Voting for the 97th Academy Awards nominations is officially underway, and the race is shaping up to be quite unpredictable. With no single film yet to emerge as the clear favorite after a year of outstanding releases, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have some rather difficult decisions to make as they cast their ballots for the 2025 Oscars. 

Nearly 10,000 eligible Academy members will have until Sunday, Jan. 12 to sift through a year full of remarkable cinematic achievements across the board. Nominations will then be announced on Friday, Jan. 17. 

From big-screen blockbusters to successful shorts, numerous films from a variety of genres and styles will be featured in the Oscar race. According to Variety, critically acclaimed titles such as Dune: Part Two, Anora, and The Brutalist make the list, each for their own cinematic approaches. 

In December, the Academy set the scene for some potential competition when its shortlist was revealed of 10 different categories ranging from Documentary Feature to Original Song. Two of the most mentioned films on the shortlist are  Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez and Jon M. Chu’s Wicked.  

Adding to the anticipation, Oscar voting also opened the same day the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced its nominations, which could influence voter’s strategy. Not to mention The Directors Guild of America (DGA) lineup is expected to come out soon, potentially causing further deliberation among voters. 

The 2025 Oscars ceremony will be hosted by Conan O’Brien on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will stream live on Hulu.