Oscars 2026: winners and ceremony year explained
The 98th Oscars took place on 15 March 2026, honouring 2025 releases. A source-backed guide to the major winners and a correction to our earlier predictions article.
The 2026 Oscars were the 98th Academy Awards, held on 15 March 2026 to honour films released in 2025. One Battle after Another won Best Picture. The Academy’s official ceremony record is the source for the results below.
Correction — 8 September 2026: Our previous article confused the ceremony year and edition, discussed 2026 releases as contenders for an already completed ceremony, and used unsupported score and frontrunner claims. That predictions text has been replaced with the confirmed results. The original URL and publication date are retained so readers can see the correction.
Who won the major Oscars in 2026?
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Picture | One Battle after Another | One Battle after Another |
| Directing | Paul Thomas Anderson | One Battle after Another |
| Actor in a Leading Role | Michael B. Jordan | Sinners |
| Actress in a Leading Role | Jessie Buckley | Hamnet |
| Actor in a Supporting Role | Sean Penn | One Battle after Another |
| Actress in a Supporting Role | Amy Madigan | Weapons |
| Animated Feature Film | KPop Demon Hunters | KPop Demon Hunters |
| International Feature Film | Sentimental Value — Norway | Sentimental Value |
This is a selection of major categories, not the complete ceremony ledger. The Academy’s page links every category, winner and nominee. A film omitted from this table may have won another award.
Why do the film year and Oscar year differ?
The date on an awards ceremony and the release year of the films it honours answer different questions. The Academy labels this ceremony “2026” and explicitly describes it as honouring movies released in 2025. Searching only for a film’s release year can therefore lead you to the wrong results page.
For a reliable note, keep three fields together: the ceremony name, the ceremony year and the category. Add the film’s release year separately. That convention also helps when comparing a film’s festival appearance with a later awards campaign; the two events need not share a calendar year.
Are nominees also winners?
A nomination should remain a nomination unless that category’s official result records a win. Even when a film wins one award, it can still be a nominee in another. “Oscar-winning film” on its own leaves out what the Academy recognised: an acting performance, a screenplay, sound work or the overall production.
Our awards archive lets you select the award body and ceremony year together. The winners-only control checks that same record. Catalogue totals reflect the records currently included on Celluloid, so they should not be treated as a complete career tally or a substitute for the organiser’s results.
Can an award predict whether you will enjoy a film?
Use the winning category as a starting point. An acting award may lead you towards a performance worth studying; a craft award can draw attention to an aspect of filmmaking you normally overlook. Neither supplies the tone, pacing or content information that helps you choose a film for a particular evening.
Read a review alongside the award record. A useful review explains what the film does and who may respond to it. Celluloid’s editorial verdict and composite score serve that separate purpose; they do not represent Academy votes or a forecast of future nominations.
Where should you check the complete results?
Use the Academy’s official 2026 ceremony page in Sources for the complete results. For earlier films, the 2025 Oscars recap covers the previous ceremony, while the Oscar archive groups catalogue titles by recorded ceremony year.
Sources
- 98th Academy Awards — official winners and nominees — Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences