Oscars 2026 Winners: The Complete List From the 98th Academy Awards
Who won at the Oscars 2026? Get the full list of all Oscars 2026 winners - from Best Picture to Best Actor and beyond. Your complete guide to the 98th Academy Awards results.
Sunday night in Hollywood felt like one of those rare evenings where movies actually win. Not just the trophies - but the feeling that cinema still matters, that stories still move people, that a room full of strangers can hold its breath together waiting for an envelope to open.
The 2026 Oscars - the 98th Academy Awards ceremony - took place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Conan O'Brien hosted for the second straight year, and what unfolded over the next four hours was, genuinely, one of the more exciting Oscar nights in recent memory.
Here's every single winner from the evening, with the story behind each win.
The Big Three: Picture, Director, and Screenplay
Best Picture - One Battle After Another
The night's biggest prize went to director Paul Thomas Anderson's political thriller One Battle After Another. Going into Sunday, the film had 13 nominations and strong awards-season momentum - it had claimed the Producers Guild Award just weeks earlier, which historically predicts the Best Picture winner more often than not.
Producer Sara Murphy accepted alongside Anderson, visibly overwhelmed. Anderson, who had been nominated 14 times before without a win, kept things brief and perfectly PTA: "What a night, you guys. Let's have a martini."
Best Director - Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
His first Oscar. After 14 career nominations spanning decades of landmark films, the Academy finally gave Anderson the gold. It was a long time coming, and the standing ovation he received said everything.
Best Adapted Screenplay - Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
Anderson swept the three biggest writing and directing prizes of the evening, confirming that One Battle After Another wasn't just a popular pick - it was widely considered the year's most complete artistic achievement.
Best Actor and Actress
Best Actor — Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
This was the emotional peak of the night. Jordan won for playing twin brothers Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler's Sinners — a dual performance that nobody who's seen the film will soon forget. When presenter Adrien Brody read his name, the room erupted. Jordan hugged his mother, who was seated beside him, before walking to the stage.
In his speech, he honored the Black actors who came before him — naming Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, and Will Smith. He thanked Coogler, his longtime collaborator and friend, and told the audience at home who had seen Sinners multiple times: "You guys made this movie what it is."
It was Jordan's first-ever Oscar nomination and first win. A long, long overdue moment.
Best Actress — Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
The one race that was never really in doubt. Buckley swept the entire awards season for her portrayal of Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet — the Chloé Zhao-directed drama about William Shakespeare's family. She won the Golden Globe, Critics Choice, Actor Award, and BAFTA before confirming the sweep at the Oscars. "This is kind of a big deal," she said onstage, which got a big laugh.
Supporting Acting Awards
Best Supporting Actor — Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
Penn's third career Oscar — and he wasn't there to accept it. No explanation given. His costars Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor were present, but Penn was notably absent. It's a very Sean Penn thing to do.
Best Supporting Actress — Amy Madigan (Weapons)
The emotional gut-punch of the night. Madigan, 74, won her first Academy Award for Weapons. Her original nomination came back in 1985 for Twice in a Lifetime — a 40-year gap between nominations that set a new Academy record. The entire theatre was on its feet as she approached the stage. You could see people crying in the audience. Moments like this are exactly why the Oscars still matter.
Craft and Technical Awards
Best Cinematography — Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Sinners)
Historic. Arkapaw became the first woman in Academy history to win Best Cinematography — a milestone that took 98 years to arrive. In the press room afterward, she said she hoped her win would inspire a new generation of female cinematographers. "A lot of little girls that look like me will sleep really well tonight," she told reporters.
Best Original Score — Ludwig Göransson (Sinners)
Göransson, the composer who has become one of Hollywood's most trusted musical voices, won for his Sinners score — a rich, layered piece of work that tied together blues, gospel, and original composition.
Best Film Editing — Andy Jurgensen (One Battle After Another)
Best Original Screenplay — Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
Coogler's speech was one of the most heartfelt of the night. Speaking directly to his children, he reminded them that memories are all we have. The room was completely still.
A Brand New Category
Best Casting (Inaugural Award) — Cassandra Kulukundis (One Battle After Another)
The Academy introduced Best Casting as a competitive category for the first time in 2026 — the first new Oscar since Best Animated Feature debuted in 2002. Kulukundis took home the first-ever casting Oscar for her work on One Battle After Another. She honored the casting directors who came before her and never had the chance to receive this recognition.
Animation, Song, and International Film
Best Animated Feature — KPop Demon Hunters
The global animated phenomenon swept into Oscar night with serious momentum and delivered, taking home Best Animated Feature alongside Best Original Song.
Best Original Song — "Golden" (KPop Demon Hunters)
Korean-American songwriter and performer Ejae co-wrote and performed "Golden" alongside Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna at the ceremony. After winning, she told reporters she wished she'd had more time onstage to thank her collaborators before being cut off by the music.
Best International Feature Film — Sentimental Value (Norway)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling — Frankenstein
Frankenstein, the Guillermo del Toro Netflix production, won three Oscars in total, with makeup and hairstyling among its wins.
By the Numbers: Which Studios Won Big?
Warner Bros. had the best night of any studio, taking home 11 Oscars total — six for One Battle After Another, four for Sinners, and one for Weapons. Netflix followed with seven wins, including three for Frankenstein and two for KPop Demon Hunters.
The Night in One Sentence
One Battle After Another won the war, but Sinners won history — and in the end, both films walked away with something that will last.
The 2026 Oscars reminded us that cinema's best nights aren't just about picking winners. They're about those moments that make you feel something: Amy Madigan holding her first Oscar at 74. Michael B. Jordan calling out the greats who came before him. A cinematographer standing at a podium where no woman had ever stood before. Those moments didn't need a trophy to mean something — but having one makes it official.
All results reflect winners from the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, March 15, 2026.
No comments:
Post a Comment