The 98th Academy Awards was held on 15 March 2026 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best films that were released in2025. The ceremony is one of the most prestigious international recognitions in the film industry and is organized by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It was hosted by comedian and television host Conan O’Brien and aired across the world with the attendance of entertainment industry members and film fans all over the world.
The 2026 event was an emphasis on a year of various narratives and creative imagination in film. Independent dramas, big studio films, foreign film and animated films competed in various categories showing the growing international impact of filmmaking. The awards also focused on the changing industry priorities such as introduction of a new category which acknowledged excellence in casting.
The largest winner of the night was the movie One Battle After Another, which won six Academy Awards, including the most coveted honor, Best Picture. The film, which is directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, has a satirical storyline and a grand storyline and this appealed to the Academy voters with great impact, thus marking one of the most jubilant victories of the event.
The other exceptional movie was Sinners that had the most nominations and ended up winning many major awards. In the meantime, the work of actors like Michael B. Jordan and Jessie Buckley were highly praised as well, which further increased the relevance of the evening.
Altogether, the Oscars 2026 event showed the dynamic trend of modern cinematography that embraced new storytelling, internationality and excellence in technology in the industry.
Oscars 2026 Highlights
Most awards winner
The movie One Battle After Another became the biggest winner of the evening earning six Academy Awards. It won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing and the first-ever Best Casting award. The success of the film showed that the industry was highly aware of the depth of the story and the craftsmanship in the technical side of the film.
Most nominations
Sinners was the most nominated movie at the 2026 Academy Awards, with 16 nominations. The film with its combination of a genre narrative and a social commentary directed by Ryan Coogler gained wide acclaim. However, it failed to win the award of the Best Picture; nevertheless, it won several categories including the Best Actor and the Best Original Screenplay.
First-time winners
The ceremony saw several award-winning artists win their respective Academy Awards. Best Actor was given to actor Michael B. Jordan who portrayed Sinners, and this is a great milestone in his career. Director Paul Thomas Anderson also obtained his first Oscar in the category of Best Director although he had been nominated in the same category in the previous years.
Likewise, actress Jessie Buckley made history by becoming the first Irish actress to win the Best Actress award in her role in the historical drama Hamnet.
Records broken
The event had a number of historic accomplishments. The Irish win of Jessie Buckley marked a win in the best actress category by the Irish. Also, the longest gap between an Oscar nomination and a winning performance was recorded by veteran actress Amy Madigan who won the Supporting Actress category of the film, Weapons.
New category (Best Casting)
A new category of the 2026 Oscars is also the Best Casting. The award honored the artistry of the ensemble cast of a film and featured the role of the casting director in creating the story on screen which is frequently disregarded.
The first award was given to the casting director Cassandra Kulukundis in One Battle After Another in which the decisions made in casting form one of the keys to the success of a movie.
Oscars 2026 Full Winners List
Best Picture
Winner: One Battle After Another
This film won the top honor of the evening for its bold storytelling and critical acclaim. The victory cemented its position as one of the most significant cinematic achievements of the year.
Best Director
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
Anderson earned his first Academy Award for Best Director, marking a major milestone in his acclaimed filmmaking career that has since been seen as one of the best held to account in modern cinema.
Best Actor
Winner: Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
The emotional and dramatic nature of his performance made Jordan win his first Academy Award which was the turning point in his acting career.
Best Actress
Winner: Jessie Buckley — Hamnet
Buckley’s performance in the Shakespearean historical drama received critical acclaim and secured her first Academy Award
Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Sean Penn — One Battle After Another
Penn delivered a powerful supporting performance that contributed significantly to the film’s overall success.
Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Amy Madigan — Weapons
This was a historic moment in her career as Madigan was the one who was doing a great supporting role in the drama making her win.
Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Ryan Coogler — Sinners
The screenplay by Coogler was highly regarded because of its originality and the depth in its themes and this gave the movie one of its most important awards.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
The screen version adaptation was hailed as a triumph of adapting literary source content into a captivating cinematic story.
Best Animated Feature
Winner: KPop Demon Hunters
The animated movie obtained world fame due to its colorful plot and music aspects.
Best International Feature
Winner: Sentimental Value (Norway)
The Norwegian drama got international recognition and it is a historic win for Norway in this category.
