Oscars 2026 live — updates, predictions and how to watch ahead of the 98th Academy Awards
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Best Casting
- “Hamnet”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “One Battle After Another”
- “The Secret Agent”
- “Sinners”
KW: As a new category, there are no precedents to ponder. Still, it seems like a sure victory for Francine Maisler, a respected veteran who put together an outstanding cast in “Sinners.”
MM: Even if “Sinners” didn’t deserve to win this award (it does), Francine Maisler would probably win anyway as a nod to her legacy and the goodwill she has in the industry.
MS: Much as the other films on the roster all boast phenomenal performances, this goes to “Sinners” for me.
RM: “Sinners” is an ensemble piece with pretty much the whole cast celebrated over the past year, and its other acting nominations make it an obvious favorite
A new category for the first time in 20+ years
“Best Casting” is the first new addition to the Oscars since Best Animated Feature was added to the roster back in 2002. It was announced back in 2024 — after years of lobbying to bring the category to the competition — and recognizes casting directors’ work in selecting the right actors to bring filmmakers’ stories to life on the big screen.
“Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang in a 2024 statement. “We congratulate our Casting Directors Branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process.” — MS
Best Production Design
And the nominees are…
- “Frankenstein”
- “Hamnet”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “One Battle After Another”
- “Sinners”
KW: “Frankenstein” will make it a trifecta with Costume and Makeup, a rare feat.
MM: “Sinners” is a dark horse here, but I fully expect “Frankenstein” to win.
MS: This could be another “Frankenstein” lock.
RM: Guillermo del Toro’s movies have a strong track record in this category, and I expect that to continue with “Frankenstein.”
Best Cinematography
- “Frankenstein”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “One Battle After Another”
- “Sinners”
- “Train Dreams”
KW: This is a close one and all of the nominees are worthy, but “One Battle After Another” picked up the three most important precursors.
MM: This should go to “Train Dreams,” but this is a lock for “One Battle After Another,” and I am not mad about it.
MS: At the risk of repeating myself… this feels like a “One Battle After Another” win. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that one stretch of road and how they staged that car chase.
RM: “One Battle After Another” has the precursor wins, forcing me to pick it (I’m in this to win), but justice for “Train Dreams.”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
And the nominees are…
- “Frankenstein”
- “Kokuho”
- “Sinners”
- “The Smashing Machine”
- “The Ugly Stepsister”
KW: Again, look to the guild. “Frankenstein” will prevail for the stunning work on Jacob Elordi’s Creature.
MM: This is another technical award I expect “Frankenstein” to win in lieu of bigger prizes later in the night.
MS: “Frankenstein” seems the likely winner, though “Kokuho” could scoop a win here after missing out on a spot in Best International Feature.
RM: Jacob Elordi’s transformation into a patchwork monster alone makes “Frankenstein” worthy of this Oscar, and I don’t foresee an upset here.
“Sinners,” the most nominated movie in Oscar history
When I left the theater after seeing “Sinners,” I knew I had just witnessed something special. But even I couldn’t have guessed that I’d just witnessed one of the most special movies in Oscars history, at least, by the numbers. On January 22, the nominations for this year’s Academy Awards were announced, and “Sinners” secured a record 16 Oscar nominations.
Now, getting a lot of nominations and winning a lot of awards aren’t guaranteed to be correlated. Just last year, “Emilia Pérez” scored 13 nominations and won just two awards. Granted, it had its own controversy to deal with, but there are multiple movies with 10+ nominations and zero wins.
So will “Sinners” take home a record number of wins to go with its record number of nominations? Probably not; the record for wins is 11, shared by “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic,” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” and the competition from “One Battle After Another” is far too fierce to let “Sinners” take home that many wins. But I’ll be truly surprised if it doesn’t take home at least three awards tonight. — Malcolm McMillan
Best Costume Design
And the nominees are…
- “Avatar: Fire and Ash“
- “Frankenstein”
- “Hamnet”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “Sinners”
KW: In craft categories, I always look to the guild. “Frankenstein” took the period prize there, and Oscar usually follows suit.
MM: I’d love for “Sinners” to win this one, but frankly, all of the nominees (save “Avatar: Fire and Ash”) wouldn’t get a complaint from me if they won. So I’m not going to be mad when “Frankenstein” takes this award home as a consolation prize.
MS: I have my fingers crossed for this to be one of “Frankenstein’s” wins of the night.
RM: Hard to see the Academy overlooking “Frankenstein’s” incredible gothic outfits.
Best Film Editing
And the nominees are…
- “F1”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “One Battle After Another”
- “Sentimental Value“
- “Sinners”
KW: “One Battle After Another” picked up all the right precursors. That chase through the hills alone deserves the win.
MM: Best Editing tends to (but doesn’t always) go to the Best Picture winner, so look at this to be a bellwether award. I’m picking “One Battle After Another,” regardless of how it does further down the line.
MS: Tougher call, but I think it’s “One Battle After Another.”
RM: “One Battle After Another,” the Best Picture frontrunner, should do well in the technical categories.
Best Visual Effects
And the nominees are…
- “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
- “F1”
- “Jurassic World Rebirth”
- ”The Lost Bus”
- “Sinners”
Kelly Woo: “Avatar: Fire and Ash” swept the guilds, so that’s what I’m going with.
Malcolm McMillan: I wouldn’t necessarily vote for it — my vote would probably go to “F1” — but this is the only Oscar I expect “Avatar: Fire And Ash” to win tonight.
Martin Shore: The big reason to revisit Pandora is because it looks as good as it does on the big screen; I can’t see a world in which “Avatar: Fire and Ash” doesn’t win.
Rory Mellon: James Cameron’s sci-fi franchise has this category on lockdown, so “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is the obvious choice.
Welcome to Tom’s Guide live Oscars 2026 coverage
Welcome to Tom’s Guide live coverage of the Oscars 2026. It’s set to be a night full of A-list stars, tearful (overly long) speeches, and a fond look back at the best movies of 2025.
This year’s Academy Awards are shaping up to be a fiercely fought contest between “Sinners” and “”One Battle After Another”.” It’s a race that is tough to call. But we’re going to try, with our own competitive Oscars 2026 prediction game. We’ll run you through most of the categories and give you our predictions of which movie will be taking home the Oscar gold.
Then, when the show starts at 7 p.m. ET, we’ll bring you the latest live updates, a confirmed list of every winner, and our up-to-the-minute reactions to the 98th Academy Awards.
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