As the 2026 Oscars award ceremony comes closer creates buzz among fans. The National Film Awards will provide predictions for which films, filmmakers, and stars will win Best Picture and more at the 98th Academy Awards. Let’s dive into this guide to know.
As the 2025 Awards season officially starts with the Gotham Film Awards arriving in early December, and the 2026 Oscar Awards shortlists are expected mid-month, the race for the 98th Academy Awards is heating up fast.
With critics groups set to announce the picks through the year’s end, the buzz around Oscar predictions, Best Picture contenders, and awards season frontrunners is stronger than ever.
Right now, One Battle After Another, Hamnet, and Sinners are dominating and are currently top-three frontrunners, with Marty Supreme rising steadily in the list.
While these titles lead the 98th Academy Awards nominations list, this article is set to share its personal nomination predictions, exploring which films could break through as the season unfolds.
Whether it’s a powerhouse contender or dark-horse surprises like Sentimental Value, the coming weeks will shape one of the most competitive Best Picture races in years.
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2026 Oscar Predictions List: 98th Academy Awards
The Oscar 2026 Nominations will be announced on Thursday, 22 January 2026. But below we provide our nominations prediction.
Here is the complete list of the 98th Academy Awards predictions:
Best Picture
Frontrunners
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Jay Kelly
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- The Testament of Ann Lee
- Wicked: For Good
Contenders
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- Bugonia
- It Was Just an Accident
- The Secret Agent
- Train Dreams
Long Shots
- A House of Dynamite
- Is This Thing On?
- No Other Choice
- Rental Family
- Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
In a Perfect World
- 28 Years Later
- Roofman
- Weapons
Best Director
Frontrunners:
- Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
- Ryan Coogler — Sinners
- Jafar Panahi — It Was Just an Accident
- Joachim Trier — Sentimental Value
- Chloé Zhao — Hamnet
Contenders:
- James Cameron — Avatar: Fire and Ash
- Guillermo del Toro — Frankenstein
- Mona Fastvold — The Testament of Ann Lee
- Yorgos Lanthimos — Bugonia
- Josh Safdie — Marty Supreme
Long Shots:
- Noah Baumbach — Jay Kelly
- Clint Bentley — Train Dreams
- Kathryn Bigelow — A House of Dynamite
- Kleber Mendonça Filho — The Secret Agent
- Park Chan-wook — No Other Choice
In a Perfect World:
- Joseph Kosinski — F1
- Harry Lighton — Pillion
- Benny Safdie — The Smashing Machine
Best Actor
Frontrunners:
- Timothée Chalamet — Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio — One Battle After Another
- Joel Edgerton — Train Dreams
- Michael B. Jordan — Sinners
- Wagner Moura — The Secret Agent
Check: TikTok Awards Australia 2025 Winners List
Contenders:
- Will Arnett — Is This Thing On?
- George Clooney — Jay Kelly
- Dwayne Johnson — The Smashing Machine
- Jesse Plemons — Bugonia
- Jeremy Allen White — Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Long Shots:
- Russell Crowe — Nuremberg
- Daniel Day-Lewis — Anemone
- Ethan Hawke — Blue Moon
- Lee Byung-hun — No Other Choice
- Channing Tatum — Roofman
In a Perfect World:
- Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù — My Father’s Shadow
- Dylan O’Brien — Twinless
- Ben Whishaw — Peter Hujar’s Day
Read: International Emmy Awards 2025: Winners, Nominees & When & Where to Watch
Best Actress
Frontrunners:
- Jessie Buckley — Hamnet
- Rose Byrne — If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Cynthia Erivo — Wicked: For Good
- Chase Infiniti — One Battle After Another
- Renate Reinsve — Sentimental Value
Contenders:
- Laura Dern — Is This Thing On?
