The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter.
Editor’s note: This article was written before the 2025 Oscars. Following the award ceremony on March 2, the winners of the corresponding awards were added to the article, as noted in the highlighted phrases.
Somehow, the Oscars season is officially upon us. With it comes the opportunity for people to lock in their final predictions for the major award categories, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Picture. The 97th Academy Awards ushers in a tight and unpredictable race for the major categories, seeing that the results from this year’s award ceremonies have been far from consistent.
As a self-proclaimed cinephile, I could not be more anxious and excited about the possible results of next week’s Oscars ceremony. Every year, I lay out my predictions for who will take home the gold versus who I believe should win. Although my predictions don’t necessarily align with my favorites from this year, I am hopeful that the Academy will fulfill its duty in awarding the most deserving of this gigantic honor.
- Best Actress
Throughout this year’s award season, Demi Moore has swept through the Best Actress category in most major film awards, including the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Critics’ Choice Awards. Due to this trend, it’s safe to predict that Moore will secure the win for this category. Moore portrays Elizabeth Sparkle in Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, which follows 50-year-old Elizabeth as she takes a drug that promises to turn her into a younger, better version of herself.
Among these major award shows, however, one made the surprising decision not to award Moore Best Actress: the British Academy Film Awards. Rather, the award for Best Actress was secured by emerging actress, Mikey Madison, for her portrayal of Ani in Sean Baker’s Anora. I was blown away by Madison’s performance as Ani, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, New York, who falls in love with the son of a Russian oligarch. Madison’s performance was captivating, emotional, and an absolute standout from other performances this year. This is why I feel she deserves this Best Actress win.
At the award ceremony, the award for Best Leading Actress went to Madison, according to Oscars.org.
- Best SUPPORTING aCTRESS
It seems that no matter what corner of the Internet I find myself on, I will come across slander about Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez. In full transparency, the surplus of negative reviews has discouraged me from even trying to watch the film in full. This does not take away from the fact that this film has awarded Zoe Saldaña her first nominations and wins in every one of the major award shows mentioned. Saldaña will take home the win for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Rita Mora Castro at the Academy Awards.
An actress who has failed to be recognized as a winner at all this award season, however, is none other than pop icon Ariana Grande. Truthfully, Grande proved through her performance as Glinda in Jon M. Chu’s Wicked that she transcends the pop star title and contains all the qualities of a true actress. No other actress could have captured Glinda in her quirkiness and compassion as skillfully as Grande. It is with my deepest hopes that the Academy will acknowledge this and award Grande the Oscar she so rightfully deserves.
The award for Best Supporting Actress went to Saldaña.
- Best Actor
Adrian Brody has carved a promising conclusion to his Best Actor run. He has earned this award at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, and Critics Choice Awards. Because of this, nearly every arrow points toward a win for Brody in this category at the Oscars. One stray arrow, however, points to Timothée Chalamet, who snagged the award for Best Actor at this year’s SAG Awards.
Despite my love for Chalamet and notwithstanding his undeniable talent, my personal Best Actor decision goes to an actor who I haven’t seen gain enough praise for his role in Sing Sing: Colman Domingo. Domingo plays Divine G, a wrongfully imprisoned man who takes part in uprooting an original show through the prison’s theatre program. The film, which is based on a true story, is carried by Domingo’s rawness and adaptability. He is worthy of more recognition for his performance in this film, and I hope the Oscars will fulfill this prophecy.
The award for Best Leading Actor went to Brody.
- Best Supporting Actor
The race for Best Supporting Actor is one of the rare instances where my earnest prediction perfectly aligns with my personal choice. Kieran Culkin has swept in all four major awards shows for his portrayal of Benji Kaplan in Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain. Benji is David Kaplan’s cousin, whom he joins on a trip to Poland to honor the memory of their late grandmother.
There is no question that Culkin has a gift for playing troubled, intricate characters in a humorous yet equally poignant way. His skill is especially evident in his portrayal of Benji, who struggles to cope with losing his loved one while battling his own personal struggles. The emotional vulnerability displayed by Culkin is one of the most impressive examples I’ve seen in recent cinema of how an actor can mark a character’s emotional depth. For this reason, I hope his winning streak continues and lands him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
The award for Best Supporting Actor went to Culkin.
- Best Picture
This brings us to the most coveted award of the night: Best Picture. This award is the most prestigious of all Oscar awards, its recipient must contain elements that set it apart from every other film in this category. This year, 10 films are nominated for Best Picture. Obviously, “best” is a subjective term, and each film conveys greatness in its unique way. However, when it comes to predicting which film will snag Best Picture, it’s important to understand how Academy members come to this decision.
The Academy uses a preferential balloting method where “they create a list of the 10 films and rank each film from their most favorite at #1 to their least favorite at #10. Whichever film receives 50% or more of the votes wins.” Like the term “best,” each member’s opinion is influenced by personal feelings and tastes, which makes it difficult to predict which film will be the unanimous favorite.
However, based on the Academy’s tendency to favor historical epics, I predict that Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist will take home the win for Best Picture. This fails to coincide with my personal Best Picture decision, which goes back to Baker’s Anora. This film immerses you into Ani’s world as she navigates love and loss in a society that stigmatizes sex work and its constituents. It defines the common denominator existing within the shared human experience, even in a situation as specific and multi-faceted as Ani’s. Its ability to achieve this impressive feat is why I believe it should be awarded Best Picture.
The award for Best Picture went to Anora.
March 2 was an exciting and equally stress-inducing day for actors, directors, producers, editors, cinephiles, and everyone in between. Although these award shows are truly unpredictable, I based my pre-show predictions on current trends I see in the media. On the contrary, my choices are all based on what I feel in my heart.
