2026 Oscar WINNERS Predictions: Part 1

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2026 Oscar WINNERS Predictions: Part 1

This Sunday is the 98th Annual Academy Awards. This awards season has been very long (that’s what she said), probably much longer than it needed to be. Regardless, the time has come for me to predict what I believe is winning in the below the line categories. Let’s get started! 


BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

  • Sentimental Value
  • The Secret Agent
  • It Was Just an Accident
  • Sirāt
  • The Voice of Hind Rajab
    • My Thoughts: This is an interesting category to predict, because in the past you predict whatever film you believe is in the best picture. In the case of this year, we have international films in the best picture category, The Secret Agent and Sentimental Value. Which film is winning? I’m going with Sentimental Value on this one. The Secret Agent won best international film at Critics Choice and Golden Globes, but Sentimental Value won it at BAFTA. Sentimental Value also got 9 Oscar nominations which is pretty incredible. I feel like it has to win something and I believe it to be this one. I wouldn’t be surprised if The Secret Agent wins this award either. 


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

  • K-Pop: Demon Hunters
  • Zootopia 2
  • Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
  • Arco
  • Elio 
    • My Thoughts: I feel this one is pretty easy, it’s K-Pop: Demon Hunters’ award to lose. For a while I thought Zootopia 2 could take this award since it was such a big office juggernaut. But K-Pop: Demon Hunters has won so many awards. It won every award it was nominated for at the Annies. I’d like Zootopia 2 to win, but it’s not going to. 


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • One Battle After Another
  • Train Dreams
  • Sinners
  • Frankenstein
  • Marty Supreme
    • My Thoughts: For a while, I was thinking it was the battle between One Battle After Another and Sinners. But lately, I feel like it’s One Battle After Another vs Train Dreams. Train Dreams, surprisingly won best cinematography at Critics Choice over One Battle After Another and Sinners which both received much more nominations. Sinners could still take this home. There’s a world where I can see that happening. But it hasn’t won anything major in cinematography this awards season. Sinners could pull this off if it’s stronger on Oscar night then we think. The film got 16 nominations, it could easily win more awards than we’re thinking. But I feel like One Battle After Another is taking this award home. Train Dreams could pull this off, if it does then it’s probably it’s only award of the night. 


BEST EDITING

  • One Battle After Another
  • Sinners
  • F1
  • Marty Supreme 
  • Sentimental Value 
    • My Thoughts: For a bit there, I thought F1 was going to take this award home. But I feel the momentum fading for F1 in this category and rising for One Battle After Another. One Battle After Another is the clear front runner to win Best Picture. Normally the Best Picture winner also wins editing; We’ve seen that the last several years with Everything Everywhere All at Once, Oppenheimer, and Anora. Based on that, One Battle After Another is taking this award home. The other thing about that movie’s ending is that it’s great and it paces the movie really well. The movie is constantly switching between different characters and plot lines while keeping forward momentum and never boring the audience. If Sinners manages to pull this off, then it has a GREAT shot to win Best Picture. F1 won at Critics Choice but I don’t see that Oscars going for that since it’s not very strong in Best Picture. 


BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

  • Sinners
  • Frankenstein 
  • Marty Supreme
  • One Battle After Another
  • Hamnet
    • My Thoughts: I know that Frankenstein has been winning this award everywhere it needs to. It won at Critics Choice and BAFTA so it’s the clear front under. I’m actually going to go with Sinners on this one. There’s a wave of forward momentum with Sinners after the SAG win. I think the movie is going to surprise in some categories that we aren’t expecting, and I think production design is one of them. If the presenters come out and say Frankenstein on Sunday night I’m going to be surprised. I think both films are very deserving of the win. Frankenstein is the safe and obvious pick but I want to pick something else and be different so I’m doing with Sinners. 


BEST COSTUME DESIGN

  • Frankenstein
  • Sinners
  • Hamnet
  • Marty Supreme
  • Avatar: Fire and Ash
    • My Thoughts: For this one, I’m not being different and going with the obvious pick with Frankenstein. Frankenstein’s costumes are incredible with so much detail and transporting you back to a different time and place. I do believe that Frankenstein is winning more than one award. One of the ones that I believe it’s locked for is costume design, the costumes look incredible here. Once again, I’m putting Sinners as the runner up. The costume design in that film is incredible and deserves to be recognized. I don’t think a movie is going to set up Frankenstein here, but if it had to be one, I’m going with Sinners. Hamnet, Marty Supreme, and especially Avatar: Fire and Ash are just happy to be here. 


BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

  • Frankenstein
  • Sinners
  • The Smashing Machine
  • Kokuho
  • The Ugly Stepsister 
    • My Thoughts: Once again, I’m going with Frankenstein on this one. The makeup design for this film is incredible, making Jacob Elordi disappear into The Creature in such a great job. Sometimes the makeup category lines up with one of our acting categories, I don’t think that’s the case this year. If Frankenstein wins makeup, I don’t believe that improves Jacob Elordi’s Oscar chances. Once again, Sinners could pull this off if it’s having a great night but I don’t see that happening. The Smashing Machine, Kokuho, and The Ugly Stepsister are just happy to be nominated. I don’t see any of them winning as it’s the lone nomination for those films. If Dwayne Johnson made it into best actor then maybe it’ll be slightly more competitive. 


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

  • Avatar: Fire and Ash
  • F1
  • Sinners
  • The Lost Bus
  • Jurassic World: Rebirth
    • My Thoughts: This is a top five easiest category to predict, Avatar: Fire and Ash is winning this award. This movie didn’t connect with audiences as much as the previous two movies, but there’s no denying the CGI in these movies are pretty incredible. I don’t see any other film taking home this award. I have F1 and Sinners as the dark horses that could pull this off. Will they? I doubt it. But given those films are prestigious films it would make sense that they’re the runner ups. 


BEST SOUND

  • F1
  • Sinners
  • One Battle After Another
  • Sirāt
  • Frankenstein
    • My Thoughts: F1 has been compared to being this year’s Top Gun: Maverick. Even with that, Top Gun: Maverick made a lot more money and connected with people more. A few years back Top Gun: Maverick won this award and I think it’s very likely that F1 is winning this award. If you have a racing movie, there’s a good chance that it’ll win here, Ford v Ferrari won several years back. I do see a world where Sinners wins this award if the Academy is just loving Sinners on Sunday. But I think F1 is going to walk away with at least one Oscar and it’s likely going to be this one. 


BEST SCORE

  • Sinners
  • One Battle After Another
  • Frankenstein
  • Hamnet
  • Bugonia
    • My Thoughts: This is another award that I believe Sinners is going to win. Some people were making the argument that One Battle After Another could take this home. It’s the best picture front runner and Jonny Greenwood has yet to win an Oscar despite being in the industry for a long time. But Sinners have won everywhere where the best score category has been. This is one of the awards that I feel most confident in predicting Sinners to win. Ludwig Goransson is one of the top composers working today, and I’m sure we’ll see him at next year’s ceremony with The Odyssey. 


BEST ORIGINAL SONG

  • “I Lied to You” (Sinners)
  • “Golden” (K-Pop: Demon Hunters
  • “Dear Me” (Diane Warren: Relentless)
  • “Train Dreams” (Train Dreams)
  • “Sweet Dreams of Joy” (Viva Verdi!)

My Thoughts: This is an interesting one because it’s very clear who the two front runners are. The Oscars have announced that only two of these songs are being performed during the ceremony, which are Sinners and K-Pop: Demon Hunters. “Golden” has been winning everywhere, it’s this year’s “Let it Go”. But I’m going with a bit of a risky prediction and going with “I Lied to You” from Sinners. Now, maybe I’m being overly confident in how well Sinners is going to do on Sunday night. But, the Academy clearly loves Sinners and I think it’s going to win more awards then people are expecting. Miles Caton did sing a song at SAG, now it wasn’t “I Lied to You”, but the fact that a Sinners song was performed at SAG in the middle of Oscar voting is a good sign. I wouldn’t be shocked if “Golden” takes this home. But at the end of the day, I’m going with Sinners on this one.

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