The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has officially unveiled its highly anticipated shortlists across 12 competitive categories, setting the stage for the 98th Academy Awards ceremony scheduled for March 15, 2026. This preliminary selection offers the first significant indication of which films and artists might secure nominations when the full list is announced on January 22, 2026.
Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ has emerged as a formidable frontrunner, achieving recognition across an impressive seven categories. The film garnered attention for its technical and artistic excellence in Makeup and Hairstyling, Cinematography, Casting, Sound, and Visual Effects. Notably, it also received a double showing in the competitive Original Song category.
Matching this strong performance, ‘Wicked: For Good’ demonstrated its awards potential with shortlist placements in Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Casting, Original Score, Sound, and Visual Effects. The adaptation also earned two Original Song nominations for compositions by renowned songwriter Stephen Schwartz.
Netflix’s ‘Frankenstein’ also delivered a commendable showing, securing spots in six technical categories including Casting, Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Sound, and Visual Effects.
The shortlisted categories encompass 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.
The Visual Effects category features particularly strong competition with major studio productions including ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, ‘FI’, ‘Frankenstein’, ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, ‘Sinners’, ‘Superman’, and ‘Wicked: For Good’ all advancing to this preliminary stage.
The International Feature Film category, traditionally one of the most watched, includes 15 films that will progress to the next round of voting. The full Oscar ceremony will honor achievements across 24 categories at the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood.