Surprises and Snubs in the Oscar Nominations

The Oscar nomination list was announced on Friday night. As expected, it sparked excitement as well as disappointment. Discussion around this year’s selections shows no sign of slowing down. Here is a closer look at some of the notable surprises and omissions.

“Wicked” Overlooked

Expectations surrounding Wicked were sky-high. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were widely considered near-certain nominees. In addition, many believed that at least one of the film’s two new songs written by Stephen Schwartz would receive a nomination. However, when the final list was revealed, Wicked was absent across all categories.

Chase Infinity Left Out

Chase Infinity had been generating strong buzz for her performance in One Battle After Another. Ultimately, though, she failed to secure a place in the Best Actress race.

The Delroy Lindo Surprise

While Sinners had been widely discussed, Delroy Lindo’s name was not at the center of the conversation. That made his nomination a surprise. The veteran actor earned a Supporting Actor nomination for his role as “Delta Slim.”

Paul Mescal Misses Out

Jessie Buckley was a consistent awards-season favorite for Hamnet and secured a nomination as expected. However, Paul Mescal, who was praised for his emotionally charged performance in the same film, did not make the cut in the Best Actor category.

Kate Hudson’s Unexpected Nomination

Despite solid campaigning, the competition was fierce. Very few predicted that Kate Hudson would earn a nomination for Song Sung Blue. Defying expectations, she ultimately secured a spot.

No “Superman” in VFX

Although embraced by audiences, Man of Steel failed to win over Academy voters. Its absence from the Visual Effects category has surprised many.

Elle Fanning in “Sentimental Value”

Discussion around the film largely focused on supporting actress Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas. In the end, however, Elle Fanning also received a Supporting Actress nomination.

“No Other Choice” Shut Out

Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice performed well at the box office and earned critical acclaim, yet failed to secure a nomination in the International Feature Film category. Competition was intense, particularly with several strong contenders backed by Neon.

“Jay Kelly” Ignored

In another year, many believe Noah Baumbach’s film would have earned acting nominations, at least for George Clooney and Adam Sandler. This time, amid stiff competition, the film was left out entirely.

“F1” Makes Best Picture

While the film had support among traditional Oscar voters, few expected Apple’s campaign to push it all the way to a Best Picture nomination. In the end, Brad Pitt–starring F1 secured a place in the category.

Jennifer Lawrence Snubbed

Jennifer Lawrence was widely praised for her performance in Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love. However, the film’s commercial failure likely affected voting. Despite strong reviews, Lawrence did not receive a nomination.

Guillermo del Toro Missing

Frankenstein earned nine nominations and even made it into the Best Picture lineup. Still, Guillermo del Toro’s absence from the Best Director category is being seen as one of the biggest surprises of this year’s Oscars

Oscar Nominations 2026: ‘Sinners’ dominates with record-breaking

On Friday night, January 23, the nomination list for the 98th Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, was announced. This year, ‘Sinners’ has taken a commanding lead, receiving a record-breaking 16 nominations and setting a new milestone in Oscar history.

Previously, the highest number of nominations was 14, achieved by ‘All About Eve’ (1950), ‘Titanic’ (1997) and ‘La La Land’ (2016).

Following closely is ‘One Battle After Another’ with 13 nominations. ‘Marty Supreme’, ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Sentimental Value’ each received nine nominations, while ‘Hamnet’ earned eight.

The awards will be presented on March 15. This year’s Oscar ceremony will be hosted by American comedian Conan O’Brien.