Oscars 2026: The Academy announce shortlist of 12 award categories
The shortlist of the first 12 nominations for the Oscars has officially been announced by the Academy.
With multiple films nominated in each category, members from all branches of the Academy are invited to participate in the voting process to determine which films will go through.
While many of the major categories have not been announced yet, many familiar faces are set to be major frontrunners come award season.
Among the films receiving multiple nominations are One Battle After Another, the musical thriller Sinners, as well as the finale of Wicked: For Good, each of which has major nominations in ‘Best Cinematography’, ‘Best Casting’, and ‘Makeup and Hairstyling’.
Among the other categories are ‘Best Live Action Short Film’, as well as ‘Best Documentary’ and ‘Best Documentary Short Film’. The shortlist also has announced the biggest names on the musical side of cinema, including ‘Best Original Score’ and ‘Best Original Song’.
Wicked For Good has earned recognition for the new song ‘No Place Like Home’, other nominations include the Nine Inch Nails’ track ‘As Alive As You Want Me To Be’ for Tron: Ares, ‘Golden’ from K-Pop: Demon Hunters, and Sinners getting two nominations for both ‘I Lied to You’ and ‘Last Time (I Seen the Sun)’.
Avatar: Fire and Ash has also received several nominations ahead of its release on December 19th, including for ‘Best Original Song’ with ‘Dream as One’, ‘Best Original Score’, ‘Best Sound’, and ‘Best Visual Effects’.
Hollywood’s biggest night is set to be held on March 16th, 2026 and is set to feature Conan O’Brien returning as host.
The full list of nominations will be revealed on January 22nd, 2026.
Oscars 2026: The nomination shortlists in 12 categories:
‘Best Animated Short Film’
- Autokar
- Butterfly
- Cardboard
- Éiru
- Forevergreen
- The Girl Who Cried Pearls
- Hurikán
- I Died in Irpin
- The Night Boots
- Playing God
- The Quinta’s Ghost
- Retirement Plan
- The Shyness of Trees
- Snow Bear
- The Three Sisters
‘Best Casting’
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle after Another
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Sirât
- Weapons
- Wicked: For Good
‘Best Cinematography’
- Ballad of a Small Player
- Bugonia
- Die My Love
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- Nouvelle Vague
- One Battle after Another
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Sirât
- Song Sung Blue
- Sound of Falling
- Train Dreams
- Wicked: For Good
‘Best Documentary Feature Film’
- The Alabama Solution
- Apocalypse in the Tropics
- Coexistence, My Ass!
- Come See Me in the Good Light
- Cover-Up
- Cutting through Rocks
- Folktales
- Holding Liat
- Mr. Nobody against Putin
- Mistress Dispeller
- My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow
- The Perfect Neighbor
- Seeds
- 2000 Meters to Andriivka
- Yanuni
‘Best Documentary Short Film’
- All the Empty Rooms
- All the Walls Came Down
- Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
- Bad Hostage
- Cashing Out
- Chasing Time
- Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”
- Classroom 4
- The Devil Is Busy
- Heartbeat
- Last Days on Lake Trinity
- On Healing Land, Birds Perch
- Perfectly a Strangeness
- Rovina’s Choice
- We Were the Scenery
‘Best International Feature Film’
- Argentina – Belén
- Brazil – The Secret Agent
- France – It Was Just an Accident
- Germany – Sound of Falling
- India – Homebound
- Iraq – The President’s Cake
- Japan – Kokuho
- Jordan – All That’s Left of You
- Norway – Sentimental Value
- Palestine – Palestine 36
- South Korea – No Other Choice
- Spain – Sirât
- Switzerland – Late Shift
- Taiwan – Left-Handed Girl
- Tunisia – The Voice of Hind Rajab
‘Best Live Action Short Film’
- Ado
- Amarela
- Beyond Silence
- The Boy with White Skin
- Butcher’s Stain
- Butterfly on a Wheel
- Dad’s Not Home
- Extremist
- A Friend of Dorothy
- Jane Austen’s Period Drama
- Pantyhose
- The Pearl Comb
- Rock, Paper, Scissors
- The Singers
- Two People Exchanging Saliva
‘Best Makeup and Hairstyling’
- The Alto Knights
- Frankenstein
- Kokuho
- Marty Supreme
- Nuremberg
- One Battle after Another
- Sinners
- The Smashing Machine
- The Ugly Stepsister
- Wicked: For Good
‘Best Original Score’
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- Bugonia
- Captain America: Brave New World
- Diane Warren: Relentless
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Hedda
- A House of Dynamite
- Jay Kelly
- Marty Supreme
- Nuremberg
- One Battle after Another
- Sinners
- Sirât
- Train Dreams”
- Tron: Ares
- Truth and Treason
- Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
- Wicked: For Good
‘Best Original Song’
- ‘As Alive As You Need Me To Be – Tron: Ares
- ‘Dear Me’ – Diane Warren: Relentless
- Dream As One’ – Avatar: Fire and Ash
- ‘Drive’ – F1
- ‘Dying To Live’ – Billy Idol Should Be Dead
- ‘The Girl In The Bubble’ – Wicked: For Good
- ‘Golden’ – KPop Demon Hunters
- ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ – Highest 2 Lowest
- ‘I Lied To You’ – Sinners
- ‘Last Time (I Seen The Sun)’ – Sinners
- ‘No Place Like Home’ – Wicked: For Good
- ‘Our Love’ – The Ballad of Wallis Island
- ‘Salt Then Sour Then Sweet’ – Come See Me in the Good Light
- ‘Sweet Dreams Of Joy’ – Viva Verdi!
- ‘Train Dreams’ – Train Dreams
‘Best Sound‘
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
- One Battle after Another
- Sinners
- Sirât
- Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
- Superman
- Wicked: For Good
‘Best Visual Effects’
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- The Electric State
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Jurassic World Rebirth
- The Lost Bus
- Sinners
- Superman
- Tron: Ares
- Wicked: For Good
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