Initial Shortlists for the 2026 Oscars Announced in 12 Categories: Sinners and Wicked: For Good Lead the Way

According to CinemaDrame News Agency, the shortlists for the 98th Academy Awards (The Oscars 2026) were announced moments ago across 12 categories. These categories include Animated Short Film, Documentary Short Film, Documentary Feature Film, Animated Feature Film, International Feature Film, Live-Action Short Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Original Song, Sound, Cinematography, and Visual Effects. This year marks the first time that a preliminary shortlist has been released for the Cinematography category.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Wicked: For Good lead the field, appearing in eight categories each, while Marty Supreme by Josh Safdie and Sirât earned spots in five categories. It Was Just an Accident, directed by Jafar Panahi, is considered a strong contender in the International Feature Film category, where it will compete with Sirât, Sentimental Value, and The Secret Agent.

Among superhero films, DC’s Superman has been shortlisted for Best Visual Effects, while The Fantastic Four: First Steps did not appear in any category.

Cutting through Rocks, directed by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, has been shortlisted in the Documentary Feature Film category and is now closer to securing an Oscar nomination.

Voting for final nominations in all 24 categories begins on Monday, January 12, and runs through Friday, January 16, 2026. The final list of nominees will be announced on Thursday, January 22.
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place on March 2.

Casting

Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle after Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Sirât
Weapons
Wicked: For Good

Cinematography

Ballad of a Small Player
Bugonia
Die My Love
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Nouvelle Vague
One Battle after Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Sirât
Song Sung Blue
Sound of Falling
Train Dreams
Wicked: For Good

Documentary Feature Film

The Alabama Solution
Apocalypse in the Tropics
Coexistence, My Ass
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cover-Up
Cutting through Rocks
Folktales
Holding Liat
Mr. Nobody against Putin
Mistress Dispeller
My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow
The Perfect Neighbor
Seeds
2000 Meters to Andriivka
Yanuni

Documentary Short Film

All the Empty Rooms
All the Walls Came Down
Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
Bad Hostage
Cashing Out
Chasing Time
Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”
Classroom 4
The Devil Is Busy
Heartbeat
Last Days on Lake Trinity
On Healing Land, Birds Perch
Perfectly a Strangeness
Rovina’s Choice
We Were the Scenery

International Feature Film

Argentina – Belén
Brazil – The Secret Agent
France – It Was Just an Accident
Germany – Sound of Falling
India – Homebound
Iraq – The President’s Cake
Japan – Kokuho
Jordan – All That’s Left of You
Norway – Sentimental Value
Palestine – Palestine 36
South Korea – No Other Choice
Spain – Sirât
Switzerland – Late Shift
Taiwan – Left-Handed Girl
Tunisia – The Voice of Hind Rajab

Makeup and Hairstyling

The Alto Knights
Frankenstein
Kokuho
Marty Supreme
Nuremberg
One Battle after Another
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Wicked: For Good

Original Score

Avatar: Fire and Ash
Bugonia
Captain America: Brave New World
Diane Warren: Relentless
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Hedda
A House of Dynamite
Jay Kelly
Marty Supreme
Nuremberg
One Battle after Another
Sinners
Sirât
Train Dreams
Tron: Ares
Truth and Treason
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Wicked: For Good

Original Song

“As Alive As You Need Me To Be” – Tron: Ares
“Dear Me” – Diane Warren: Relentless
“Dream As One” – Avatar: Fire and Ash
“Drive” – F1
“Dying To Live” – Billy Idol Should Be Dead
“The Girl In The Bubble” – Wicked: For Good
“Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters
“Highest 2 Lowest” – Highest 2 Lowest
“I Lied To You” – Sinners
“Last Time (I Seen The Sun)” – Sinners
“No Place Like Home” – Wicked: For Good
“Our Love” – The Ballad of Wallis Island
“Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” – Come See Me in the Good Light
“Sweet Dreams Of Joy” – Viva Verdi
“Train Dreams” – Train Dreams

Animated Short Film

Autokar
Butterfly
Cardboard
Éiru
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Hurikán
I Died in Irpin
The Night Boots
Playing God
The Quinta’s Ghost
Retirement Plan
The Shyness of Trees
Snow Bear
The Three Sisters

Live-Action Short Film

Ado
Amarela
Beyond Silence
The Boy with White Skin
Butcher’s Stain
Butterfly on a Wheel
Dad’s Not Home
Extremist
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Pantyhose
The Pearl Comb
Rock, Paper, Scissors
The Singers
Two People Exchanging Saliva

Sound

Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Frankenstein
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
One Battle after Another
Sinners
Sirât
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Superman
Wicked: For Good

Visual Effects

Avatar: Fire and Ash
The Electric State
F1
Frankenstein
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Superman
Tron: Ares
Wicked: For Good