By Rebecca Ceccatelli. Cover by Taline Nesheiwat.
Oscar Night 2026: Predictions for the Biggest Winners and Shocking Surprises
As Oscar Night 2026 approaches, the lights of Hollywood shine brighter than ever, and the famous red carpet is rolled out once again. On Sunday, March 15, 2026, the world’s biggest movie stars, directors, and filmmakers will gather at the Dolby Theatre for the 98th edition of the Academy Awards, celebrating the best films of 2025 and revealing the next Oscar winners.
In an industry defined by rapid change, the Oscars remain one of the few moments where the entire filmmaking ecosystem comes together. Winning an Academy Award rarely represents only individual achievement. For actors and directors, it can redefine a career; for studios, it can reshape the box office success of a film; and for audiences, it often determines which films remain central to the cinematic conversation of the year. In this sense, the ceremony functions as both a celebration of cinema and a canon-building event, helping to establish which films will define the cultural conversation around movies—though it isn’t always perfectly fair.
With anticipation building and competition fiercer than ever, the question remains the same every year: who will take home Hollywood’s most coveted golden statuette?
In the following sections, we’ll predict who, among the Oscar nominees, is likely to win—or possibly lose—in some of the most contested categories, based on personal impressions and widely discussed opinions. Who knows if we’ll be right? Check back soon 🙂 Let’s start with the less mainstream picks!
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Why Frankenstein Deserves the Oscar
Yes, we said we’d start off with the less obvious, but Frankenstein truly deserves recognition this year. Its presence on multiple “best of the year” lists is just the beginning — the makeup and hairstyling in this film is nothing short of majestic. Fresh off a recent BAFTA win, an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling feels like a natural next step.
Much of this achievement comes from Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, and Cliona Furey, who brought Guillermo del Toro’s gothic universe to life with astonishing detail. Rather than relying solely on exaggerated prosthetics, they created textured, believable identities for every character — especially the Creature. Layers of prosthetics, subtle coloration, and carefully aged scars make the body feel assembled, fragile, and strangely human. The makeup and prosthetic design never feels like a mask; it becomes an essential part of the actor’s performance, allowing emotion to shine through naturally.
Hair design plays an equally vital role. Textures and styles reinforce the period setting and the film’s somber tone, while even minor characters benefit from carefully crafted looks that reflect personality, status, and the story’s bleak atmosphere. Every element feels meticulously considered and truly breathtaking, showcasing the artistry behind Oscar-worthy makeup and hairstyling.
Costume Design at the Oscars: Avatar: Fire and Ash Faces Tough Competition
This discussion comes down to how the Academy Awards traditionally evaluate costume design. Historically, the Oscar for Best Costume Design rewards films where physical garments — sewn, tailored, researched, and worn — are central to the achievement.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is a visual marvel, no doubt, but its costumes exist in a hybrid space. Deborah L. Scott and her team spent years designing and handcrafting nearly a thousand pieces — yet in the finished film, these garments are digitally scanned and worn via performance capture, rather than appearing on camera on actors.
This creates a disconnect: for voters who equate costume design with tangible, physical fabrics, the final result can feel less like craftsmanship and more like digital art. Some industry voices even questioned the nomination itself: the costumes, while painstakingly crafted as references, don’t exist in a traditional, on-screen sense.
As innovative as Scott’s work is, it’s competing against films with costumes that interact directly with actors, the camera, and the storytelling in a very physical way. In a category that still prizes material presence, this distinction may affect its chances of winning the Oscar. At the same time, one might ask: isn’t this adherence to tradition a bit conservative in an age of digital filmmaking?
Best Original Song: Golden Makes History as First K-Pop Oscar Nominee
Golden is arguably the most extraordinary contender in the Best Original Song race. Performed by HUNTR/X with vocals from EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, it made history as the first Kpop song ever nominated for an Oscar, bringing a genre that dominates global charts into Academy territory.
Its appeal isn’t just catchy, it has massive cultural impact and narrative resonance.
The song stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for over eight weeks and streamed massively worldwide, becoming a true pop phenomenon beyond the film itself. It also won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media: the first Kpop track ever to earn that honor.
This combination of critical recognition, commercial success, and cultural breakthrough makes Golden a strong contender. If the Academy rewards both impact and artistry, this song could very well take home the Oscar — a surprise victory for a film that many wouldn’t have bet on before its release.
Best Visual Effects: Why Sinners Struggles to Impress the Academy
Despite the buzz, Sinners’ nomination for Best Visual Effects feels more like a courtesy nod than a truly earned recognition. Many of the so-called “show-stopping” sequences come across as artificial and forced, as if the goal was simply to fill the screen with monsters and glowing lights rather than fully immersing the audience. For example, the protagonist’s transformations and the digital ghosts often look too clean, almost video-game-like, losing the visceral impact that makes visual effects truly memorable.
The film’s style also leans heavily on older horror aesthetics from the ’80s and ’90s, with hyper-digital monsters and exaggerated explosions that clash with the cinematography. Other nominees, by contrast, integrate visual effects seamlessly with story and emotion, crafting worlds that feel alive and tangible. Sinners delivers spectacle, yes, but does it truly convince the Academy and viewers alike?
Leading Actor: Timothée Chalamet’s Controversy and Its Impact on the Oscars
And finally, in the race for Best Actor in a Leading Role just days before Oscar Night 2026, Timothée Chalamet may have lost some of his frontrunner momentum. His performance in Marty Supreme showcased his emotional range, earning widespread praise — yet a recent interview has stirred a controversy he likely won’t forget.
In a conversation with Matthew McConaughey, Chalamet joked that he didn’t want to work in “ballet or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘they keep this thing alive even though no one cares about this anymore,’” quickly adding, “all respect to the ballet and opera people out there.” What was intended as a light-hearted comment was widely interpreted as dismissive of two deeply respected art forms. The Royal Ballet, the Metropolitan Opera, and numerous performers publicly responded, defending their disciplines with both irony and pointed criticism.
Social media and talk shows amplified the backlash, with some pundits arguing that such remarks reflect poorly on someone campaigning for the highest honors in film acting. With the Academy Awards just days away, this controversy may have already affected perceptions of his candidacy, even as he technically remains in the running. Who knows if a poorly timed joke could cost him the Oscar for Best Actor?
