Who won at the Oscars? All 2026 Academy Award winners – Dexerto

The road to the 98th Academy Awards began in early 2025, a year that many industry analysts have dubbed the "Year of the Visionary." Following the critical and commercial successes of the previous season, the 2025 slate was marked by the return of several "New Hollywood" titans and the emergence of bold new voices. The nominations, which were officially announced in January 2026, revealed a diverse field of contenders, led by Ryan Coogler’s supernatural thriller Sinners. By securing 16 nominations, Sinners has officially entered the record books, matching or exceeding the tallies of historical heavyweights such as All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016). This unprecedented haul for a genre-bending film underscores a shift in the Academy’s voting patterns, moving toward a broader embrace of elevated horror and high-concept drama.

The Historic Dominance of Sinners and the Coogler-Jordan Partnership

The collaboration between director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan has long been one of the most fruitful partnerships in contemporary cinema, but Sinners appears to be their most ambitious project to date. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film’s 16 nominations span nearly every major category, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan. The film’s narrative—a period piece infused with supernatural elements—has been praised for its meticulous production design and its ability to weave social commentary into a high-stakes thriller.

Industry data suggests that Sinners benefited from a robust "For Your Consideration" campaign that emphasized its technical mastery. The film is a frontrunner in categories such as Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects, reflecting the Academy’s appreciation for films that utilize practical effects alongside cutting-edge digital technology. The inclusion of Michael B. Jordan in the Best Actor race marks a significant milestone for the performer, who has been a mainstay of the industry for over a decade but has often been overlooked by the Academy for his leading roles.

A Field of Auteurs: Safdie, Anderson, and Lanthimos

While Sinners leads the pack in terms of volume, the 98th Academy Awards features a highly competitive field of established directors. Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, an A24 production starring Timothée Chalamet, has emerged as a major critical darling. The film, which explores the world of professional table tennis in the mid-20th century, showcases Safdie’s signature kinetic energy while marking a departure into more stylized, period-accurate filmmaking. Chalamet’s portrayal of the title character has garnered him a Best Actor nomination, further cementing his status as one of the most versatile leading men of his generation.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another also stands as a formidable contender. Anderson, a perennial Academy favorite, has once again delivered a sprawling, complex narrative that has resonated deeply with the actors’ branch. Similarly, Yorgos Lanthimos continues his streak of Academy recognition with Bugonia, a film that reunites him with several past collaborators. Lanthimos’s unique brand of surrealist comedy-drama has become a staple of the Oscars in recent years, and Bugonia is expected to perform strongly in the screenplay and acting categories.

Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s celebrated novel, provides a more classical "Oscar-caliber" drama to the mix. Zhao, who previously won Best Director for Nomadland, brings her signature naturalistic style to a story centered on the life of William Shakespeare’s family. The film’s inclusion in the Best Picture race highlights the Academy’s continued interest in literary adaptations that offer fresh perspectives on historical figures.

Security Measures and the Global Broadcast Context

The 2026 Oscars are taking place under a cloud of heightened security. Following a series of non-specific but credible warnings from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding potential disruptions at high-profile public events, the Academy and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) have implemented a "High Alert" security protocol. This includes an expanded perimeter around the Dolby Theatre, increased surveillance, and more rigorous screening processes for attendees and staff.

Despite these concerns, the Academy has expressed confidence in the safety of the event. In an official statement, a spokesperson for AMPAS noted, "The safety of our guests, staff, and the community is our highest priority. We are working closely with local and federal law enforcement to ensure that the 98th Academy Awards is a secure and celebratory environment for all." The heightened security reflects a broader trend of increased vigilance at major cultural gatherings in the mid-2020s.

The Introduction of Best Casting and Technical Evolution

The 2026 ceremony marks one of the first years that the Academy has fully integrated the new Best Casting category into the main telecast. For decades, casting directors argued that their work was the foundation of a film’s success, and the Academy’s decision to honor this craft has been met with widespread industry approval. Contenders for the inaugural awards in this category include the casting teams behind Sinners, Marty Supreme, and the year’s most successful ensemble comedies.

Technically, the 2026 Oscars also reflect the industry’s ongoing debate regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence in filmmaking. While the Academy introduced new guidelines in 2024 and 2025 regarding AI eligibility, this year’s nominees in the Best Visual Effects and Best Animated Feature categories are being scrutinized for their adherence to "human-centric" creative processes. The Academy’s Board of Governors has maintained that "the Oscars are a celebration of human creativity," and the 2026 nominees reflect a balance between traditional craftsmanship and responsible technological integration.

Analyzing the Leading Categories: A Deep Dive into the Nominees

Best Picture

The Best Picture race is considered one of the most unpredictable in recent years. While Sinners has the momentum of 16 nominations, the "preferential ballot" system often favors films that have broad consensus support rather than just a passionate base. Marty Supreme and Hamnet are seen as strong "Number 2" choices that could pull off an upset if the vote for Sinners is split among other genre-heavy contenders like Bugonia.

Best Director

In the Best Director category, the narrative centers on whether the Academy will reward a first-time winner like Ryan Coogler or Josh Safdie, or return to a previous winner like Chloé Zhao. Paul Thomas Anderson, despite his many nominations over the decades, has never won Best Director, leading some to believe that this could be a "career achievement" year for the filmmaker.

Best Actor and Best Actress

The acting categories are notably competitive this year. Timothée Chalamet’s transformation for Marty Supreme involved months of physical training and dialect work, a narrative that often appeals to the actors’ branch. However, Michael B. Jordan’s performance in Sinners is being hailed as the definitive work of his career. In the Best Actress category, the field is led by powerhouse performances in both independent dramas and major studio releases, with several international performers making the shortlist, reflecting the Academy’s increasingly global membership.

Broader Implications for the Film Industry

The 2026 Oscars serve as a barometer for the health of the theatrical film industry. Following years of uncertainty regarding the viability of non-franchise cinema, the success of the 2025 slate suggests that audiences are returning to theaters for original stories. The high nomination counts for films produced by both traditional studios (Warner Bros.) and independent powerhouses (A24) indicate a healthy ecosystem where different scales of production can coexist and find critical success.

Furthermore, the diversity of the 2026 nominees reflects the ongoing impact of the Academy’s Aperture 2020 initiative, which sought to improve representation within the organization and its honors. With a significant number of nominations for women and people of color across the "below-the-line" technical categories as well as the major awards, the 98th Academy Awards represent a step toward a more inclusive industry standard.

As the ceremony progresses, the live updates will reveal which films will join the pantheon of Oscar winners. The results will not only define the careers of the individuals involved but will also set the tone for the 2026 production cycle, influencing which projects receive greenlights and which stories are deemed worthy of the silver screen. With the eyes of the world on the Dolby Theatre, the 2026 Oscars remain the ultimate celebration of the power of cinema to move, challenge, and inspire.