Academy unveils 98th Oscars Shortlists in 12 categories, 'Wicked: For Good' and 'Sinners' lead the list

On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave a first glimpse of the 98th Oscars Award contenders. The Academy revealed the shortlists in 12 categories. Last year, the shortlists were announced only in 10 categories. Different branches of the Academy will review the excerpts from the movies in their respective categories and vote for final nominations.

Wicked: For Good, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld, are leading the shortlists. Both the films appeared in all eligible Oscars categories.

Following this, voting for Oscar nominations will start on January 12, 2026 and conclude on January 16. The final five nominees in 24 Oscars categories will be announced on January 22.

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Complete list of Oscars Shortlists in 12 categories

The Academy prepared this Oscars shortlist after filtering hundreds of movie entries in different categories. Here is the complete rundown of potential Oscars 2026 nominees:

Animated Short Film

• 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

• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle after Another
• The Secret Agent
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners
• Sirât
• Weapons
• Wicked: For Good

Cinematography

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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)

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• Bugonia
• Captain America: Brave New World
• Diane Warren: Relentless
• F1
• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• Hedda
• A House of Dynamite
• Jay Kelly
• Marty Supreme
• Nuremberg
• One Battle after Another
• Sinners
• Sirât
• Train Dreams
• Tron: Ares
• Truth and Treason
• Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
• Wicked: For Good

Music (Original Song)

• 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
• 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
• Salt Then Sour Then Sweet from Come See Me in the Good Light
• Sweet Dreams Of Joy from Viva Verdi!
• Train Dreams from Train Dreams

Sound

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• F1
• Frankenstein
• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
• One Battle after Another
• Sinners
• Sirât
• Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
• Superman
• Wicked: For Good

Visual Effects

• Avatar: Fire and Ash
• The Electric State
• F1
• Frankenstein
• Jurassic World Rebirth
• The Lost Bus
• Sinners
• Superman
• Tron: Ares
• Wicked: For Good

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After multiple rounds of voting through secret online ballots, Oscars winners will be announced on March 15, 2026 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

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