Oscar Race Heats Up as Shortlists for 98th Academy Awards Announced

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the shortlists for the 98th Academy Awards on Tuesday evening, setting the stage for the crucial phase of the prestigious film awards season.

This year, the shortlists encompass 12 categories, including Best Original Song, Best Score, Best International Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature, and a new category, "Best Casting," aimed at highlighting a vital component of film production.

Ryan Coogler's "Vampires," along with "Sinners" and the musical "Wicked: For Good," led the pack with eight nominations each across major artistic categories such as Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, Visual Effects, Score, Cinematography, Casting, and Original Songs.

In the Best Original Song category, standout entries include "The Girl in the Bubble" and "Nowhere Better Than Home" from "Wicked," alongside songs from "Sinners," and "Gold" from the Netflix series "KPop Demon Hunters." Additionally, contributions from global artists like Nick Cave, John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, and Diane Warren, who could secure her seventeenth nomination, are also featured.

The Best International Feature Film category includes 15 films from various regions, such as "The Voice of Hind Rjeb" by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, "Emotional Value" by Norwegian director Joachim Trier, and "The President's Cake" by Iraqi director Hassan Hadi, along with entries from Spain, France, Brazil, and South Korea.

Documentary features on the shortlist address significant political and humanitarian issues, including "My Unwanted Friends," "The Ideal Neighbor," and "Come See Me in the Right Light," as well as the collaborative film "2000 Meters to Andriivka" from the Associated Press and PBS Frontline.

For the new "Best Casting" category, ten films have qualified for five final spots, including "Frankenstein," "Hamlet," "One Battle After Another," and "Sinners."

The shortlists will be narrowed down to five films in each category when the final nominations are announced on January 22. The 98th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for March 15, 2026, hosted live by Conan O'Brien on ABC.