The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially released the full list of nominees for the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15, 2026. Ryan Coogler’s supernatural thriller Sinners leads the field with a record-breaking 16 nominations, signaling a transformative shift in institutional recognition for high-concept genre cinema. As the industry prepares for the live ceremony at the Dolby Theatre, the 2026 ballot reflects a deeper integration of international productions and significant procedural updates to the Academy’s voting categories.
Understanding the 98th Academy Awards Nominations
The Oscars 2026 nominations represent a definitive pivot in Hollywood’s competitive landscape, prioritizing technical mastery alongside narrative depth. Sinners achieved a historic 16 nods, surpassing the previous 14-nomination record held by Titanic and La La Land. This cycle also marks the inaugural introduction of the Best Casting category, a long-debated policy change designed to institutionalize the recognition of ensemble assembly in filmmaking.
The Institutional Shift: Analysis of the 2026 Ballot
The 98th Academy Awards arrive at a critical juncture for the film industry. After a year of robust theatrical performances and evolving distribution models, the Academy has signaled its intent to reward films that bridge the gap between commercial viability and critical rigor.
“Sinners” and the New Record
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners has not only dominated the nominations but has redefined the statistical ceiling for Academy recognition. By securing 16 nominations, the film blanketed nearly every available category, from the “Above the Line” staples of Best Picture and Directing to the technical “Below the Line” disciplines. Analysts point to the film’s “Practical-First” approach to cinematography and production design as a major factor in its broad institutional appeal.
The Debut of Best Casting
For the first time since the 1940s, the Academy has introduced a new permanent category: Best Casting. This decision follows years of administrative review and pressure from the Casting Society of America. The inaugural list of nominees—including Nina Gold for Hamnet and Francine Maisler for Sinners—highlights the professional consensus that character selection is as fundamental to a film’s success as its screenplay or direction.
Complete Category Breakdown
Best Picture
The ten films nominated for the top prize represent a diverse range of genres and production scales, from high-budget studio spectacles to intimate international dramas.
- Bugonia – Ed Guiney & Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, and Lars Knudsen, Producers
- F1 – Chad Oman, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Joseph Kosinski, and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers
- Frankenstein – Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, and Scott Stuber, Producers
- Hamnet – Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg, and Sam Mendes, Producers
- Marty Supreme – Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas, and Timothée Chalamet, Producers
- One Battle after Another – Adam Somner, Sara Murphy, and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers
- The Secret Agent – Emilie Lesclaux, Producer
- Sentimental Value – Maria Ekerhovd and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Producers
- Sinners – Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, and Ryan Coogler, Producers
- Train Dreams – Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, and Michael Heimler, Producers
Directing
- Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
- Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
- Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle after Another
- Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
- Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Performance Categories: Lead Roles
The acting races for 2026 are widely considered some of the most competitive in recent institutional history. In the Lead Actor category, Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of a ping-pong prodigy in Marty Supreme faces off against Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn in the expansive period drama One Battle after Another.
- Actor in a Leading Role: Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle after Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent).
- Actress in a Leading Role: 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).
Comparative Data: Nomination Density by Film
To understand the institutional weight of the 2026 field, it is necessary to examine the concentration of nominations across the top contenders.
| Film | Total Nominations | Primary Categories (Top 5) | Craft Nominations |
| Sinners | 16 | 4 | 12 |
| One Battle after Another | 13 | 5 | 8 |
| Frankenstein | 10 | 1 | 9 |
| Marty Supreme | 9 | 3 | 6 |
| Hamnet | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| Bugonia | 7 | 2 | 5 |
Technical Innovation and Craft Awards
The 98th Academy Awards also serve as a showcase for significant technical milestones reached during the 2025 production year. The Visual Effects category, in particular, demonstrates a split between digital world-building and practical enhancement.
Sag Awards 2026 Winners: Michael B. Jordan and ‘Sinners’ Secure Historic Victories
Cinematography and Sound
The Cinematography nominations reflect a preference for large-format film photography. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle after Another was shot on 70mm, a factor that many Academy members cite as a reason for its immersive authority. Similarly, the Sound category features a strong presence from F1, which utilized innovative on-track recording techniques to capture the authenticity of high-speed racing.
Procedural Context: How the Winners are Determined
The path from nomination to the winner’s podium is governed by the Academy’s preferential voting system for Best Picture and a standard plurality vote for all other categories. Approximately 10,000 voting members of the Academy across 18 branches participated in this year’s ballot.
The Regulatory Framework of Best Picture Voting
The preferential ballot requires voters to rank the ten Best Picture nominees. If no film receives more than 50% of the first-place votes, the film with the fewest top votes is eliminated, and its votes are redistributed to the second-place choices on those ballots. This process continues until a single film secures a majority, ensuring that the winner has the broadest possible support across all branches.
The 98th Academy Awards | 2026 Full List.
Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees
Timothée Chalamet
Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio
One Battle after Another
Ethan Hawke
Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan
Sinners
Wagner Moura
The Secret Agent
Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees
Benicio Del Toro
One Battle after Another
Jacob Elordi
Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo
Sinners
Sean Penn
One Battle after Another
Stellan Skarsgård
Sentimental Value
Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees
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
Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees
Elle Fanning
Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas
Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan
Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku
Sinners
Teyana Taylor
One Battle after Another
Animated Feature Film
Nominees
Arco
Ugo Bienvenu, Félix de Givry, Sophie Mas and Natalie Portman
Elio
Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina and Mary Alice Drumm
KPop Demon Hunters
Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle L.M. Wong
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han, Nidia Santiago and Henri Magalon
Zootopia 2
Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Yvett Merino
Animated Short Film
Nominees
Butterfly
Florence Miailhe and Ron Dyens
Forevergreen
Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
Retirement Plan
John Kelly and Andrew Freedman
The Three Sisters
Konstantin Bronzit
Casting
Nominees
Hamnet
Nina Gold
Marty Supreme
Jennifer Venditti
One Battle after Another
Cassandra Kulukundis
The Secret Agent
Gabriel Domingues
Sinners
Francine Maisler
Cinematography
Nominees
Frankenstein
Dan Laustsen
Marty Supreme
Darius Khondji
One Battle after Another
Michael Bauman
Sinners
Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Train Dreams
Adolpho Veloso
Costume Design
Nominees
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Deborah L. Scott
Frankenstein
Kate Hawley
Hamnet
Malgosia Turzanska
Marty Supreme
Miyako Bellizzi
Sinners
Ruth E. Carter
Directing
Nominees
Hamnet
Chloé Zhao
Marty Supreme
Josh Safdie
One Battle after Another
Paul Thomas Anderson
Sentimental Value
Joachim Trier
Sinners
Ryan Coogler
Documentary Feature Film
Nominees
The Alabama Solution
Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman
Come See Me in the Good Light
Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro and Stef Willen
Cutting through Rocks
Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni
Mr. Nobody against Putin
David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, Helle Faber and Alžběta Karásková
The Perfect Neighbor
Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu and Sam Bisbee
Documentary Short Film
Nominees
All the Empty Rooms
Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones
Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
Craig Renaud and Juan Arredondo
Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”
Hilla Medalia and Sheila Nevins
The Devil Is Busy
Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir
Perfectly a Strangeness
Alison McAlpine
Film Editing
Nominees
F1
Stephen Mirrione
Marty Supreme
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
One Battle after Another
Andy Jurgensen
Sentimental Value
Olivier Bugge Coutté
Sinners
Michael P. Shawver
International Feature Film
Nominees
Brazil
The Secret Agent
France
It Was Just an Accident
Norway
Sentimental Value
Spain
Sirāt
Tunisia
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Live Action Short Film
Nominees
Butcher’s Stain
Meyer Levinson-Blount and Oron Caspi
A Friend of Dorothy
Lee Knight and James Dean
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Julia Aks and Steve Pinder
The Singers
Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt
Two People Exchanging Saliva
Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata
Makeup and Hairstyling
Nominees
Frankenstein
Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey
Kokuho
Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu
Sinners
Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry
The Smashing Machine
Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin and Bjoern Rehbein
The Ugly Stepsister
Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg
Music (Original Score)
Nominees
Bugonia
Jerskin Fendrix
Frankenstein
Alexandre Desplat
Hamnet
Max Richter
One Battle after Another
Jonny Greenwood
Sinners
Ludwig Goransson
Music (Original Song)
Nominees
Dear Me
from Diane Warren: Relentless; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
Golden
from KPop Demon Hunters; Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park
I Lied To You
from Sinners; Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson
Sweet Dreams Of Joy
from Viva Verdi!; Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike
Train Dreams
from Train Dreams; Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave
Best Picture
Nominees
Bugonia
Ed Guiney & Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone and Lars Knudsen, Producers
F1
Chad Oman, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers
Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Scott Stuber, Producers
Hamnet
Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes, Producers
Marty Supreme
Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas and Timothée Chalamet, Producers
One Battle after Another
Adam Somner, Sara Murphy and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers
The Secret Agent
Emilie Lesclaux, Producer
Sentimental Value
Maria Ekerhovd and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Producers
Sinners
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Ryan Coogler, Producers
Train Dreams
Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer and Michael Heimler, Producers
Production Design
Nominees
Frankenstein
Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
Hamnet
Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton
Marty Supreme
Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis
One Battle after Another
Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino
Sinners
Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne
Sound
Nominees
F1
Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta
Frankenstein
Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern
One Battle after Another
José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio and Tony Villaflor
Sinners
Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor and Steve Boeddeker
Sirāt
Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas and Yasmina Praderas
Visual Effects
Nominees
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
F1
Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington and Keith Dawson
Jurassic World Rebirth
David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan and Neil Corbould
The Lost Bus
Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen and Brandon K. McLaughlin
Sinners
Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter and Donnie Dean
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Nominees
Bugonia
Screenplay by Will Tracy
Frankenstein
Written for the Screen by Guillermo del Toro
Hamnet
Screenplay by Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell
One Battle after Another
Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Train Dreams
Screenplay by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Nominees
Blue Moon
Written by Robert Kaplow
It Was Just an Accident
Written by Jafar Panahi; Script collaborators – Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, Mehdi Mahmoudian
Marty Supreme
Written by Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
Sentimental Value
Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
Sinners
Written by Ryan Coogler
🏛 Official Source Validation
Information regarding the 98th Academy Awards is sourced from the following verified institutional domains:
- Oscars.org – The Official Academy Press Office
- Academy Museum of Motion Pictures – Historic Archives and Records
⚖ Legal & Policy Disclaimer
This report is based on the final nomination list issued by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as of March 15, 2026. The information provided is for journalistic purposes only and does not constitute a financial endorsement or a guaranteed prediction of final outcomes. Nomination counts are verified against the official Academy ballot.
