2026 Oscar winner predictions: Who will win Best Picture, Best Actor, and more among top Academy ...

&34;One Battle After Another,&34; &34;Sinners,&34; Timothée Chalamet, and more enter a crowded Oscars race. EW shares predictions for who will win at the 2026 Oscars. 2026 Oscar winner predictions: Who will win Best Picture, Best Actor, and more among top Academy Awards contenders? &34;One Battle After Another,&34; &34;Sinners,&34; Timothée Chalamet, and more enter a crowded Oscars race. EW shares predictions for who will win at the 2026 Oscars. :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/JoeyNolfiauthorphotoba4923fec03a4027868306485696ef41.jpg) Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at .

"One Battle After Another," "Sinners," Timothée Chalamet, and more enter a crowded Oscars race. EW shares predictions for who will win at the 2026 Oscars.

2026 Oscar winner predictions: Who will win Best Picture, Best Actor, and more among top Academy Awards contenders?

"One Battle After Another," "Sinners," Timothée Chalamet, and more enter a crowded Oscars race. EW shares predictions for who will win at the 2026 Oscars.

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes *RuPaul's Drag Race* video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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January 26, 2026 5:27 p.m. ET

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2026 Oscar winners predictions: Who will win at the 98th Academy Awards?. Credit:

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- The 2026 Oscar nominations changed the state of the race. Now, see EW's winner predictions.

- Timothée Chalamet, *Sinners*, *One Battle After Another*, *KPop Demon Hunters*, and more are top contenders.

- Conan O'Brien returns as 98th Academy Awards host on March 15.

After decades of ignoring horror films at large, the 2026 Oscars have rewritten the sins of Academy Awards history by anointing Ryan Coogler's *Sinners* as the most-nominated movie of all time. But will the feat be enough to push it into the Oscars' winners' circle?

At the end of 2025, things seemed buttoned up for Paul Thomas Anderson's thriller *One Battle After Another* to steamroll the season. While that's still a realistic scenario, cross-branch support at the Oscars (to the tune of a landmark 16 overall nominations) indicates collective passion might've shifted toward *Sinners* in recent weeks.

Tying the prior record for most nods by one film (14) is an impressive feat, as *La La Land* managed to do for the first time since 1997's *Titanic* back in 2017. But *Sinners* not only met the challenge, it surpassed the benchmark by two, meaning every eligible branch that could vote for the movie, did.

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Now is not the time for any contender to lose momentum, whether it's real interest among voters or even falling a few places back in the Oscars publicity machine. *One Battle* has, effectively, dominated the conversation for months; now, with attention shifting back to *Sinners* following its monumental box-office run, enthusiasm could jump ship from Anderson's latest as Coogler's genre masterwork rises in its place.

There's also a narrative fueling *Sinners'* resurgence, with Coogler helming a predominantly Black cast en route to just under $370 million at the global box office, all for an original story with no foundational source material. That kind of audience appeal is something Hollywood desperately needs right now, amid the age of what many consider to be a bleak era of sequel-soaked, IP-driven slop.

2026 Oscar nominees: Jacob Elordi, Timothée Chalamet, and more.

Our prediction might change back to *One Battle*, the "safer" choice (at least statistically, up to this point), but we expect *Sinners* to generate even more traction at SAG's 2026 Actor Awards, where the film will likely earn the top competitive honor for its ensemble. There, the film also earned five individual nods from the largest Hollywood union — a group that shares huge crossover membership with the Academy.

On paper, though, *One Battle *managed to outdo *Sinners* at the Actor Awards, earning at least one nomination in every Actor Award category (including for its stunt ensemble) — and two for Supporting Actor contenders Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn.

At the Oscars, however, the acting winners feel virtually secure. Timothée Chalamet's performance in *Marty Supreme* cleaned up at most precursor awards ceremonies (including the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards), as has Jessie Buckley's leading turn in *Hamnet*. *One Battle*'s Teyana Taylor is also in a safe spot, with her track record showing resilience in the later stages of the race.

STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Supporting Actor, however, feels less assured. Yes, Stellan Skarsgård triumphed at the Globes (and the all-important European Film Awards showered *Sentimental Value* with love at its annual ceremony), but Jacob Elordi's work in *Frankenstein* is the most physically transformative turn in the bunch. If he wins with SAG voters (as the populist group often heralds more commercially friendly, starrier performances), expect the *Euphoria* star to repeat at the Oscars.

On the directing side, Anderson's "overdue" narrative might also feel stale by the time Academy members cast final ballots, and they might opt to herald Coogler's innovative vision behind *Sinners *instead*.*

Before the 2026 Oscars winners are revealed Sunday, March 15, during the ABC telecast, read on for **'s full list of 98th Academy Awards winner predictions.**

Best Picture

*Bugonia**F1**Frankenstein**Hamnet**Marty Supreme**One Battle After Another**The Secret Agent**Sentimental Value*****PREDICTED WINNER: *****Sinners****Train Dreams*

Best Director

Chloé Zhao, *Hamnet***Josh Safdie, *Marty Supreme***Paul Thomas Anderson, *One Battle After Another***Joachim Trier, *Sentimental Value*****PREDICTED WINNER: Ryan Coogler, *Sinners***

**PREDICTED WINNER: 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

**PREDICTED WINNER: 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*

Jessie Buckley as Agnes and Joe Alwyn as Bartholomew in 'Hamnet'.

