98th Academy Awards Nominee Predictions

On January 22nd, a new class of actors, directors, screenwriters, casting directors, producers, and creatives will be ushered in as newly crowned Oscarby nominees for the 98th Academy Awards. 2025 was a year full of tough competition, thorough campaigns, and unexpected surprises. The horror genre came in strong with the likes of Weapons, Sinners, and Frankenstein breaking into the awards race; the supporting actor and actress races were cutthroat, and Best Picture slots were getting thinner and thinner. Here are the predicted nominees…

 

Best Picture

The hardest category to predict is Best Picture (not due to a clear front-runner, but instead for the other nominees themselves). The fight is currently between Hamnet and One Battle After Another for the top spot, which leaves 8 more nominees to fill. Guillermo Del Toro’s gothic horror-drama Frankenstein is a likely nominee, along with the bizarre sci-fi/comedy/thriller Bugonia. Dramas like It Was Just an Accident, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, and Train Dreams can weasel their way into a nomination. So could the period pieces Sinners, a vampire film, and Marty Supreme, a sports dramedy.

Bugonia (Focus Features)

Frankenstein (Netflix)

Hamnet (Focus Features)

It Was Just an Accident (NEON)

Marty Supreme (A24)

One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)

The Secret Agent (NEON)

Sentimental Value (NEON)

Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Train Dreams (Netflix)

 

Best Director

Best Director…an award given to many legends such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Jane Campion, James Cameron, and Bong Joon-ho. Jafar Panahi was leading the race after he won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, that is until Paul Thomas Anderson released his timely film One Battle After Another. Paul Thomas Anderson has been nominated in the past but has never won. He is currently leading the pack and has won directing awards at nearly every awards show including the Golden Globes.

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

Ryan Coogler – Sinners

Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident

Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme

Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value

 

Best Actor

The Best Actor race has some of the most interesting performances this awards season; a ping-pong hustler, a fugitive revolutionary, a flirtatious songwriter, a set of twins, and a Brazilian doctor living in a crisis. These 5 men have been leading the pack (with a few stragglers following them). The outliers in the race have been Jesse Plemons, Hugh Jackman, Joel Edgerton, and George Clooney. The race seems to be between Chalamet and Moura, who both won Golden Globes in the Musical/Comedy and Drama categories on Sunday night.

Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent

 

Best Actress

The Best Actress race has only contained 2 names that could win this awards season and 8 other names to fill in the other spots. The race has been between Jessie Buckley and Rose Byrne (both playing mothers that are going through it, and gaining audience sympathy) Buckley and Byrne both won Golden Globes for their performances in the Musical/Comedy and Drama categories. The other 8 names are Renate Reinsve, Chase Infiniti, Kate Hudson, Tessa Thompson, Amanda Seyfried, Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, and Eva Victor.

Jessie Buckley – Hamnet

Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue

Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another

Emma Stone – Bugonia

 

Best Supporting Actor

The Best Supporting Actor race was just as competitive as the Supporting Actress race. With fewer names in contention, that didn’t lessen the strength of every performance. There were only 8 names that were constantly thrown around during the beginning of the awards season…Jacob Elordi, Paul Mescal, Delroy Lindo, Adam Sandler, Stellan Skarsgård, Jonathan Bailey, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn. Currently the front-runners are Jacob Elordi after he won the Critic’s Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor and Stellan Skarsgård after he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. No clear winner has been predicted this year.

Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein

Paul Mescal – Hamnet

Sean Penn – One Battle After Another

Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly

Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

 

Best Supporting Actress

Best Supporting Actress has been a competitive category since the release of Sinners in early 2025. There have been 12 names in contention the entire year; Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Amy Madigan, Nina Hoss, Emily Blunt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’Zion, Teyana Taylor, and Regina Hall.  But 5 have managed to break through and stay consistent in the awards race as frontrunners. With Amy Madigan’s recent Critic’s Choice win for Supporting Actress and Teyana Taylor’s Golden Globe win for Supporting Actress, the two women are rumored to be neck-in-neck (sadly pushing Ariana Grande to the back).

Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value

Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value

Amy Madigan – Weapons

Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

 

Best Original Screenplay

Best Original Screenplay is one of the most competitive categories in the Oscars® race. Legendary movies such as Citizen Kane, Network, and Sunset Boulevard have all won the coveted prize. 2025 gave audiences plenty of choices to choose from, but 5 have taken the lead. The hype behind these films will surely secure them a nomination.

It Was Just an Accident – Jafar Panahi

Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie

Sentimental Value – Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt

Sinners – Ryan Coogler

Sorry, Baby – Eva Victor

 

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Adapted Screenplay is the most sought-after writing award, it proves that the material was adapted to fit the film perfectly. Past winners include The Silence of the Lambs, Women Talking, and CODA. The 5 films listed here are gaining momentum in the awards race.

