The 2026 Oscars have finally arrived, with the 98th Academy Awards celebrating the best films of the year in Hollywood. The 98th Academy Awards just concluded at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and we are here with the fastest recap of the entire show. With veteran comedian Conan O’Brien hosting the Awards for the second consecutive time, the show was a fitting tribute to the art of moviemaking and was attended by many of the biggest names in the film industry.
Here is the full list of winners from the 2026 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and the biggest surprises of the night. The 98th Academy Awards celebrated the best films of the year, with several major surprises and historic wins across multiple categories.
Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman present the Oscar® for Best Picture to "One Battle After Another" during the 98th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
2026 Oscars Winners (Major Categories)
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Best Picture: One Battle After Another
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Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
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Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
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Best Actress: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
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Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
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Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan – Weapons
These were the biggest winners at the 2026 Oscars, which celebrated the best films of the year at the 98th Academy Awards.
2026 Oscars: Historic Moments From the 98th Academy Awards
Cassandra Kulukundis attends the Governors Ball following the 98th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
The 2026 Oscars were historic for several reasons. One, for the first time in a long time, a new category has been introduced for the foreseeable future: Best Casting. While the logic behind this creative decision is still to be understood, it is good that the Academy is actually entertaining ideas of expanding its categories (we would have loved a Best Stunt category in place of Best Casting, but who are we to complain?). With the introduction of this category, a historic 24 categories now make up the Awards.
This year’s Academy Awards were also historic due to the fact that for the first time, a film was nominated for a whopping 16 Oscars. This film was Sinners, and it bested three past movies (including Titanic), which had been nominated for 14 Oscars apiece. In second place with the most nominations was One Battle After Another, with 13 nods. This is not all, as three more films share 9 nominations apiece this year.
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Which Film Won the Most Oscars in 2026?
Every Academy Awards has its fair share of winners and losers. First, let’s dive into who had the most wins this Oscar season. Defying expectations, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another (OBAA) took the crown for the film with the most Oscars at six wins. In second place was Ryan Coogler’s Sinners at four wins.
Paul Thomas Anderson and Chase Infiniti during the Oscar® for Best Picture during the 98th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
In terms of studios, Warner Bros was in first place with 11 wins while Netflix was in second with 5 wins. Warner Bros has had an illustrious history at the Awards, and this Awards season only cements its position as the dominating studio in the industry. Netflix, with its 5 wins, continues to climb up the charts as well despite releasing no films in theatres.
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2026 Oscars Winners: The Major Awards
For Best Picture, it was always going to be a close race between Sinners and One Battle After Another, and despite expectations, OBAA came out on top. As a result, this is Paul Thomas Anderson’s first-ever Best Picture win. The Best Actor race was always going to be close, and most expected Timothée Chalametto win here, but as the night drew to a close, Michael B. Jordan took home this Oscar for Sinners. Leonardo DiCaprio, with his eighth nomination, was once again left in the dust. For Best Supporting Actor, Delroy Lindo and Sean Penn were neck to neck, and we are happy to report that OBAA’s Sean Penn came out on top.
Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler pose backstage with the Oscar® for Actor in a Leading Role during the 98th Oscars® at Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
Now, let's dive into the leading and supporting ladies categories. Hamnet’s Jessie Buckley took home the award for Best Actress, and Amy Madigan won for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Aunt Gladys in Weapons. It is important to note that this was Amy Madigan’s first-ever Oscar win.
Best Picture and Best Director often go to the same team, and that was the case again this year: Paul Thomas Anderson won Best Director, beating Marty Supreme’s Josh Safdie and Sinners’ Ryan Coogler.
One of the most fought-over categories has been Best Animated Feature, with Disney/Pixar edging out ahead almost every year. This year was a little different as Sony’s KPop Demon Hunters won despite the fact that two Disney films were nominated.
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Technical Oscar Winners at the 2026 Academy Awards
Joe Letteri with his Oscarr® for Best Visual Effects award for “Avatar: Fire and Ash”, at Governors Ball following the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California
Avatar: Fire and Ash was the favourite for Best Visuals, and it won, beating out hopefuls such as F1: The Movie and Sinners. For Best Sound, it was always going to be between Sinners and OBAA; F1 coming out on top here is a bit of a surprise.
The most important technical category has always been Best Cinematography, and this year, Sinners took home the award in this category. There were a lot of great films nominated for this one, but Sinners, if you have seen it, deserved to take this one. Then there’s Best Editing, in which OBAA took home the prize.
Ryan Coogler poses backstage with the Oscar® for Original Screenplay during the 98th Oscars® at Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
Finally, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design were all won by Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
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Other Winners From the 2026 Oscars
Some of the not-so-well-known Academy Awards are those for Best Documentary (feature) and Best Animated Film (short). For Best Feature Documentary, it was Mr. Nobody Against Putin that won the prize. For Best Animated Short Film, the winner was The Girl Who Cried Pearls.
David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin, Helle Faber, Alžběta Karásková, and Radovan Sibrt pose backstage with the Oscar® for Documentary Feature Film during the live ABC Telecast of the 98th Oscars® at Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
While not exactly a technical category, it is important to state who won the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting. OBAA took the honor for this inaugural Academy Award, and it seems like this will be a regular occurrence going forward. This contrasts with 2022, when the Academy introduced two new categories—Fan Favourite and Cheer Moment—before scrapping them the following year after significant backlash.
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Biggest Upsets at the 2026 Oscars
Timothée Chalamet arrives on the red carpet of the 98th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
By far, the greatest upset was Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, which did not manage to nail a single one of its nine nominations. Nobody expected Marty Supreme to win it all, but not managing to win even a single Oscar is a little disappointing. Sinners entered the night as the favorite to win the most Oscars, but One Battle After Another ultimately came out on top.
The 2026 Oscars delivered several surprises, historic milestones, and major wins across multiple categories. The full list of 2026 Oscars winners reflects one of the most competitive Academy Awards seasons in recent memory.
Jessie Buckley accepts the Oscar® for Actress in a Leading Role during the 98th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
So, this is the recap for the 98th Academy Awards that just wrapped up at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. There were a lot of clear winners, a lot of upsets, and a whole lot of ceremonial fun. As 2026 gets underway with many great films still to come, we’ll be back next year for the 99th Academy Awards.