Oscars 2026: Date, Host, Nominations, and Every Major Race Explained
The 98th Academy Awards are six days away. Here is everything you need to know about one of the most unpredictable Oscar races in years — where three films are fighting for Best Picture and no single category has a clear, guaranteed winner.
When Are the Oscars 2026?
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles. The show broadcasts live on ABC beginning at 7 p.m. ET and streams simultaneously on Hulu in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Comedian Conan O'Brien returns as host for his second consecutive year following widespread praise for his 2025 debut. Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan are back as executive producers for a third straight year.
Oscar Nominations 2026 — Key Best Picture Contenders
The Best Picture race features a genre-spanning lineup. Ryan Coogler's Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan, set a new all-time record with 16 nominations — surpassing All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land. Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another and Chloé Zhao's Hamnet round out the three-way battle at the top.
Also nominated for Best Picture: Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme, Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, Yorgos Lanthimos's Bugonia, and Train Dreams.
Best Picture Prediction — Sinners vs. One Battle After Another
It remains anyone's game. One Battle After Another won the Producers Guild Award, a historically reliable Best Picture predictor. Sinners is already in the record books as the most-nominated film in Oscar history. The night is wide open for surprises, and that is what makes this year's awards season so exciting.
Best Actor Race — Michael B. Jordan Takes the Lead
Timothée Chalamet was the early frontrunner after his Golden Globe and Critics Choice wins for Marty Supreme, but lost at the BAFTAs and the Actor Awards. Michael B. Jordan now has the upper hand after his big win at the Actor Awards for his dual performance in Sinners. History is on his side — almost every Best Actor winner since 2000 has won either a BAFTA or an Actor Award. Chalamet has neither. Dark horses include Leonardo DiCaprio and Wagner Moura.
Best Actress — Jessie Buckley Is the Frontrunner
Jessie Buckley's performance in Hamnet won the BAFTA and SAG awards, making her the closest thing to a lock in any major category this year. Rose Byrne, Kate Hudson, Renate Reinsve, and Emma Stone are all nominated but predicted to come up short.
Best Director — Paul Thomas Anderson Has Cleared the Table
Anderson took home the Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics Choice, and Directors Guild Award for One Battle After Another, making him the clear favorite. If Ryan Coogler wins for Sinners, he would make history as both the first Black filmmaker and the first director of a horror film to win Best Director.
Best Supporting Actor — Sean Penn vs. Stellan Skarsgård
Sean Penn won the BAFTA for One Battle After Another. Stellan Skarsgård, receiving his first Oscar nomination for Sentimental Value, is the main competition.
Best Supporting Actress — The Most Wide-Open Race
Amy Madigan won the Actor Award for Weapons. Teyana Taylor won the Golden Globe for One Battle After Another. Wunmi Mosaku won the BAFTA for Sinners. With three different precursor winners, this remains the most unpredictable category on the ballot.
One New Category Debuts in 2026
The 98th Oscars will introduce Best Achievement in Casting as a new competitive category — the first new Oscar category since Best Animated Feature was added in 2001.