Bugonia – Will Tracy, based on Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan

Frankenstein – Guillermo Del Toro, based on Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Hamnet – Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell, based on Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

One Battle After Another – Paul Thomas Anderson, based on Vineland by Thomas Pynchon

Train Dreams – Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, based on Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

 

Best Editing

Best Editing is a crucial award; without great editing, every film would falter. Greatly paced films such as Jaws, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Saving Private Ryan, Oppenheimer, and Raiders of the Lost Ark have all won this coveted prize. Each film listed below is worthy of a nomination because of the hard work that the editors put in to engage audiences around the world.

F1 – Stephen Mirrione and Patrick J. Smith

Hamnet – Affonso Gonçalves and Chloé Zhao

Marty Supreme – Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie

One Battle After Another – Andy Jurgensen

Sinners – Michael P. Shawver

 

Best Cinematography

The Best Cinematography race has been nothing but exceptional. So many strong contenders; from the chartreuse of Frankenstein, the intimacy of Train Dreams, the epicness of One Battle After Another, the frenzied beauty of Mary Supreme, and the constrast of darkness and light in Sinners. There hasn’t been a clear front-runner in this category, but any of these 5 are worthy of a nomination and a win.

Frankenstein – Dan Laustsen

Marty Supreme – Darius Khondji

One Battle After Another – Michael Bauman

Sinners – Autumn Durald Arkapaw

Train Dreams – Adolpho Veloso

 

Best Production Design

Best Production Design is one of the most important awards. They not only show audiences what the world is like, they bring them into it as well.  The 5 listed below brought audiences into their worlds and let them viscerally experience the worlds that the characters live in. Past winners include; Poor Things, Dune, Titanic, Dick Tracy, and All That Jazz.

Avatar: Fire and Ash – Dylan Cole, Ben Procter, and Vanessa Cole

Frankenstein – Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau

Hamnet – Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton

Sinners – Hannah Beachler and Monique Champagne

Wicked: For Good – Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales

 

Best Original Score

Best Original Score, the award that goes to the most memorable music in film from the suspenseful E’s and F’s of John Williams’ Jaws score to the elegance of Rachel Portman’s Emma score. The 5 contenders have all proven themselves as strong representations of memorable film scores.

Frankenstein – Alexandre Desplat

Hamnet – Max Richter

Marty Supreme – Daniel Lopatin

One Battle After Another – Jonny Greenwood

Sinners – Ludwig Göransson

 

Best Original Song

Best Original Song has one clear winner and nominee, but this article must have the other 4 spots filled. Netflix’s Kpop Demon Hunters’ “Golden” took the world by storm and hasn’t lessened its grip on our culture. The other predicted nominees are listed below. Sinners or Wicked: For Good could become front runners, but everything is still looking “golden” for Kpop Demon Hunters.

Avatar: Fire and Ash – “Dream As One” by Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, and Simon Franglen

KPop Demon Hunters – “Golden” by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, and Teddy

Sinners – “I Lied to You” by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson

Train Dreams – “Train Dreams” by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner

Wicked: For Good – “The Girl in the Bubble” by Stephen Schwartz

 

Best Costume Design

From period pieces to fantasy worlds, the Best Costume Design race has some of the most beautifully crafted outfits worn by the biggest stars and extras who make the world believable. The front-runner is Wicked: For Good, but Ruth E. Carter might get a 3rd Oscar® (after she previously won for Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), making Oscar® history. The naturalistic costumes in Hamnet, the gothic costumes of Frankenstein, and the 50s era clothing of Marty Supreme could also easily make their way to the front of the pack.

Frankenstein – Kate Hawley

Hamnet – Malgosia Turzanska

Marty Supreme – Miyako Bellizzi

Sinners – Ruth E. Carter

Wicked: For Good – Paul Tazewell

 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

There are 5 clear examples of Best Makeup and Hairstyling in 2025…Jacob Elordi’s transformation into a “hot” Frankenstein in Frankenstein, Timothée Chalamet’s acne-ridden face in Marty Supreme, the bloody/monstrous vampires in Sinners, Dwayne Johnson’s evolution into Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, and the wonderful fantastical characters in Wicked: For Good. Past winners of this category have been The Fly, The Whale, and The Substance.

Frankenstein – Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, and Cliona Furey

Marty Supreme – Christy Falco and Jen Delica

Sinners – Siân Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, and Shunika Terry

The Smashing Machine – Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, and Mia Neal

Wicked: For Good – Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, and Laura Blount

 

Best Sound

Best Sound is a hard category for some to understand. Do they nominate films for dialogue? What sounds are audiences supposed to listen for? The simple definition is the atmosphere and diagetic sounds that permeate through the film. For instance F1 has a strong chance to be nominated because of the powerful sounds that sound designers made to make the F1 cars sound impressive or Avatar: Fire and Ash has a strong chance as well because of the sounds of the world and the creatures that exist in Pandora. It’s a war between F1 and Avatar with the other 3 following close behind.

