Academy Unveils 12 Shortlists for the 98th Oscars, Signaling an Expansive and Global Awards Race
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday announced the shortlists for the 98th Academy Awards®, narrowing the field in 12 categories and offering an early snapshot of the films shaping this year’s Oscar conversation.
The categories—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—span studio tentpoles, international cinema, independent documentaries and formally daring shorts. In total, hundreds of eligible titles were considered across branches before members advanced these films to the next round.
Nominations voting will run from January 12 through January 16, 2026, with official nominations to be announced January 22. The 98th Oscars will take place March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, airing live on ABC.
More information on voting procedures can be found at
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/voting
Animated Short Film
From 113 qualifying films, 15 advanced, reflecting the category’s continued embrace of global animation styles and personal storytelling:
“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
Now in its second year as a competitive Oscar category, Casting highlights films driven by ensemble strength and performance discovery:
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle after Another”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”
“Sirât”
“Weapons”
“Wicked: For Good”
Cinematography
Sixteen films advanced, blending prestige dramas, period pieces and large-scale productions:
“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
From 201 eligible documentaries, the shortlist reflects urgent political reporting, intimate personal stories and global perspectives:
“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 shorts advanced from 117 qualifying films, underscoring the category’s emotional and investigative range:
“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
With submissions from 86 countries and regions, the shortlist highlights the Academy’s increasingly international reach:
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
From 207 qualifying titles, 15 advanced, continuing the category’s role as a launchpad for emerging filmmakers:
“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 shortlist balances transformation-heavy performances and stylized world-building:
“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 advanced from 132 eligible submissions, spanning franchise films and intimate dramas:
“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)
The shortlist mixes pop-driven releases, character-based ballads and franchise entries:
“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
Ten films advanced, many of them large-scale productions where sound design is central to storytelling:
“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
The Visual Effects shortlist blends franchise spectacle with ambitious standalone projects:
“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
“The Electric State”
“F1”
“Frankenstein”
“Jurassic World Rebirth”
“The Lost Bus”
“Sinners”
“Superman”
“Tron: Ares”
“Wicked: For Good”
Twenty-four categories will ultimately be awarded at the 98th Oscars, with Best Picture expanded to 10 nominees. All voting is conducted online by secret ballot and tabulated by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The Academy, which counts more than 11,000 members worldwide, continues to position the Oscars as both a global film celebration and a reflection of where the art form is heading.
Additional updates and official announcements are available through the Academy’s platforms:
https://www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
https://www.youtube.com/Oscars
https://www.instagram.com/TheAcademy
https://www.threads.net/@theacademy
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