From demon-slaying K-pop idols to ping pong legends, this year has been packed to the brim with unique movies gracing the silver screen. With awards season upon us, we want to predict who will take home the coveted Golden Man Oscar trophy. Here are our predictions for seven of the Academy Award categories.

Best Actor:
Michael B. Jordan / Sinners
Leonardo DiCaprio / One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke / Blue Moon
Wagner Moura / The Secret Agent
Timothée Chalamet / Marty Supreme

While the Academy tends to overlook younger male actors, Timothée Chalamet is no rookie to the Best Leading Actor category. Nominated in 2018 for “Call Me by Your Name” and in 2025 for “A Complete Unknown,” the 30-year-old may finally take home the Oscar for his role in 2026’s “Marty Supreme.” The film about an aspiring ping-pong player hasn’t had much overall success this award season (“Marty Supreme” recently tied for the most losses in BAFTA history). However, its character-driven narrative and compelling story make Chalamet’s performance all the more notable, and the actor has already taken home a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award for his role.

Best Actress:
Emma Stone / Bugonia
Rose Byrne / If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Renate Reinsve / Sentimental Value
Kate Hudson / Song Sung Blue
Jesse Buckley / Hamnet

There is absolutely no doubt that The Academy will recognize Jesse Buckley’s heart wrenching performance of Agnes Shakespeare. In “Hamnet,” a complex and deep script about loss and grief, Buckley flawlessly captures her character’s emotions. While all the nominees stand out in their respective movies, Buckley’s dramatic performance expresses the empty feeling intended for audiences. She drives the movie to success, as it is a narrative specifically focused on Agnes’ role in her family’s lives. Thanks to Buckley, as the movie ended, it was impossible not to leave the theater bawling, teary-eyed or feeling empty.

Best Original Screenplay:
It Was Just An Accident / Jafar Panahi
Marty Supreme / Josh Safdie & Ronald Bronstein
Sentimental Value / Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt
Blue Moon / Robert Kaplow
Sinners / Ryan Coogler

“Sinners’” unique story engrosses the viewer in the deep south on an unforgettable night at a juke joint. Every character is developed, introduced in their own special way and distinct from others in the main cast. We see the motivations of Sammie, wanting to free himself from the overbearing pressure of his preacher dad and pursue his music career, and Smoke and Stack’s desire to rebuild their life in their hometown clearly throughout the whole film. The screenplay blends folklore, history and heart as it leans into classic horror tropes. While all the films in this category have complex characters and emotional themes, the character and plot development in “Sinners” flows like no other.

Best Directing:
Chloé Zhao / Hamnet
Joachim Trier / Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler / Sinners
Josh Safdie / Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson / One Battle After Another

“One Battle After Another” has swept in the directing categories this season. Anderson’s quick, gritty style has evidently made an impression. While “Sinners” has set records for most nominations, “One Battle” has dominated the awards season, most recently taking home six British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), one for direction. Anderson is heavily favored to add the Oscar to his new collection, the popular favorite according to Variety and The New York Times and others.

Best Animated Feature Film:
Arco
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters

“KPop Demon Hunters” may not be your typical Oscar-nominated film, but the record-breaking success of both the animated feature and its star song “Golden” makes it the overwhelming favorite this awards season. Only “Zootopia 2” really stands a chance in this year’s animation drought, and having already picked up Golden Globes and a Grammy, the new generation’s “Frozen” is sure to find success in March. (And, regardless of whether it wins, the live rendition of “Golden” will certainly be a high point of the ceremony).

Cinematography:
Frankenstein / Dan Laustsen
Marty Supreme / Darius Khondji
One Battle after Another / Michael Bauman
Sinners / Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Train Dreams / Adolpho Veloso

Many blockbuster movies have landed in theaters this year, bringing crowds of eager moviegoers to the theater and building enormous amounts of hype, but the coveted cinematography award is not dependent on this popularity at all. “Train Dreams” has seemingly snuck its way onto the Oscar nominations, notably Best Picture, without being widely talked about by the media, but its quiet strength makes it a strong contender. While the film is devoid of any intense action, A-list actors or pop needle drops, its colors, camerawork and setting are truly what characterize this film. In comparison to other nominees, there is no doubt “Train Dreams” will go full steam ahead and win.

Best Picture:
Bugonia / Ed Guiney & Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone and Lars Knudsen, Producers
F1 / Chad Oman, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers
Frankenstein / Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Scott Stuber, Producers
Hamnet / Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes, Producers
Marty Supreme / Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas and Timothée Chalamet, Producers
One Battle after Another / Adam Somner, Sara Murphy and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers
The Secret Agent / Emilie Lesclaux, Producer
Sentimental Value / Maria Ekerhovd and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Producers
Train Dreams / Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer and Michael Heimler, Producers
Sinners / Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Ryan Coogler, Producers

While “Hamnet” may have won the Golden Globe for Best Feature and “One Battle After Another” the BAFTA, “Sinners” has broken the record for Oscar nominations and is the logical pick for Best Picture. The previous record of 14 nominations was achieved by only three monolith movies: “La La Land,” “All About Eve” and “Titanic,” and the latter two both took home the Best Picture trophy. “One Battle After Another” has recently generated lots of award buzz, winning for directing and adapted screenplay at the major award shows this season, and will surely take home awards for the individual categories. However, Sinners is our all-around favorite, and its strength in 15 other categories makes it the likely overall winner.