The 2026 Academy Awards Nominees Have Been Announced

Screenshot from the Award announcement with Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman.

The 2026 Academy Award nominees have been announced!  For once I predicted correctly: horror IS going to have its year! 

I say “for once” because I’m kind of hit or miss with predictions in general.  Who is going to win the Super Bowl?  Who will be the next President of the United States?  Is it going to be a boy or a girl?  Don’t ask me any of these questions, because I don’t have that kind of psychic ability!

For instance, who is going to win Best Picture this year?  All I can tell you is which film I would like to win Best Picture this year: Sinners.

Of the ten nominees, I have put my eyeballs on five of them, which is better than usual.  Normally I have seen one – maybe two - nominees, and then I stress myself out trying to watch the other eight before awards night (and fail).

My one successful season was the 2018 race.  Regal Theaters had a special program where you could pay a small amount (no more than $30, if I recall correctly) and you were able to see all ten of the Oscar movies within a two-week period (it may not have been that many movies, actually).  I made it my business to see all of the nominees for Best Picture that year, and it was well worth it. 

Guillermo del Toro surprisingly didn’t get nominated as Best Director this year, but Frankenstein is up for Best Picture, as well as my man, Jacob Elordi for Best Supporting Actor for his role as The Creature. 

Here are my current predictions (plus what I want to win in parentheses):

Best Picture – No Opinion Yet (Sinners)

Best Director – Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another (Ryan Coogler for Sinners)

Best Actor – Timothy Chalamet for Marty Supreme OR A WILD CARD: Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent (Michael B. Jordan for Sinners)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Stellan Skarsgård from Sentimental Value (Jacob Elordi from Frankenstein)

Best Actress – Jesse Buckley from Hamnet (No Opinion Yet)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Amy Madigan for Weapons, which would be great (Wunmi Mosaku from Sinners especially since she has been snubbed so far this season – but either way is a win for horror)

Best Adapted Screenplay – Hamnet (Frankenstein, though Train Dreams was no slouch)

Best Original Screenplay – Sinners (Sinners)

Now for the other categories, I’m going to only post the ones that I am personally interested in:

Best Casting – No Opinion Yet (Sinners)

Best Cinematography – No Opinion Yet (Sinners)

Best Costume Design – Frankenstein (Frankenstein)

Best Original Score – Sinners (Sinners)

Best Original Song – Golden from KPop Demon Hunters (I Lied to You from Sinners)

Best Production Design – No Opinion Yet (Frankenstein)

I’m a little biased.  Ha!

Sinners has broken the Oscars record by getting 16 nominations.  Nominations are wonderful, but as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have very high hopes.  It might be another Moonlight situation.

I watched Train Dreams last weekend and it was a very lovely film.  I made one correct prediction when the main character met his future wife, but otherwise it was a pleasant ride.

I am going to try to check out Hamnet next, since it is a major contender for Best Actress.  I’ll bring tissues!

What is your prediction for Best Picture?