Which movies are competing for the first-ever Casting Academy Award? Details explored

The Academy Awards have officially unveiled their shortlist for 2026. Earlier, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially confirmed that achievement in casting will be recognized with a new Oscar category for the first time. The award will be presented at the 98th Academy Awards. The ceremony will air live on ABC on Sunday, March 15, 2026.

The inaugural Casting Award shortlist includes ten titles, which are,

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

This new award will be handed out at the 98th Oscars. This will be the first time casting directors receive a competitive Oscar. Members of the Casting Directors Branch voted to determine the shortlist. They will later also vote on the nominees.

The Academy Awards issued an official press release to announce the shortlist for the upcoming Oscars. It read:

"The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced shortlists in 12 categories for the 98th Academy Awards®: 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."

Casting director Bernard Telsey stated:

"It is really hard for people to understand what it is that we do because it is so private. It is only going to make the profession that much stronger and people that much more aware of what we do. Our job is to know the actors that are out there or know how to find the actors that we don't know."

The Academy Awards' official website reads,

"The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's premier film organization and is home to a global membership of more than 11,000 of the most accomplished film industry artists and leaders. The Academy connects global audiences, its members, the film industry, and film fans, through their shared passion for making and watching films."

It continues,

"The Academy does this by recognizing and celebrating the arts and sciences of moviemaking through renowned awards for cinematic achievement, including the Oscars®, the Governors Awards, and the Scientific and Technical Awards. The Academy’s affiliated charitable organization, the Academy Foundation, serves a public benefit through its robust educational, preservation and cultural activities. This includes the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the world's largest global film museum, the Academy Collection, the largest film-related collection in the world, and talent development programs for emerging artists. Year-round, the Academy creates opportunities for all communities to engage with the film world."

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Complete Oscars shortlists announced so far for the 98th Academy Awards

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

For further updates, fans can keep an eye on the official pages.

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Also Read: Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) Awards: Complete list of nominees

Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS) Awards: Complete list of nominees

Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) Awards: Complete list of winners