Oscar Nominations 2026: Date, Time, How to Watch & Predictions

The 98th Academy Awards nominations announcement happens in just hours. Film fans across the globe are waiting to see which movies and performances will compete for cinema’s biggest honor.

This year brings special excitement with a possible record-breaking nomination total and a brand new Oscar category.

Oscar Nominations 2026 Date and Time

The Academy announces nominations for the 98th Oscars on Thursday, January 22, 2026.

Announcement Times:

• 5:30 AM Pacific Time
• 8:30 AM Eastern Time
• 1:30 PM Greenwich Mean Time

Oscar-nominated actress Danielle Brooks and actor Lewis Pullman present the nominees from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The announcement covers all 24 categories and includes the newly created Best Casting award.

How to Watch Oscar Nominations 2026 Live Stream

You can watch the nominations announcement live through several platforms:

Official Academy Channels:

• Oscar.com
• Oscars.org
• Academy YouTube channel
• Academy Facebook page
• Academy Instagram
• Academy TikTok

TV and Streaming:

• ABC’s Good Morning America
• ABC News Live
• Disney+
• Hulu

The livestream starts at 5:30 AM PT. All platforms offer free access to the announcement.

Oscar Nominations 2026 Predictions: Top Contenders

This year’s race has several strong contenders that could take home the most nominations.

Sinners – Record-Breaking Potential

Ryan Coogler’s supernatural thriller set in 1932 Mississippi leads predictions. Experts think Sinners could grab 15 nominations and break the all-time Oscar record. The current record sits at 14 nominations held by “All About Eve,” “Titanic,” and “La La Land.”

Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers who face vampires in the Jim Crow South. The film made $368 million worldwide and got great reviews with a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Expected Categories: Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Original Score, Casting, Film Editing, Sound and Visual Effects

Recent Success: The film took home four Critics Choice Awards and won the first-ever Best Casting prize.

One Battle After Another – The Frontrunner

Paul Thomas Anderson’s historical drama stars Leonardo DiCaprio and has serious momentum. The film earned a record seven Actor Awards nominations from SAG-AFTRA.

Expected Categories: Best Picture, Director, Actor for DiCaprio, Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor, Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing and Casting

DiCaprio looks set for his eighth Oscar nomination. Teyana Taylor won the Golden Globe for Supporting Actress and stays the favorite in that race.

Hamnet – Emotional Powerhouse

Chloé Zhao directs this drama about the death of William Shakespeare’s son. Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal give powerful performances as Agnes and William Shakespeare.

Expected Categories: Best Picture, Director, Actress for Buckley, Supporting Actor for Mescal, Cinematography and Original Score

Buckley won both the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award. She comes in as the Best Actress favorite. The film also won the Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award.

Frankenstein – Technical Dominance

Guillermo del Toro’s gothic take should sweep technical categories. The Netflix film stars Jacob Elordi as the monster.

Expected Categories: Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, Visual Effects and Cinematography

Del Toro got a Directors Guild nomination. His film made the shortlist in several craft categories.

Other Strong Contenders

Marty Supreme from A24 stars Timothée Chalamet in Josh Safdie’s latest work. The film should get nods for Picture, Director, Actor and technical categories.

Sentimental Value leads the International Feature Film race. Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s drama features Stellan Skarsgård in a Supporting Actor frontrunner role.

Wicked: For Good brings Broadway magic to screens. Ariana Grande might score a Supporting Actress nomination.

Best Picture Predictions 2026

The Academy nominates 10 films for Best Picture:

1. Sinners
2. One Battle After Another
3. Hamnet
4. Frankenstein
5. Marty Supreme
6. Sentimental Value
7. The Secret Agent
8. Bugonia
9. Train Dreams
10. Blue Moon

The race looks like a two-way fight between “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another.” Both Warner Bros. releases have won most precursor awards.

Acting Category Predictions

Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another) leads the field. Michael B. Jordan (Sinners), Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) and Jesse Plemons (Bugonia) fill out the predicted five.

Best Actress: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) looks tough to beat after winning the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award. Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) also has strong backing.

Best Supporting Actress: Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) won the Golden Globe. Amy Madigan (Weapons) won Critics Choice. Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good) could land her first Oscar nomination.

Best Supporting Actor: Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value) tops predictions. Paul Mescal (Hamnet), Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro (both One Battle After Another) and Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein) fight for the other spots.

What’s New for Oscar 2026

Best Casting Category

The Academy created a new category to honor casting directors. This marks the first new Oscar category in years. Ten films made the shortlist with frontrunners “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.”

Updated Voting Rules

Academy members must now watch all nominated films in each category before voting. The Academy tracks viewing through its screening room platform. This makes sure voters see all nominees before making choices.

When Are the 2026 Oscars?

The 98th Academy Awards ceremony happens on Sunday, March 15, 2026 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Ceremony Details:

• Time: 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT
• Host: Conan O’Brien (second straight year)
• Broadcast: ABC and Hulu
• Global reach: 200+ countries and territories

Oscar Nominations 2026 FAQs