The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled the shortlists in 12 categories for the 98th Academy Awards, marking a major step on the road to Oscar night 2026. The categories are: Animated Short Film, Casting, Cinematography, Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film, International Feature Film, Live Action Short Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Sound, and Visual Effects.
Animated Short Film
Fifteen animated shorts remain in contention from an initial field of 113 qualified films.[web:1381] Members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch participated in the first round of voting and had to meet minimum viewing requirements; in the nominations phase, members from all branches may opt in, provided they watch all 15 shortlisted films before voting.
Shortlisted titles (alphabetical):
- “Autokar”
- “Butterfly”
- “Cardboard”
- “Éiru”
- “Forevergreen”
- “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”
- “Hurikán”
- “I Died in Irpin”
- “The Night Boots”
- “Playing God”
- “The Quinta’s Ghost”
- “Retirement Plan”
- “The Shyness of Trees”
- “Snow Bear”
- “The Three Sisters”
Casting
Ten films advance in the Casting category, with members of the Academy’s Casting Directors Branch selecting both the shortlist and the eventual nominees. Academy members will be able to watch curated excerpts and pre‑recorded interviews with casting directors in Los Angeles and London on Friday, January 9, 2026, and in New York on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
Shortlisted titles (alphabetical):
- “Frankenstein”
- “Hamnet”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “One Battle after Another”
- “The Secret Agent”
- “Sentimental Value”
- “Sinners”
- “Sirât”
- “Weapons”
- “Wicked: For Good”
Cinematography
Sixteen films advance in the Cinematography category; under the 98th Oscars rules, the preliminary round delivers a shortlist of 10 to 20 titles, all chosen by members of the Cinematographers Branch.
Shortlisted titles (alphabetical):
- “Ballad of a Small Player”
- “Bugonia”
- “Die My Love”
- “F1”
- “Frankenstein”
- “Hamnet”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “Nouvelle Vague”
- “One Battle after Another”
- “Sentimental Value”
- “Sinners”
- “Sirât”
- “Song Sung Blue”
- “Sound of Falling”
- “Train Dreams”
- “Wicked: For Good”
Documentary Feature Film
In Documentary Feature, 15 films advance from an original pool of 201 eligible titles, with members of the Academy’s Documentary Branch deciding both the shortlist and the final nominees.
Shortlisted titles (alphabetical):
- “The Alabama Solution”
- “Apocalypse in the Tropics”
- “Coexistence, My Ass!”
- “Come See Me in the Good Light”
- “Cover-Up”
- “Cutting through Rocks”
- “Folktales”
- “Holding Liat”
- “Mr. Nobody against Putin”
- “Mistress Dispeller”
- “My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow”
- “The Perfect Neighbor”
- “Seeds”
- “2000 Meters to Andriivka”
- “Yanuni”
Documentary Short Film
Fifteen films move forward in the Documentary Short Film category, selected from 117 qualified entries, with Documentary Branch members voting for both the shortlist and nominees.
Shortlisted titles (alphabetical):
- “All the Empty Rooms”
- “All the Walls Came Down”
- “Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud”
- “Bad Hostage”
- “Cashing Out”
- “Chasing Time”
- “Children No More: ‘Were and Are Gone’”
- “Classroom 4”
- “The Devil Is Busy”
- “Heartbeat”
- “Last Days on Lake Trinity”
- “On Healing Land, Birds Perch”
- “Perfectly a Strangeness”
- “Rovina’s Choice”
- “We Were the Scenery”
International Feature Film
Fifteen films remain in contention for International Feature Film, selected from submissions by 86 countries or regions. Members from all branches could participate in the preliminary round if they met the viewing requirements, and the same applies for nominations voting: participants must watch all 15 shortlisted titles.
Shortlisted titles (alphabetical by country):
- Argentina – “Belén”
- Brazil – “The Secret Agent”
- France – “It Was Just an Accident”
- Germany – “Sound of Falling”
- India – “Homebound”
- Iraq – “The President’s Cake”
- Japan – “Kokuho”
- Jordan – “All That’s Left of You”
- Norway – “Sentimental Value”
- Palestine – “Palestine 36”
- South Korea – “No Other Choice”
- Spain – “Sirât”
- Switzerland – “Late Shift”
- Taiwan – “Left-Handed Girl”
- Tunisia – “The Voice of Hind Rajab”
Live Action Short Film
In Live Action Short Film, 15 titles advance from an initial 207 qualified films, with members from all branches allowed to join the preliminary round if they met the viewing requirement; those opting into nominations voting must again watch all 15 shortlisted shorts.
