Oscars Pick Em 2026: Predict Academy Awards Winners March 15

The 98th Academy Awards are coming up on March 15, 2026. This year brings something special. Ryan Coogler’s film “Sinners” just made Oscar history with 16 nominations. That beats the old record of 14 nominations held by three classic films.

The ceremony happens at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Conan O’Brien returns as host for his second year. You can watch it live on ABC starting at 7:00 PM Eastern Time or 4:00 PM Pacific Time.

Oscar Pick Em is a fun game where you predict the winners before the ceremony. You pick who you think will win in each category. The person who guesses the most winners correctly wins the game. This year has 24 categories to predict. That includes a brand new category called Best Casting.

Ceremony Date	Sunday, March 15, 2026
Time	7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT
Location	Dolby Theatre, Hollywood
Host	Conan O’Brien (2nd year)
Watch On	ABC, Hulu
Categories	24 (including NEW Best Casting)
Most Nominations	Sinners (16 – Record Breaking)

How to Watch Oscars 2026

ABC will broadcast the ceremony live across the United States. The show starts at 7:00 PM Eastern Time. West Coast viewers can watch at 4:00 PM Pacific Time.

Streaming gives you more options. Hulu streams the ceremony live with a regular subscription. YouTube TV costs $82.99 per month and offers a 21-day free trial. Hulu plus Live TV runs $89.99 monthly. Fubo charges $84.99 or more each month. Note that Fubo recently removed NBC from its channel lineup but still carries ABC.

Most people choose either ABC through cable or Hulu for streaming. Both give you the full ceremony with red carpet coverage.

Sinners Breaks Oscar Record with 16 Nominations

Ryan Coogler’s supernatural thriller “Sinners” rewrote the record books. The film earned 16 Oscar nominations. That beats the previous record of 14 nominations. Three films shared that old record: All About Eve from 1950, Titanic from 1997, and La La Land from 2016.

The film tells a vampire story set in 1930s Mississippi. Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers Smoke and Stack. This marks Jordan’s first Oscar nomination after years of acclaimed performances.

Sinners got nominated in every category where it qualified. The nominations include Best Picture, Best Director for Ryan Coogler, Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Supporting Actor for Delroy Lindo, and Best Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku. The film also earned recognition for Original Screenplay, the new Best Casting category, Production Design, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, Visual Effects, Original Score, and Original Song.

Ryan Coogler becomes the seventh Black filmmaker ever nominated for Best Director. Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history as the first woman of color nominated for Best Cinematography. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter earned her fifth nomination and became the most-nominated Black woman in Oscar history.

Make Your Oscars 2026 Predictions Now

Ready to play Oscars Pick Em 2026? Use our interactive widget below to make your predictions across all 24 categories. Click your winners, see your picks, and share them with friends on social media.

Made your picks? Great. Now let’s explore each category to help you make smarter predictions. Check our Oscar Predictions 2026 here.

Top Contenders Overview

Film	Nominations	Key Categories
Sinners	16	Picture, Director, Actor, Screenplay
One Battle After Another	13	Picture, Director, 4 Acting nominations
Frankenstein	9	Picture, Animated Feature
Sentimental Value	9	Picture, 2 Supporting Actress
Marty Supreme	9	Picture, Actor (Chalamet)
Hamnet	8	Picture, Casting

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” trails close behind with 13 nominations. The film includes four acting nominations for Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn. The drama already won both the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture.

Warner Bros. had an exceptional year. The studio earned 30 total nominations. That sets a new record in the company’s 102-year history. Sinners and One Battle After Another account for 29 of those nominations.

Best Picture Race: All 10 Nominees

Ten films compete for Best Picture this year. Bugonia from director Yorgos Lanthimos earned 4 nominations. F1 starring Brad Pitt also received 4 nominations despite mixed reviews. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein earned 9 total nominations. Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet received 8 nominations. Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme starring Timothée Chalamet got 9 nominations.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another leads with 13 nominations and won major precursor awards. The Brazilian film The Secret Agent earned 4 nominations. The Norwegian drama Sentimental Value surprised everyone with 9 nominations. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners leads the pack with a record 16 nominations. Dennis Villeneuve’s Train Dreams rounds out the category with 4 nominations.

This marks the eighth straight year that foreign language films compete in Best Picture. Both Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent represent international cinema at the highest level.

The race appears tight between Sinners and One Battle After Another. Sinners shows strength across every category where it competed. One Battle After Another has momentum from winning Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards. Dark horse candidates include Sentimental Value and the horror entry Frankenstein.

Best Actor Predictions

Timothée Chalamet earned his third nomination at age 30 for Marty Supreme. That makes him the youngest actor with three acting nominations since Marlon Brando. His promotional campaign generated buzz and the film became A24’s biggest ticket seller.

Leonardo DiCaprio received a nomination for One Battle After Another. The veteran actor brings serious competition in a Paul Thomas Anderson film. Michael B. Jordan got his first Oscar nomination playing twins in Sinners. Ethan Hawke earned recognition for Blue Moon. Wagner Moura rounds out the category for The Secret Agent after winning the Golden Globe.

Chalamet appears to be the frontrunner based on precursor awards. DiCaprio could pull an upset with his acclaimed performance. Jordan’s dual role showcases incredible range but he faces tough competition.

Best Actress Predictions

Rose Byrne earned her first nomination for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Mikey Madison competes for The Ugly Stepsister. Renate Reinsve represents the Norwegian film Sentimental Value. Tilda Swinton received recognition for The Smashing Machine. Zendaya rounds out the nominees for Bugonia.

This race remains wide open without a clear frontrunner. Multiple actresses could take home the trophy. Watch the upcoming BAFTA Awards on February 22 and Actor Awards on March 1 for clues about who might win.

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio Del Toro earned a nomination for One Battle After Another. Jesse Eisenberg represents Marty Supreme. Delroy Lindo got his first Oscar nomination for Sinners. Sean Penn also competes for One Battle After Another. Stellan Skarsgård rounds out the category for Sentimental Value.

Many expected Miles Caton to receive a nomination for Sinners. The young actor won the Critics Choice award for best young performer. The Academy chose Delroy Lindo instead. This category could swing several ways depending on precursor awards.

Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning earned her first nomination for Sentimental Value. Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas also represents the same Norwegian film. Amy Madigan made history with her nomination for Weapons. She set a record for the longest gap between Oscar nominations at 40 years. Her first nomination came in 1985 for Twice in a Lifetime.

Wunmi Mosaku received her first nomination for Sinners. Teyana Taylor completes the category for One Battle After Another in her first Oscar nomination. The race could go several ways. Both actresses from Sentimental Value bring strong performances. Teyana Taylor gained momentum from precursor awards.

Best Director Showdown

Ryan Coogler earned his first directing nomination for Sinners. Paul Thomas Anderson received another nomination for One Battle After Another. Joachim Trier represents Sentimental Value. Josh Safdie competes for Marty Supreme. Chloé Zhao became the second woman and first woman of color nominated for directing twice with Hamnet.

The race looks close between Coogler and Anderson. Both films show exceptional craft across every department. Coogler’s nomination carries historic weight as the seventh Black filmmaker recognized in this category. The last Black director nominated was Spike Lee seven years ago for BlacKkKlansman.

NEW Category: Best Casting

The Academy added Best Casting as a competitive category this year. This marks the first new Oscar category in 25 years. The last new category was Best Animated Feature in 2001. The Academy stated that casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking.

Francine Maisler represents Sinners. She has worked with directors like Adam McKay, Aaron Sorkin, Barry Jenkins, and Denis Villeneuve. Cassandra Kulukundis earned recognition for One Battle After Another. Nina Gold represents Hamnet. Jennifer Venditti competes for Marty Supreme. Gabriel Domingues rounds out the category for The Secret Agent.