Agata Grzybowska/Focus Features

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio Del Toro, *One Battle After Another***Jacob Elordi, *Frankenstein***Delroy Lindo, *Sinners***Sean Penn, *One Battle After Another*****PREDICTED WINNER: Stellan Skarsgård, *Sentimental Value***

Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning, *Sentimental Value***Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, *Sentimental Value***Amy Madigan, *Weapons***Wunmi Mosaku, *Sinners*****PREDICTED WINNER: Teyana Taylor, *One Battle After Another***

Best Animated Feature

*Arco**Elio*****PREDICTED WINNER: *****KPop Demon Hunters****Little Amélie or the Character of Rain**Zootopia 2*

Best Documentary Feature

*The Alabama Solution**Come See Me in the Good Light**Cutting Through Rocks**Mr Nobody Against Putin*****PREDICTED WINNER: *The Perfect Neighbor***

Shutterstock Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF 2025 Portrait Studio, Canada - Sep 2025.

Ben Trivett/Shutterstock

Best International Feature

*The Secret Agent *(Brazil)***It Was Just an Accident *(France)******PREDICTED WINNER: *Sentimental Value *(Norway)*****Sirât *(Spain)***The Voice of Hind Rajab *(Tunisia)

Best Original Screenplay

Robert Kaplow, *Blue Moon***Jafar Panahi (script collaborators: Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, Mehdi Mahmoudian), *It Was Just an Accident***Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, *Marty Supreme***Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier, *Sentimental Value*****PREDICTED WINNER: Ryan Coogler, *Sinners***

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will Tracy,* Bugonia***Guillermo del Toro,* Frankenstein***Chloé Zhao, Maggie O'Farrell,* Hamnet*****PREDICTED WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson, *****One Battle After Another*****Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, *Train Dreams*

Best Casting

Nina Gold, *Hamnet***Jennifer Venditti, *Marty Supreme***Cassandra Kulukundis, *One Battle After Another***Gabriel Domingues, *The Secret Agent*****PREDICTED WINNER: Francine Maisler, *Sinners***

Best Film Editing

Stephen Mirrione, *F1***Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, *Marty Supreme*****PREDICTED WINNER: Andy Jurgensen, *****One Battle After Another*****Olivier Bugge Coutté,* Sentimental Value***Michael P. Shawver, *Sinners*

Smoke (Michael B. Jordan) and Sammie (Miles Caton) in 'Sinners'.

Best Cinematography

Dan Laustsen,* Frankenstein***Darius Khondji, *Marty Supreme***Michael Bauman, *One Battle After Another*****PREDICTED WINNER: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, *****Sinners*****Adolpho Veloso, *Train Dreams*

Best Production Design

**PREDICTED WINNER: Tamara Deverell, Shan Vieau, *****Frankenstein*****Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton, *Hamnet***Jack Fisk, Adam Willis, *Marty Supreme***Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino, *One Battle After Another***Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne, *Sinners*

Best Costume Design

Deborah L. Scott, *Avatar: Fire and Ash*****PREDICTED WINNER: Kate Hawley,***** Frankenstein*****Malgosia Turzanska, *Hamnet***Miyako Bellizzi, *Marty Supreme***Ruth E. Carter,* Sinners*

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

**PREDICTED WINNER: Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey,***** Frankenstein*****Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino, Tadashi Nishimatsu,* Kokuho***Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry, *Sinners***Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin, Bjoern Rehbein, *The Smashing Machine***Thomas Foldberg, Anne Cathrine Sauerberg, *The Ugly Stepsister*

Best Original Song

"Dear Me," *Diane Warren: Relentless *(music and lyrics by Diane Warren)******PREDICTED WINNER: "Golden," *KPop Demon Hunters *(music and lyrics by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon, Teddy Park)******"I Lied to You," *Sinners *(music and lyrics by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson)****"Sweet Dreams of Joy," *Viva Verdi! *(music and lyrics by Nicholas Pike)****"Train Dreams," *Train Dreams *(music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; lyrics by Nick Cave

Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey in Kpop Demon Hunters.

Best Original Score

Jerskin Fendrix, *Bugonia***Alexandre Desplat, *Frankenstein***Max Richter, *Hamnet***Jonny Greenwood, *One Battle After Another*****PREDICTED WINNER: Ludwig Goransson, *Sinners***

**PREDICTED WINNER: Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, *****F1*****Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, *Frankenstein***José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflo, *One Battle After Another***Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, *Sinners***Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas, Yasmina Praderas, *Sirât*

Best Visual Effects

**PREDICTED WINNER: Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett, *****Avatar: Fire and Ash*****Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington, Keith Dawson, *F1***David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan, Neil Corbould, *Jurassic World: Rebirth***Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen, Brandon K. McLaughlin, *The Lost Bus***Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean, *Sinners*

Best Live-Action Short

*Butcher's Stain**A Friend of Dorothy**Jane Austen's Period Drama**The Singers*****PREDICTED WINNER: *Two People Exchanging Saliva***

Best Animated Short

**PREDICTED WINNER: *****Butterfly****Forevergreen**The Girl Who Cried Pearls**Retirement Plan**The Three Sisters*

Best Documentary Short

*All the Empty Rooms*****PREDICTED WINNER: *****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*

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Published: January 26, 2026 at 05:38PM on Source: OPERA MAG

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