Academy Reveals Oscar Shortlists for 98th Awards

Academy Reveals Oscar Shortlists for 98th Awards

The 98th Oscars will air live on March 15, 2026, from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

RMN News Entertainment Desk
New Delhi | December 17, 2025

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the shortlists for 12 categories ahead of the 98th Academy Awards, announced on December 16, 2025. These narrowed-down selections cover a range of craft and specialty areas, setting the stage for the upcoming nominations phase in what proved to be a fiercely competitive process.

Standout performers include the musical Wicked: For Good and the drama Sinners, both emerging as frontrunners in several technical fields. The two films advanced in categories such as Casting, Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, and Visual Effects. Sinners further strengthened its position with spots on the Original Score shortlist and two entries in Original Song: “I Lied To You” and “Last Time (I Seen The Sun).” Similarly, Wicked: For Good secured Original Score recognition and advanced two songs — “The Girl In The Bubble” and “No Place Like Home.”

Other notable contenders demonstrating broad technical strength include Frankenstein, which made the cut in Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Sound, and Visual Effects. One Battle after Another also showed impressive momentum, appearing in Casting, Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, and Sound.

In the Original Score category, 20 compositions advanced from 132 eligible entries, featuring works from high-profile titles like Avatar: Fire and Ash, Bugonia, Captain America: Brave New World, and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

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The International Feature Film race was whittled down to 15 films from submissions representing 86 countries and regions. Among the contenders are Argentina’s “Belén,” Brazil’s “The Secret Agent,” Japan’s “Kokuho,” and Palestine’s “Palestine 36.”

Documentary Feature Film saw 15 titles advance from a massive field of 201 qualifiers, while the short film categories remained highly selective: 15 animated shorts from 113 entries and 15 live-action shorts from 207.

The newly introduced Casting category shortlisted 10 films, with branch members set to review excerpts and interviews in early January 2026 before finalizing nominees.

These shortlists highlight films with repeated appearances across categories, indicating early momentum as the awards season intensifies. Nomination voting is scheduled from January 12 to 16, 2026, with nominations announced on January 22, 2026. The 98th Oscars will air live on March 15, 2026, from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.