Shortlisted titles (alphabetical):
- “Ado”
- “Amarela”
- “Beyond Silence”
- “The Boy with White Skin”
- “Butcher’s Stain”
- “Butterfly on a Wheel”
- “Dad’s Not Home”
- “Extremist”
- “A Friend of Dorothy”
- “Jane Austen’s Period Drama”
- “Pantyhose”
- “The Pearl Comb”
- “Rock, Paper, Scissors”
- “The Singers”
- “Two People Exchanging Saliva”
Makeup and Hairstyling
Ten films move forward in Makeup and Hairstyling, with the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch voting to decide both the shortlist and nominees. Academy members will be invited to view selected clips and interviews with the creative teams on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
Shortlisted titles (alphabetical):
- “The Alto Knights”
- “Frankenstein”
- “Kokuho”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “Nuremberg”
- “One Battle after Another”
- “Sinners”
- “The Smashing Machine”
- “The Ugly Stepsister”
- “Wicked: For Good”
Music (Original Score)
Twenty scores advance in the Original Score race, chosen from 132 eligible scores by members of the Academy’s Music Branch, who determine both the shortlist and the final nominees.
Shortlisted scores (alphabetical by film):
- “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
- “Bugonia”
- “Captain America: Brave New World” – based on Marvel’s Captain America
- “Diane Warren: Relentless” – celebrating songwriter Diane Warren
- “F1”
- “Frankenstein” – inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
- “Hamnet” – adapted from the novel by Maggie O’Farrell
- “Hedda” – based on Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler
- “A House of Dynamite”
- “Jay Kelly”
- “Marty Supreme”
- “Nuremberg”
- “One Battle after Another”
- “Sinners”
- “Sirât”
- “Train Dreams” – adapted from Denis Johnson’s novella Train Dreams
- “Tron: Ares” – part of Disney’s Tron franchise
- “Truth and Treason”
- “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” – from Rian Johnson’s Knives Out universe
- “Wicked: For Good” – set in the world of Broadway musical Wicked
Music (Original Song)
Fifteen songs continue in the Original Song category, from a field of 65 eligible tracks, with Music Branch members voting to finalize the shortlist and nominees.
Shortlisted songs (alphabetical by film):
- “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” – from “Tron: Ares”
- “Dear Me” – from “Diane Warren: Relentless”
- “Dream As One” – from “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
- “Drive” – from “F1”
- “Dying To Live” – from “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” – referencing rocker Billy Idol
- “The Girl In The Bubble” – from “Wicked: For Good”
- “Golden” – from “KPop Demon Hunters”
- “Highest 2 Lowest” – from “Highest 2 Lowest”
- “I Lied To You” – from “Sinners”
- “Last Time (I Seen The Sun)” – from “Sinners”
- “No Place Like Home” – from “Wicked: For Good”
- “Our Love” – from “The Ballad of Wallis Island” – nodding to the story of Wallis Simpson
- “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” – from “Come See Me in the Good Light”
- “Sweet Dreams Of Joy” – from “Viva Verdi!” – celebrating composer Giuseppe Verdi
- “Train Dreams” – from “Train Dreams”
Sound
Ten films move forward in the Sound category, with all eligible members of the Academy’s Sound Branch voting on the shortlist and nominees. Academy members will be invited to screenings of excerpts starting Saturday, January 10, 2025, in the San Francisco Bay Area, London, and New York, with Los Angeles sessions on Sunday, January 11, 2026.
Shortlisted titles (alphabetical):
- “Avatar: Fire and Ash” – part of James Cameron’s Avatar franchise
- “F1”
- “Frankenstein”
- “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” – from the Mission: Impossible series
- “One Battle after Another”
- “Sinners”
- “Sirât”
- “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” – centered on musician Bruce Springsteen
- “Superman” – based on DC’s Superman
- “Wicked: For Good”
Visual Effects
Ten films remain in contention for Visual Effects; the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee selected the shortlist, and branch members will later vote on the final nominees. Academy members will be able to view clips and interviews with VFX artists on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
Shortlisted titles (alphabetical):
- “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
- “The Electric State” – adapted from Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel The Electric State
- “F1”
- “Frankenstein”
- “Jurassic World Rebirth” – part of Universal’s Jurassic Park franchise
- “The Lost Bus”
- “Sinners”
- “Superman”
- “Tron: Ares”
- “Wicked: For Good”
Key dates and ceremony details
Nominations voting for the 98th Academy Awards runs from Monday, January 12, 2026, through Friday, January 16, 2026, with nominations announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026. In total, 24 categories will be awarded at the 98th Oscars, with five nominees in each category except Best Picture, which has 10 nominees. The Academy’s 19 branches determine nominees in their respective fields, while Best Picture nominees are selected by all eligible voting members across all branches. All rounds of voting are conducted via secret online ballot and tabulated by the independent firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, Los Angeles. March 15, 2026, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The event will be broadcast live on ABC and in more than 200 territories around the world.
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