Oscars 2026 Nominations Announced: Academy Awards Race Officially Begins

The 2026 Oscar nominees were announced Thursday morning in Beverly Hills by Lewis Pullman and Danielle Brooks, officially launching what promises to be one of the most competitive awards seasons in recent memory. Sinners received a record 16 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, reshaping the landscape for this year's Academy Awards race and cementing its status as the frontrunner for Hollywood's most prestigious honor.

Record-Breaking Achievement for 'Sinners'

Director Ryan Coogler's supernatural thriller starring Michael B. Jordan and Wunmi Mosaku surpassed the previous 14-nomination mark set by All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land. The historic achievement marks a watershed moment in Academy Awards history, breaking a three-way tie that had stood for decades.

Coogler, Jordan and Mosaku were each nominated in their respective directing, writing and acting categories, demonstrating the film's comprehensive recognition across multiple disciplines. Star Michael B. Jordan played twins Smoke and Stack in the horror film set in 1930s Mississippi and received his first nomination.

Despite the sweeping recognition, Coogler remained surprisingly measured about his film's success. Coogler said he "did not have any expectations" heading into Hollywood's awards season, telling Deadline: "For me, people just showing up to the movies and having a good time, that would've been enough".

Paul Thomas Anderson's Strong Second

Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another received 13 nominations, including four for actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn, as well as Best Picture. The film emerges as the primary challenger to Sinners' dominance, presenting a formidable alternative for voters seeking variety in the lead categories.

Teyana Taylor, who received her first Oscar nomination for her supporting role in One Battle After Another, said she was "humbled" by the recognition, stating: "To be an Academy Award nominee is beyond anything I ever allowed myself to fully believe was possible".

New Casting Category Debuts

The Oscars will include a new statuette this year for Best Casting, the first new category introduced since Best Animated Feature was first handed out in 2002. Nominees in the newly added Casting category were Sinners, One Battle After Another, Hamnet, Marty Supreme and The Secret Agent.

The introduction of this category reflects the Academy's evolving recognition of filmmaking crafts. Academy president Janet Yang and CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement: "Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate".

International Films Dominate Multiple Categories

Foreign films dominated many of the nominations, with Cannes titles "Sentimental Value," "The Secret Agent," "Sirat" and "It Was Just an Accident" all garnering multiple nominations. Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value also received nine Oscar nominations, the most for any Norwegian film.

Marty Supreme, Frankenstein and Sentimental Value racked up nine nominations apiece, rounding out the top tier of this year's most recognized films. This international representation reflects the Academy's increasingly global perspective in recognizing cinematic excellence.

Notable Snubs and Surprises

The nominations delivered their share of unexpected outcomes and controversial omissions. Jon M. Chu's Wicked: For Good, the sequel to 2024's Wicked, did not receive a single Oscar nomination, despite the original film's substantial recognition. Another big-budget franchise film, James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash, received just two Oscar nominations.

Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein earned nine Oscar nominations, but del Toro did not receive one for directing, a notable exclusion that drew industry attention. Conversely, F1, Apple's film based on the popular racing sport, landed a spot in the coveted best picture category, after going unrecognized at awards shows such as the Globes.

The Road to March 15

The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 15. Academy members can start voting for the winners in each category on Thursday, February 26 through Thursday, March 5. Comedian Conan O'Brien is tapped to host the ceremony, which will take place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and air live on ABC on Sunday, March 15.

With the nominations now official, the eight-week campaign for votes has begun. For this year's Academy Awards, 317 feature films were eligible, and for the best picture category, 201 feature films were eligible for consideration. The sheer volume of eligible films underscores the increasingly competitive nature of Hollywood's filmmaking landscape.

As industry players and film enthusiasts digest the nominations, the stage is set for one of the most unpredictable awards seasons in recent memory. While Sinners' record-breaking 16 nominations position it as the clear frontrunner, the depth of competing films—particularly One Battle After Another, alongside international entries—suggests that Oscar voters will face genuinely challenging decisions across multiple categories.