Best Documentary
Winner: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
The documentary was identified as a strong political narrative and investigation story.
Best Original Song
Winner: “Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters
The animated film provided the animated song that became one of the highlight musical moments of the ceremony.
Best Original Score
Winner: Ludwig Göransson — Sinners
The orchestral score by Göransson was strong, and this aspect helped to bring out the tone and atmosphere of the film.
Best Cinematography
Winner: Autumn Durald Arkapaw — Sinners
The visual style and direction of the lighting effects of the movie received huge acclaim among both critics and film industry experts.
Best Editing
Winner: One Battle After Another
Editing in the film helped create a lively tempo of the film and the plot.
Best Production Design
Winner: Frankenstein
The gothic setting and elaborate design of sets contributed to the realization of the setting of the film.
Best Costume Design
Winner: Frankenstein
The sumptuous costume design was appropriate to the atmospheric narration and historical approach of the movie.
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Winner: Frankenstein
Critical acclaim was received due to the makeup effects of transforming the characters.
Best Sound
Winner: F1
The racing movie also provided very robust sound design that accelerated the action scenes within the movie.
Best Visual Effects
Winner: Avatar: Fire and Ash
The movie followed the tradition of the franchise of revolutionary visual effects.
Best Casting (New Category)
Winner: Cassandra Kulukundis — One Battle After Another
The debut Oscar in the category of casting said a lot about the large contribution that the casting directors make in the construction of successful movies.
Biggest Winners of Oscars 2026
Film with most awards
One Battle After Another was the obvious leader of the ceremony and won six awards by the major categories. The preeminence of the film was indicative of its popularity in the industry due to its narrative complexity, political satire and creativity in the direction.
Actor / Actress highlight
The acting categories had strong acting by both the established and upcoming talents. The Best Actor award of Michael B. Jordan in Sinners was a breakthrough of his career and the emotional performance of the actress, Jessie Buckley, in Hamnet brought her extensive praise and its legendary status.
Surprise win
The win of Amy Madigan as the Best Supporting Actress was mostly viewed as one of the biggest surprises of the ceremony. The victory not just acknowledged her work in Weapons but also her contribution to the film industry over a long period of time.
Snubs
Sinners has received the best picture nomination yet it failed to win the award as nomination was the decisive factor, as predicted by many industry observers. Likewise, the major nominations such as performances and technical nominations were chatter on the internet as some of the expected winners lacked a spot on the list of winners.
Oscars 2026 Red Carpet Highlights
Celebrities
The red carpet had a great number of leading actors, directors and producers present at the ceremony. Other guests who were highly photographed included Michael B. Jordan, Jessie Buckley, Ryan Coogler, and Paul Thomas Anderson.
The ceremony also had tributes to legendary industry players such as actors Robert Redford and Diane Keaton, who were being honored with their contribution to the film industry.
Fashion
The red carpet fashion continued to be a key part of the Oscars. Designers showed courageous fashion on the couture and dramatic gowns, and tailored suits which echoed contemporary trend and classic Hollywood style. A number of fashion outfits were trending on various social media outlets.
Viral moments
The ritual created a number of viral moments on the internet. The monologue of host Conan O’Brien, in which he delivered political humor, and the speech of gifted winners such as Jessie Buckley and Michael B. Jordan, who perceive the speech as emotional, were heard and read around the globe.
The year 2026 Academy Awards was an unforgettable year in the film industry. As One Battle After Another won the Best Picture award, the ceremony highlighted the growing importance of bold storytelling and diverse filmmaking perspectives.
Such scenes, as well as backstage communication between the actors and the filmmakers, have rapidly spread to social networks, increasing the world coverage of the event.
Conclusion
The works of such performers like Michael B. Jordan and Jessie Buckley or the technical quality in movies like Frankenstein and Avatar: Fire and Ash showed the diversity of the talent that the Academy recognized.
The Academy also attempted to modernize its awards by introducing the Best Casting category, highlighting previously overlooked aspects of the filmmaking process.With the development of the global film industry, the results of theOscars 2026 indicate that in the future, creative risk-taking, international cooperation, and heterogeneity in narration rates will have an even greater impact on the creation of the sphere. The expectation has now switched to the next Academy Awards event where all the filmmakers and viewers are now hoping to be taken up by another year of film making breakthroughs.