Avatar: Fire and Ash – Brent Burge, Alexis Feodoroff, Michael Hedges, Julian Howarth, Gary Summers, and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle

F1 – Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John

One Battle After Another – José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio, and Tony Villaflor

Sinners – Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, Felipe Pacheco, and David V. Butler

Wicked: For Good – Nancy Nugent Title, John Marquis, Andy Nelson, Simon Hayes, and Jack Dolman

 

Best Visual Effects

Best Visual Effects an honor bestowed upon The Lord of the Rings franchise, the OG Star Wars trilogy, and the works of James Cameron. The battle is still between Avatar:Fire and Ash and F1. There hasn’t been a lot of buzz around the other 3 predicted nominees.

Avatar: Fire and Ash – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett

F1 – Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Edward Price, Keith Dawson

Frankenstein – Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, and José Granell

Superman – Stéphane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Nazé, and Guy Williams

Wicked: For Good – Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Anthony Smith, Dale Newton, and Paul Corbould

 

Best International Feature Film

For the first time EVER Best International Feature Film has a single studio running 5 international films in contention and gaining momentum on all 5 during the awards race. NEON studios (who brought the world Parasite, Anatomy of a Fall, Triangle of Sadness, and Anora) is heading up the 5 contenders this year. It Was Just an Accident won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and was in the lead for most of 2025, that is until the Brazilian film The Secret Agent came out of nowhere and took its place. The clear front-runner is The Secret Agent, but that may be from Brazil’s massive love for their films.

It Was Just an Accident – France

No Other Choice – South Korea

The Secret Agent – Brazil

Sentimental Value – Norway

Sirāt – Spain

 

Best Animated Feature Film

Best Animated Feature Film; home to many notable winners such as: Shrek, Wall-E, Toy Story 3, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The year’s front-runner is clearly KPop Demon Hunters. It became a global phenomenon, smashing every other animated feature for the year including Disney’s Zootopia 2. The other 4 films have been in contention as well, but none can hold a candle to KPop Demon Hunters.

Arco (NEON)

Elio (Disney/Pixar)

KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (France 3 Cinéma)

Zootopia 2 (Disney)

 

Best Casting

2026 is the first year for the Oscar® for Best Casting. No previous ceremonies have had it so it holds many questions within the industry. Will it represent an ensemble like the Actor Awards? Will it represent unknowns or known actors? Does it include extended cast members? So many unknown questions without any solid answers. It will take many Oscar® ceremonies for the world to finally get a feel on how this award works.

Hamnet – Nina Gold and Lucy Amos

Marty Supreme – Jennifer Venditti

One Battle After Another – Cassandra Kulukundis

Sinners – Francine Maisler

Wicked: For Good – Tiffany Little Canfield and Bernard Telsey

 

Best Documentary Feature Film

There is very little buzz and shakeups in the Documentary Feature Film category. The 5 listed below have been at every major awards events and are the 5 competing for the Oscar® on March 15th.

2000 Meters to Andriivka (PBS Distribution)

The Alabama Solution (HBO Documentary Films)

Cover-Up (Netflix)

Mr. Nobody Against Putin (ZDF/Arte)

The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)

 

Best Documentary Short Film

Best Documentary Short Film has been quiet as well, so all prognostics are predicting these 5 for nominations at the Oscars®

All the Empty Rooms (Netflix)

All the Walls Came Down (Interloper Films)

Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud (HBO Documentary Films)

Bad Hostage (The Film Fund)

Cashing Out (The New Yorker)

 

Best Animated Short Film

Best Animated Short Film has been quiet too, along with Documentary short; so prognosticating this category is much harder than others.

Autokar (OZÙ Productions)

Papillon (Cinéfeel Prod)

Cardboard (Lockedin Productions)

Éiru (Cartoon Saloon)

Forevergreen 

 

Best Live Action Short Film

Best Live Action Short Film has garnered more buzz than the last 2 categories. Leading the pack is Two People Exchanging Saliva and it’s been making the rounds more than most of these short films. The other 4 are less predictable due to word-of-mouth and exposure.

Ado

Amarela (MyMama Entertainment)

Beyond Silence (PRPL)

The Boy with White Skin (Astou Productions)

Two People Exchanging Saliva (Misia Films)

Do you agree with our predictions? Stay with us for more updates!

The Oscar® nominees announcement is on Thursday, live on YouTube at 8:30 am Eastern Time, 7:30 am Central Time, and 5:30 am Pacific Standard Time.