This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UWindsor chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
One of my favourite parts of starting a new year is the awards season. As a fan of movies, music, and pop culture, they hold tremendous excitement and gravitas for me, and, like many others, I always try my best to predict the big winners. As one of the award shows with the fewest categories, the Oscars remain my favourite to predict. This year, the Oscars will take place on March 15 at 7 p.m. As a disclaimer, I would like to note that I have not watched all of the movies eligible for the Oscars or even all the movies I mention below. I did, however, do my own research on them, including ratings, audience reviews, and other award nominations or wins. Without further ado, here are my 2026 Oscar predictions:
Best Picture:
Marty Supreme
Wicked: For Good
One Battle After Another
Frankenstein
Sinners
Bugonia
Nuremberg
Sentimental Value
The Phoenician Scheme
Train Dreams
Although the award for Best Picture is the first on my list, it is the final award given during the Oscars. It is granted to the film’s producers and is generally considered the highest award a film can receive. It is also the only award to have 10 nominations instead of 5. Out of the ten films I’ve chosen, I believe that Marty Supreme and One Battle After Another stand the highest chance of receiving this award. While I would love to see Sinners win Best Picture this year, the Academy’s long-standing bias against horror films makes that outcome unlikely.
Best Actor:
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
Micheal B. Jordan – Sinners
Leo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Jesse Plemmons – Bugonia
Oscar Isaac – Frankenstein
HM: Stellan Skarsgard – Sentimental Value
Best Actress:
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Cythnia Erivo – Wicked: For Good
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Jennifer Lawrence – Die My Love
HM: Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
The Oscar award for Best Actor/Actress is something so many people dream of receiving. Both of these categories had so many potential nominees that I had to include an honourable mention. Stellan Skarsgard has a reputation for being an intense and dramatic actor, something that is executed perfectly in Sentimental Value. Chase Infiniti is a newcomer to Hollywood, with One Battle After Another being her first major film production. Both gave stellar performances and are equally deserving of a nomination as the rest of the names above. As for who I think will win, I believe Timothée Chalamet will win Best Actor for his performance in Marty Supreme and that either Rose Byrne or Emma Stone will win for Best Actress.
Best Supporting Actor:
Miles Caton – Sinners
Jeff Goldblum – Wicked: For Good
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
Best Supporting Actress:
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Hailee Steinfeld – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
Mia Goth – Frankenstein
Best Supporting Actor and Actress were two of the most challenging categories for me to pin down. These are the categories for which I am least sure of my predictions. Ultimately, any of these people stand a chance of getting nominated and winning. However, I do believe that Jacob Elordi has a strong chance of winning for Frankenstein, as well as Benicio del Toro for One Battle After Another. For supporting actresses, I would guess that Jessie Buckley has the strongest chance of winning for Hamnet.
Best Director:
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
Wes Anderson – The Phoenician Scheme
Chloe Zhao – Hamnet
Unlike the other categories, Best Director is a little more difficult to guess at, at least for me. Unlike the actors, we never see the directors directing, and I have always had a hard time distinguishing what makes a movie more eligible for Best Director over Best Picture, or even Best Screenplay. However, I did my best, and these are my five picks for the Best Director award. Although it’s difficult to predict which of these five will win, I would be most excited to see Ryan Coogler receive the prize for Sinners.
Best Original Score:
Sinners
Hamnet
Wicked: For Good
Hedda
Train Dreams
HM: Superman
Although not one of the most popular categories, Best Original Score is one of my favourites. I love listening to film scores, especially when I study, so I am always excited when films deliver a strong soundtrack, even if the movie itself is not my favourite. I wanted to give an honourable mention to the Superman soundtrack, which was my most-played album of 2025. Although it did not make the shortlist for this Oscar category, it is the Best Original Score winner of 2026 in my heart. Of the rest of the nominations, I believe Sinners will win best original score. I chose not to include it as a category in my article, but I am confident that Sinners will also win Best Original Song, as both “I Lied to You” and “Last Time (I Seen the Sun)” made the shortlist for that category.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Wicked: For Good
Frankenstein
Weapons
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
This is another category that I love predicting. Makeup and hairstyling can truly make or break a movie. I also love when a film takes risks with its styling or gets the opportunity to do specialized makeup or hair. I did not have a hard time picking movies for this category, as four out of the five were immediately obvious to me. I believe Wicked: For Good will win this category, and I will be slightly disappointed if they don’t. After all, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is green for the entire movie…
I always have a great time writing up my predictions for the winners, but at the end of the day, this is just for fun, and I will be happy for whoever ends up on that stage!