Oscars 2026 Winners: The Academy Celebrates Cinema, But Still Hesitates to Fully Embrace It
- Klep Napier
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
Oscars 2026 Winners: Full List of Academy Award Winners from the 98th Oscars
By Klep Napier | WeAreCritiX.com
Hollywood’s biggest night has once again come and gone. The 98th Academy Awards returned to the legendary Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday night, bringing together the film industry’s biggest stars to celebrate the year’s best achievements in cinema.
Broadcast live on ABC and hosted by late-night icon Conan O'Brien, this year’s ceremony had all the ingredients fans expect from the Oscars: emotional speeches, career-defining wins, a few surprises, and the occasional debate about whether the Academy truly recognizes the full scope of filmmaking.
Because while the Academy got some things very right this year, it also reminded audiences that it still has work to do when it comes to fully embracing the films that shape modern movie culture.
When the Academy Gets It Right
One of the most encouraging elements of this year’s ceremony was the continued recognition that genre filmmaking can be just as artistic, thoughtful, and culturally impactful as traditional prestige dramas.
For years, fans of horror, sci-fi, and blockbuster filmmaking have argued that these films deserve serious recognition from the Academy. This year, there were signs that the message is finally starting to land.
A standout moment came with Amy Madigan’s win for Weapons, a performance that proves intense genre storytelling can deliver just as much emotional depth as any traditional awards-season drama.
Another huge moment came with Sinners taking home Best Original Screenplay, Cinematography and Best Score all wins that highlight the creative ambition and bold storytelling that director Ryan Coogler brought to the project.
And of course, the night belonged in many ways to Michael B. Jordan, whose major victory as Best Lead Actor marked one of the most celebrated moments of the ceremony. Jordan’s win represents the culmination of years of powerful performances and further cements him as one of the most important actors working in Hollywood today.
These wins signal that the Academy is slowly expanding its definition of prestige filmmaking, acknowledging that creativity and artistic ambition are not limited to one type of film.
Where the Academy Still Falls Short
But as encouraging as those wins were, the biggest debate of the night centered around a familiar question.
If genre films can win major awards, why do they still struggle to break into the Best Picture category?
Despite the Academy clearly recognizing the artistry behind films like Weapons and Sinners, that same sentiment didn’t fully carry over to beat out One Battle After Another's Best Picture win, where more traditional prestige films once again dominated the lineup.
For many film fans and critics, the message still feels mixed.
Other Notable Winners of the Night
Beyond the broader conversation about genre recognition, several major wins helped define the story of the 2026 Academy Awards.
In the Best Actress race, Jessie Buckley earned the Oscar for her powerful performance in Hamnet, beating out a competitive field that included Emma Stone, Kate Hudson, and Rose Byrne. The evening also marked a historic moment for the Academy with the presentation of the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting, which went to One Battle After Another, recognizing the often-unsung craft of assembling a film’s ensemble. And in one of the night’s most surprising outcomes, the Best Live-Action Short Film category ended in a rare tie, with both The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva sharing the award.
The supporting categories also delivered standout moments. As we mentioned, Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for Weapons, while Sean Penn secured Best Supporting Actor for One Battle After Another, adding yet another win to the film’s dominant night.
Meanwhile, the gothic epic “Frankenstein” dominated the design categories, winning Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Together, the night reflected a wide range of filmmaking styles, from intimate performances to massive blockbuster spectacle.
Here is our FULL LIST of Academy Awards winners 2026
Best Picture
WINNER: “One Battle After Another”
“Bugonia”
“F1: The Movie”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”
“Train Dreams”
Best Actress
WINNER: Jessie Buckley – “Hamnet”
Rose Byrne – “If I Had Legs I'd Kick You”
Kate Hudson – “Song Sung Blue”
Renate Reinsve – “Sentimental Value”
Emma Stone – “Bugonia”
Best Actor
WINNER: Michael B. Jordan – “Sinners”
Timothée Chalamet – “Marty Supreme”
Leonardo DiCaprio – “One Battle After Another”
Ethan Hawke – “Blue Moon”
Wagner Moura – “The Secret Agent”
Best Director
WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson – “One Battle After Another”
Ryan Coogler – “Sinners”
Josh Safdie – “Marty Supreme”
Joachim Trier – “Sentimental Value”
Chloé Zhao – “Hamnet”
Best Supporting Actress
WINNER: Amy Madigan – “Weapons”
Elle Fanning – “Sentimental Value”
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – “Sentimental Value”
Wunmi Mosaku – “Sinners”
Teyana Taylor – “One Battle After Another”
Best Supporting Actor
WINNER: Sean Penn – “One Battle After Another”
Benicio Del Toro – “One Battle After Another”
Jacob Elordi – “Frankenstein”
Delroy Lindo – “Sinners”
Stellan Skarsgård – “Sentimental Value”
Best Original Screenplay
WINNER: “Sinners”
“Blue Moon”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Marty Supreme”
“Sentimental Value”
Best Adapted Screenplay
WINNER: “One Battle After Another”
“Bugonia”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Train Dreams”
Best Cinematography
WINNER: “Sinners”
“Frankenstein”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“Train Dreams”
Best Film Editing
WINNER: “One Battle After Another”
“F1: The Movie”
“Marty Supreme”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”
Best Production Design
WINNER: “Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”
Best Costume Design
WINNER: “Frankenstein”
“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“Sinners”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
WINNER: “Frankenstein”
“Kokuho”
“Sinners”
“The Smashing Machine”
“The Ugly Stepsister”
Best Sound
WINNER: “F1: The Movie”
“Frankenstein”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”
“Sîrât”
Best Original Score
WINNER: “Sinners”
“Bugonia”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“One Battle After Another”
Best Original Song
WINNER: “Golden” – “KPop Demon Hunters”
“Dear Me” – Diane Warren: Relentless
“I Lied to You” – Sinners
“Sweet Dreams of Joy” – Viva Verdi!
“Train Dreams” – Train Dreams
Best Visual Effects
WINNER: “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
“F1”
“Jurassic World Rebirth”
“The Lost Bus”
“Sinners”
Best Animated Feature
WINNER: “KPop Demon Hunters”
“Arco”
“Elio”
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”
“Zootopia 2”
Best Animated Short
WINNER: “The Girl Who Cried Pearls”
“Butterfly (Papillon)”
“Forevergreen”
“Retirement Plan”
“The Three Sisters”
Best International Feature Film
WINNER: “Sentimental Value” (Norway)
“It Was Just an Accident” (France)
“The Secret Agent” (Brazil)
“Sîrât” (Spain)
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” (Tunisia)
Best Documentary Feature
WINNER: “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”
“The Alabama Solution”
“Come See Me in the Good Light”
“Cutting Through Rocks”
“The Perfect Neighbor”
Best Documentary Short
WINNER: “All the Empty Rooms”
“Armed Only With a Camera”
“Children No More: Were and Are Gone”
“The Devil Is Busy”
“Perfectly a Strangeness”
Best Live-Action Short
WINNER (TIE): “The Singers”
WINNER (TIE): “Two People Exchanging Saliva”
“The Butcher's Stain”
“A Friend of Dorothy”
“Jane Austen's Period Drama”
Best Casting
WINNER: “One Battle After Another”
“Hamnet”
“Marty Supreme”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sinners”
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