Sinners Shatters Oscar Records: 98th Academy Awards Nominees Revealed
The 98th Academy Awards nominations are in, and the race is more intense than ever. Sinners leads with a historic 16 nods, while One Battle After Another and other contenders shake up the field. See which films and stars made the cut.
The 98th Academy Awards nominations have arrived, and this year’s lineup is anything but predictable. With the ceremony set for March 15, 2026, the film industry is buzzing over a slate of contenders that reflect a season full of surprises and fierce competition. Sinners has made history, racking up an unprecedented 16 nominations, while One Battle After Another follows closely with 13. The race for Best Picture is wide open, and the stakes have never felt higher.
Major Contenders and Standout Performances
One Battle After Another, widely seen as a frontrunner, secured four acting nominations, cementing its status as a heavyweight in this year’s contest. The Secret Agent also made a strong impression, earning nods for both Casting and Best Actor, with Wagner Moura in the spotlight. Netflix ’s Frankenstein leads the streaming giant’s charge with nine nominations, while NEON ’s Sentimental Value surprised many by landing nine nominations, including a fourth acting nod for Elle Fanning. NEON also dominated the International Feature category, taking four of the five available spots.
Best Picture and Director Nominees
This year’s Best Picture field is stacked with ten films: Bugonia ( Focus Features), F1 ( Apple TV ), Frankenstein (Netflix), Hamnet ( Focus Features), Marty Supreme (A24), One Battle After Another (Warner Bros ), The Secret Agent (NEON), Sentimental Value (NEON), Sinners (Warner Bros), and Train Dreams (Netflix). The Best Director category features Chloé Zhao for Hamnet, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value, and Ryan Coogler for Sinners.
Acting Categories: Leading and Supporting Roles
The competition for Best Actress in a Leading Role includes Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), and Emma Stone (Bugonia). For Best Actor in a Leading Role, the nominees are Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio ( One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Michael B. Jordan ( Sinners), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent).
Supporting categories are just as competitive. Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas both earned nominations for Sentimental Value, joined by Amy Madigan (Weapons), Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) in the Best Supporting Actress race. On the men’s side, Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn represent One Battle After Another, with Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), and Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value) rounding out the Best Supporting Actor field.
Screenplay, Technical, and International Categories
Adapted Screenplay nominees include Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, and Train Dreams. Original Screenplay contenders are Blue Moon, It Was Just an Accident, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, and Sinners. Animated Feature is a diverse group, with Arco, Elio, KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2 in the running.
Documentary Feature nominees are The Alabama Solution, Come See Me in the Good Light, Cutting Through Rocks, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, and The Perfect Neighbor. For International Feature, the films are It Was Just an Accident (France), The Secret Agent (Brazil), Sentimental Value (Norway), Sirât (Spain), and The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia).
Craft and Short Film Nominations
Technical categories are filled with familiar titles. Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, Original Score, Original Song, Sound, and Visual Effects all feature Sinners, Frankenstein, and other top contenders. Animated, Documentary, and Live-Action Short Film categories showcase a range of creative voices, with nominees like Butterfly, Forevergreen, The Girl Who Cried Pearls, Retirement Plan, The Three Sisters, All the Empty Rooms, Armed with Only a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud, Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”, The Devil Is Busy, Perfectly a Strangeness, Butcher’s Stain, A Friend of Dorothy, Jane Austen’s Period Drama, The Singers, and Two People Exchanging Saliva.
The 98th Academy Awards will air on ABC on March 15, 2026.