Maisler appears to be the favorite given Sinners’ strength across all categories. New categories often produce surprising winners as voters celebrate the debut honor.

Oscar Pick Em Strategy Guide

Smart predictions require research beyond just watching the films. The BAFTA Film Awards happen on February 22. The Actor Awards take place on March 1. These precursor awards often predict Oscar winners. Films that win both BAFTAs and Actor Awards usually win the Oscar.

Don’t always pick the film with the most nominations. History shows that nomination leaders don’t always win the most awards. La La Land had 14 nominations but Moonlight won Best Picture. Technical categories like Visual Effects and Sound usually favor big production films over smaller dramas.

International films can surprise you. Don’t count out Sentimental Value or The Secret Agent just because they’re foreign language films. Parasite won Best Picture in 2020. First-time nominees sometimes win. The Academy loves giving actors their first Oscar after years of acclaimed work.

Guild awards matter a lot. The Directors Guild winner often wins the Oscar for Best Director. The Writers Guild predicts screenplay winners. The Producers Guild winner frequently takes Best Picture. Best Picture often splits from Best Director. One film might win Picture while another takes Director.

How to Play Oscars Pick Em 2026

Start by reviewing all the nominees in each category. Use the interactive widget above to make your selections. Research helps you make better predictions. Watch the precursor awards like BAFTAs on February 22 and the Actor Awards on March 1.

Make your predictions carefully. Think about campaign momentum and industry buzz. Submit your picks before March 15 at 7:00 PM Eastern Time. That’s when the ceremony begins. Watch the show and track your score. Count how many categories you predicted correctly.

You can play on several platforms. The official Oscars.org website has printable ballots. Gold Derby runs prediction games where you compete against other film fans. ABC.com offers an official game tied to the broadcast. You can also print your own ballot to fill out during the show.

Biggest Surprises & Snubs

F1 earned a Best Picture nomination despite mixed critical reception. The racing film starring Brad Pitt also received nominations for editing, sound, and visual effects. Some industry observers questioned whether the film deserved a Best Picture spot.

Sentimental Value surprised everyone with 9 nominations. Foreign language films rarely earn that many nominations. The Norwegian drama competed across multiple categories including Best Picture, Best Director, and two Best Supporting Actress nominations.

The biggest snub was Wicked: For Good. The sequel received zero nominations. The first Wicked film earned 10 Oscar nominations last year with stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo both nominated. Both actresses must feel disappointed by the complete shutout.

Avatar: Fire and Ash only received 2 technical nominations. The first Avatar earned 9 nominations. Avatar: The Way of Water got 4 nominations. This third installment underperformed expectations. Guillermo del Toro did not receive a directing nomination for Frankenstein despite the film earning 9 total nominations including Best Picture.

Expert Predictions Summary

Best Picture appears to be a two-film race between Sinners and One Battle After Another. Sinners has the most nominations and swept every category where it competed. One Battle After Another won the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards. The winner could go either way.

Best Director likely goes to Ryan Coogler or Paul Thomas Anderson. Both delivered exceptional work. Coogler’s historic nomination adds weight to his candidacy. Best Actor favors Timothée Chalamet based on precursor awards. Leonardo DiCaprio could upset as a respected veteran.

Best Actress remains unpredictable with multiple potential winners. Best Supporting Actress might go to Teyana Taylor or Elle Fanning. Both delivered breakout performances. Best Original Screenplay favors Ryan Coogler for Sinners. Best Casting will likely honor Francine Maisler for her legendary work on Sinners.

FAQs about 2026 Oscars

The 98th Academy Awards promise an exciting night of cinema celebration. Sinners made history with its record nominations. Make your predictions using our interactive widget above. Watch the precursor awards for clues. Join millions of fans playing Oscars Pick Em 2026 and see if you can predict the most winners correctly.