first major spectacle of the night, but all eyes will be on who takes home the top awards and whether there will be any last-minute upsets. Between auteur cinema, big-budget productions and political stories that resonate with the present moment, the ceremony not only celebrates the best films of the year but also reflects the global cultural climate. 

Titles like Hamnet, Sinners and Sentimental Value are among the most talked-about films of the season. However, the history of the Oscars shows that unexpected twists are always possible—and that one of the nominees could pull off a major upset.

Before the envelopes are opened, we take a look at the key categories so you can make your own predictions.

Best Picture

• Bugonia

• Formula 1

• 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)

• Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent)

Best Actress

• Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)

• Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)

• Kate Hudson (Song Sun Blue)

• Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value)

• Emma Stone (Bugonia)

Best Director

• Chloé Zhao (Hamnet)

• Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme)

• Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)

• Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)

• Ryan Coogler (Sinners)

Best Supporting Actress

• Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value)

• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value)

• Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners)

• Teyanna Taylor (One Battle After Another)

• Amy Madigan (Weapons)

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 Animated Feature

• Arco

• Elio

• K-Pop Warriors

• Little Amélie, or the Character of Rain

• Zootopia 2

Best International Feature Film

• The Secret Agent (Brazil)

• Sentimental Value (Norway)

• Sirat (Spain)

• The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)

Best Production Design

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• Marty Supreme

• One Battle After Another

• Sinners

Best Original Screenplay

• Blue Moon

• It Was Just an Accident

• Marty Supreme

• Sentimental Value

• Sinners

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Bugonia

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• One Battle After Another

• Sinners

Best Casting

• Hamnet

• Marty Supreme

• One Battle After Another

• Sinners

• The Secret Agent

Best Original Score

• Bugonia

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• One Battle After Another

• Sinners

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• Frankenstein

• Kokuho

• Sinners

• The Machine

• The Ugly Stepsister

Best Costume Design

• Avatar: Fire and Ash

• Frankenstein

• Hamnet

• Marty Supreme

• Sinners

Best Cinematography

• Frankenstein

• Marty Supreme

• One Battle After Another

• Sinners

• Train Dreams