I was halfway through my second cup of coffee when the envelope split open and the room clenched. You felt it too — a collective intake of breath as names hit the air. The broadcast ended and the scoreboard rewrote itself in real time.
I watched with you, cataloging the wins, the surprises, and the quiet upsets. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handed out the trophies, and a few clear winners emerged: Sinners walked away with major acting, writing, score, and cinematography honors; Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein cleaned up in design and makeup; and One Battle After Another took Best Picture and Director from Paul Thomas Anderson. The evening landed like a lightning strike — sudden, decisive.
Who won Best Picture at the 2026 Oscars?
Winner: One Battle After Another. Paul Thomas Anderson’s film also netted Best Director and several technical honors, confirming its sweep across both creative and craft categories.
Which genre film won the most awards at the 2026 Oscars?
Sinners led the night among genre titles: Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Original Screenplay (Ryan Coogler), Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, plus additional nominations across sound and editing.
Best Picture
Observation: The room quieted when the envelope opened — you could hear the telecast producers counting down.
Nominees:
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Winner: One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Best Director
Observation: Directors paced backstage, scripts folded in their hands like talismans.
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Best Lead Actor
Observation: A camera kept cutting to the nominees’ faces as ballots were read.
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Winner: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Best Lead Actress
Observation: The projected applause chart climbed for each name called.
Winner: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia
Best Original Screenplay
Observation: Writers watched one another with the kind of stillness you only see at industry award shows.
Blue Moon, Robert Kaplow
It Was Just an Accident, Jafar Panahi & Script Collaborators
Marty Supreme, Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
Sentimental Value, Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt
Winner: Sinners, Ryan Coogler
Best Adapted Screenplay
Observation: Adaptors batted away comparisons to source material as cameras zoomed in.
Bugonia, Will Tracy
Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro
Hamnet, Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell
Winner: One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson
Train Dreams, Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Best Animated Feature Film
Observation: The animation studios posted live reaction clips on social feeds immediately after the win.
Arco
Elio
Winner: KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Best Supporting Actress
Observation: Supporting players hugged in the wings while their names trended on Twitter and threads on Reddit swelled.
Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Winner: Amy Madigan, Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Best Supporting Actor
Observation: A veteran actor gave a small salute after his name was announced.
Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Winner: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Best Original Score
Observation: Composers watched their cue sheets as the orchestra swelled.
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Winner: Sinners
Best Cinematography
Observation: Cinematographers compared notes about lighting rigs and camera lenses over drinks.
Frankenstein (Netflix) Dan Laustsen
Marty Supreme (A24) Darius Khondji
One Battle after Another (Warner Bros.) Michael Bauman
Winner: Sinners (Warner Bros.) Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Train Dreams (Netflix) Adolpho Veloso
Best Production Design
Observation: Designers quietly celebrated the practical sets that survived months of shooting.
Winner: Frankenstein, Tamara Deverell
Hamnet, Fiona Crombie
Marty Supreme, Jack Fisk
One Battle After Another, Florencia Martin
Sinners, Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne
Best Film Editing
Observation: Editors checked their timelines one last time before stepping onto the stage.
F1, Stephen Mirrione
Marty Supreme, Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
Winner: One Battle After Another, Andy Jurgensen
Sentimental Value, Olivier Bugge Coutté
Sinners, Michael Shawver
Best International Feature Film
Observation: Delegations from five countries watched the clip reels with translators on speed-dial.
Brazil, The Secret Agent
France, It Was Just an Accident
Winner: Norway, Sentimental Value
Spain, Sirât
Tunisia, The Voice of Hind Rajab
Best Original Song
Observation: Songwriters compared streaming numbers and chart bursts backstage.
“Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless
Winner: “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters
“Highest 2 Lowest” from Highest 2 Lowest
“I Lied To You” from Sinners
“Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi!
“Train Dreams” from Train Dreams
Best Costume Design
Observation: Costume shops trended on Instagram as wardrobes made their way to the Dolby Theatre.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Winner: Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Observation: Makeup trailers stayed busy into the early morning as prosthetics were prepped.
Winner: Frankenstein
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Best Visual Effects
Observation: Visual effects houses posted breakdown reels on Vimeo and YouTube minutes after the winners were announced.
Winner: Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Best Sound
Observation: Sound teams compared mixing session notes and Pro Tools templates the next morning.
Winner: F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirât
Best Documentary Feature Film
Observation: Documentary filmmakers scanned festival laurels and distribution deals while fists clenched at the announcements.
The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cutting Through Rocks
Winner: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
The Perfect Neighbor
Best Live Action Short Film
Observation: Short filmmakers hugged and wept; two films shared the spotlight.
Butcher’s Stain
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Winner: The Singers (tie)
Winner: Two People Exchanging Saliva (tie)
Best Animated Short Film
Observation: Animators swapped frame-rate war stories while the credits rolled.
Butterfly
Forevergreen
Winner: The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Retirement Plan
The Three Sisters
Best Documentary Short Film
Observation: Short-form documentarians checked cameras and visas as awards were read.
All the Empty Rooms
Winner: Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”
The Devil Is Busy
Perfectly a Strangeness
Best Casting
Observation: Casting directors messaged agents about callbacks as the winners were announced.
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Winner: One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sinners
The night was a weave of surprises and confirmations, a quilt of studio power plays, festival momentum, and career-defining moments. Industry platforms like Netflix, Warner Bros., A24, and indie houses all left fingerprints on the winners list. I’ll be tracking box office and streaming spikes on Box Office Mojo and IMDb Pro, and you should too if you want to see whose awards translate into real audience growth — because awards season now carries as much market signal as a major marketing campaign.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Which win surprised you the most and what does it mean for the studios and creators involved?