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All The Winners at The Oscars 2026
- Chris Olson
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
Film Feature by Chris Olson
The curtains have fallen on the 98th Academy Awards, and while the Dolby Theatre has seen its fair share of predictable sweeps in the past, the 2026 ceremony felt like a genuine clash of titans. As we look over the wreckage of the awards season, it is clear that the night belonged to a gritty, sprawling American epic and a supernatural genre-bender that redefined the blockbuster.
The evening’s biggest victor was undoubtedly Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. Still on my to-watch list, its dominance is impossible to ignore. Taking home Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, Anderson has finally secured the "triple crown" that has eluded him for decades. The film also proved to be an acting powerhouse, securing Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn. It is a formidable haul for a film that many critics have described as Anderson’s most demanding work to date, and its success here suggests the Academy is leaning back toward the "Big Film" era of filmmaking.
However, for those of us who championed the more visceral, genre-focused side of cinema this year, the success of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners was the real story of the night. Having seen Coogler’s latest, I can attest that it is a masterclass in tension and atmosphere. Michael B. Jordan’s win for Best Actor felt like a just reward for a career-best performance; he anchored a film that was as much a psychological study as it was a supernatural thriller.
Sinners didn't just stop at the acting categories; it cleaned up in the technical and creative fields, taking home Best Original Screenplay for Coogler’s tight, inventive script, as well as Best Original Score for Ludwig Goransson and Best Cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw. The film’s visual and auditory identity was second to none this year, and I am thrilled to see the Academy recognise such bold, stylish choices.
In the acting categories, Jessie Buckley continued her ascent to legendary status by taking home Best Actress for Hamnet. Although I am still catching up with Chloé Zhao’s latest, the buzz surrounding Buckley’s performance has been deafening since its premiere. Hamnet also put up a strong fight in the craft categories, though it was often edged out by the night's other visual powerhouse: Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
Del Toro’s Frankenstein is a film I found utterly transfixing, a gothic dream that only he could conjure. While it may have missed out on the "Above the Line" trophies, it proved unbeatable in the aesthetic categories. The film won Best Production Design, Best Make-up and Hairstyling, and Best Costume Design. Seeing del Toro’s vision of the creature and its world rewarded in this way was a highlight of the ceremony; it is a film that breathes through its textures and shadows.
Perhaps the most delightful surprise for me was the success of KPop Demon Hunters in the Best Animated Feature category. This film is a neon-soaked, high-energy riot that I enjoyed immensely (I have two young daughters who watch it on repeat), and seeing it best the likes of Zootopia 2 shows a refreshing willingness from the Academy to embrace international influence and contemporary pop culture. Its win for Best Original Song with "Golden" was the cherry on top, cementing the film as a cultural phenomenon rather than just a niche hit.
As we look toward the 2026 cinematic calendar, the bar has been set incredibly high. Whether it was the sweeping historical scale of One Battle After Another or the sharp, supernatural edge of Sinners, the 98th Oscars celebrated a year where cinema felt truly vital, diverse, and, above all, daring.
The Full List of Oscar Winners 2026:
Best picture
WINNER: One Battle After Another
Best actress
WINNER: Jessie Buckley - Hamnet
Best actor
WINNER: Michael B Jordan - Sinners
Best supporting actress
WINNER: Amy Madigan - Weapons
Best supporting actor
WINNER: Sean Penn - One Battle After Another
Best director
WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another
Best animated feature
WINNER: KPop Demon Hunters
Best international feature
WINNER: Sentimental Value
Best documentary feature
WINNER: Mr Nobody Against Putin
Best original screenplay
WINNER: Sinners - Ryan Coogler
Best adapted screenplay
WINNER: One Battle After Another - Paul Thomas Anderson
Best original song
WINNER: Golden - KPop Demon Hunters (by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park)
Best original score
WINNER: Sinners - Ludwig Goransson
Best cinematography
WINNER: Sinners - Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Best film editing
WINNER: One Battle After Another - Andy Jurgensen
Best sound
WINNER: F1 - Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A Rizzo and Juan Peralta
Best visual effects
WINNER: Avatar: Fire and Ash - Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
Best production design
WINNER: Frankenstein - Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau
Best casting
WINNER: One Battle After Another - Cassandra Kulukundis
Best make-up and hairstyling
WINNER: Frankenstein - Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey
Best costume design
WINNER: Frankenstein - Kate Hawley
Best animated short
WINNER: The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Best live action short
WINNER (TIED): The Singers
WINNER (TIED): Two People Exchanging Saliva
Best documentary short
WINNER: All the Empty Rooms
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