Breaking Down the 2026 Oscar Nominations: Records, Surprises, Snubs and Full List

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the official nominations for the 98th Academy Awards, and this year’s slate is historic, divisive, and full of conversation starters. From a genre film rewriting the Oscars history books to beloved stars shut out of major categories, here’s what you need to know, including a complete list of nominees.

In a shock that’s reverberated through Hollywood, Ryan Coogler’s supernatural epic Sinners has made Oscar history with 16 nominations, making it the film with the most number of Oscar Nominations in Academy Awards history. That breaks the longstanding record of 14 nominations previously held by All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997) and La La Land (2016).

What makes Sinners’ achievement especially fascinating is that it’s a genre film, a vampire thriller rooted in historical themes of racism, blues culture and societal conflict, the type of movie the Academy hasn’t traditionally rewarded so expansively. Its 16 nominations span major categories like Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor. which includes Michael B. Jordan’s first-ever Oscar nod, and major creative awards like editing, visual effects, sound and more.

Hot on Sinners’ heels is Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another with 13 nominations, including four acting nods. Other films with strong showings include Sentimental Value and Frankenstein with 9 nominations each, and Hamnet with 8, signaling one of the most diverse fields in recent years.

Veteran actor Delroy Lindo was a surprise Best Supporting Actor nominee for Sinners, a breakthrough moment that many didn’t fully predict. Kate Hudson’s Best Actress nomination for Song Sung Blue was one of the season’s feel-good surprises, her first Oscar nom in over two decades and a shift from many early predictions.

Some of the most talked-about omissions include Wicked: For Good, which was entirely shut out of nominations despite strong box office and awards buzz, leaving fans and critics puzzled. Paul Mescal was passed over for Best Supporting Actor despite critical praise for Hamnet, Chase Infiniti, widely expected to be in the Best Actress race, was not nominated for One Battle After Another.  Avatar: Fire and Ash was surprisingly left out of the 10 Best Picture nominees. But most surprisingly of all was Guillermo del Toro being snubbed for Best Director, despite Frankenstein receiving a Best Picture nomination.

This year saw the introduction of Achievement in Casting, expanding recognition for behind-the-scenes crafts, and adding a nomination boost to top contenders.

This year’s acting categories feature seasoned veterans, beloved screen icons, and young actors staking their claim on Hollywood’s biggest stage.  Timothée Chalamet and Jacob Elordi, who have both received nominations, represent the new wave of actors pushing boundaries in performance and genre. Leonardo DiCaprio and Ethan Hawke, two of the most respected actors of their generation, underscore the continued relevance of seasoned craft. Actors like Emma Stone and Jessie Buckley bring both star power and critical weight to their respective categories. This strikes a fascinating balance between emerging young talent and seasoned performers, making for rich competition.

Nominations for films like Sentimental Value (Norway), The Secret Agent (Brazil), Sirât (Spain) and It Was Just an Accident (France) reflect the Oscars’ increasing international reach. With The Secret Agent and Sentimental Value even landing nominations for Best Picture.

Best picture

• Bugonia
• Frankenstein
• F1
• 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 actress

• Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
• Amy Madigan – Weapons
• Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
• Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

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 director

• Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
• Ryan Coogler – Sinners
• Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
• Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
• Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

Best adapted screenplay

• Bugonia
• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• One Battle After Another
• Train Dreams

Best original screenplay

• Blue Moon
• It Was Just an Accident
• Marty Supreme
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners

Best original song

• Dear Me – Diane Warren: Relentless
• Golden – KPop Demon Hunters
• I Lied to You – Sinners
• Sweet Dreams of Joy – Viva Verdi!
• Train Dreams – Train Dreams

Best original score

• Bugonia
• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners

Best international feature

• It Was Just an Accident
• Sentimental Value
• Sirât
• The Secret Agent
• The Voice of Hind Rajab

Best animated feature

• Arco
• Elio
• KPop Demon Hunters
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
• Zootopia 2

Best documentary feature

• Come See Me in the Good Light
• Cutting Through the Rocks
• Mr. Nobody Against Putin
• The Alabama Solution
• The Perfect Neighbor

Best costume design

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• Sinners

Best make-up and hairstyling

• Frankenstein
• Kokuho
• Sinners
• The Smashing Machine
• The Ugly Stepsister

Best production design

• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners

Best sound

• Frankenstein
• F1
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners
• Sirât

Best film editing

• F1
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners

Best cinematography

• Frankenstein
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners
• Train Dreams

Best visual effects

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• F1
• Jurassic World Rebirth
• Sinners
• The Lost Bus

Best live action short

• A Friend of Dorothy
• Butcher’s Stain
• Jane Austin’s Period Drama
• The Singers
• Two People Exchanging Saliva

Best animated short

• Butterfly
• Forevergreen
• Retirement Plan
• The Girl Who Cried Pearls
• 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

Best casting

• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sinners
• The Secret Agent

The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15, 2026, with Conan O’Brien returning as host, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, streamed live on Hulu and airs live in more than 200 territories worldwide. With such a competitive field, this year’s ceremony promises drama, unforgettable speeches, and perhaps even a few more surprises.