- Jennifer Lawrence — Die, My Love
- Amanda Seyfried — The Testament of Ann Lee
- Emma Stone — Bugonia
- Tessa Thompson — Hedda
Long Shots:
- Kate Hudson — Song Sung Blue
- Julia Roberts — After the Hunt
- June Squibb — Eleanor the Great
- Sydney Sweeney — Christy
- Eva Victor — Sorry, Baby
In a Perfect World:
- Jane Levy — A Little Prayer
- Elizabeth Olsen — Eternity
- Imogen Poots — The Chronology of Water
Best Supporting Actor
Frontrunners:
- Jacob Elordi — Frankenstein
- Paul Mescal — Hamnet
- Sean Penn — One Battle After Another
- Adam Sandler — Jay Kelly
- Stellan Skarsgård — Sentimental Value
Contenders:
- Miles Caton — Sinners
- Benicio del Toro — One Battle After Another
- Delroy Lindo — Sinners
- William H. Macy — Train Dreams
- Jeremy Strong — Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Long Shots:
- Jonathan Bailey — Wicked: For Good
- Billy Crudup — Jay Kelly
- Jacobi Jupe — Hamnet
- Tracy Letts — A House of Dynamite
- Josh O’Connor — Wake Up Dead Man
In a Perfect World:
- Aidan Delbis — Bugonia
- Diego Luna — Kiss of the Spider Woman
- Lewis Pullman — The Testament of Ann Lee
Best Supporting Actress
Frontrunners:
- Elle Fanning — Sentimental Value
- Ariana Grande — Wicked: For Good
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas — Sentimental Value
- Amy Madigan — Weapons
- Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another
Contenders:
- Odessa A’zion — Marty Supreme
- Regina Hall — One Battle After Another
- Nina Hoss — Hedda
- Jennifer Lopez — Kiss of the Spider Woman
- Wunmi Mosaku — Sinners
Long Shots:
- Emily Blunt — The Smashing Machine
- Glenn Close — Wake Up Dead Man
- Zoey Deutch — Nouvelle Vague
- Gwyneth Paltrow — Marty Supreme
- Hailee Steinfeld — Sinners
In a Perfect World:
- Rebecca Ferguson — A House of Dynamite
- Indya Moore — Father Mother Sister Brother
- Mari Yamamoto — Rental Family
Best Original Screenplay
Frontrunners:
- Marty Supreme — Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
- Sinners — Ryan Coogler
- The Testament of Ann Lee — Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
- A House of Dynamite — Noah Oppenheim
- Sentimental Value — Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt
Contenders:
- Is This Thing On? — Arnett, Bishop, Chappell & Cooper
- Jay Kelly — Baumbach & Mortimer
- Rental Family — Blahut & Hikari
- If I Had Legs I’d Kick You — Mary Bronstein
- It Was Just an Accident — Jafar Panahi
Long Shots:
- Weapons — Zach Cregger
- The Secret Agent — Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Blue Moon — Robert Kaplow
- Materialists — Celine Song
- Sorry, Baby — Eva Victor
In a Perfect World:
- Eddington — Ari Aster
- Black Bag — David Koepp
- Dead Man’s Wire — Austin Kolodney
Read: Indonesian Movie Actors Awards 2025 Winners List
Best Adapted Screenplay
Frontrunners:
- One Battle After Another — Paul Thomas Anderson
- Train Dreams — Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
- Frankenstein — Guillermo del Toro
- Bugonia — Will Tracy
- Hamnet — Chloé Zhao
Contenders:
- No Other Choice — Park Chan-wook & team
- Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere — Scott Cooper
- Hedda — Nia DaCosta
- Wake Up Dead Man — Rian Johnson
- The Smashing Machine — Benny Safdie
Long Shots:
- Hedda — Nia DaCosta
- The Life of Chuck — Mike Flanagan
- Wicked: For Good — Fox & Holzman
- Nouvelle Vague — Gent & Palmo
- Nuremberg — James Vanderbilt
In a Perfect World:
- Die My Love — Birch, Ramsay & Walsh
- Kiss of the Spider Woman — Bill Condon
- H Is for Hawk — Emma Donoghue & Philippa Lowthorpe
Best Animated Feature
Frontrunners:
- Arco
- Elio
- KPop Demon Hunters
- Scarlet
- Zootopia 2
Contenders:
- Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
- In Your Dreams
- Little Amélie
- Ne Zha 2
- SpongeBob: Search for Squarepants
Long Shots:
- A Magnificent Life
- The Bad Guys 2
- Dog Man
- Predator: Killer of Killers
- The Twits
In a Perfect World:
- Boys Go to Jupiter
- Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc
- Lesbian Space Princess
98th Academy Awards Date & Time
| Event | 98th Academy Awards (Oscar 2026) |
| Date | March 15, 2026 |
| Time | 4:30 am – 7:30 am |
| Venue / Location | Ray Dolby Ballroom, Los Angeles, USA |
| Host | Conan O’Brien |
Conclusion
The 98th Academy Awards were scheduled to be held on 15th March 2026, but we provide our nomination predictions for the 2026 Oscars. If we miss any of the names that need to be added to the nominees list, drop your comment.
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