The Tamesis
The 2026 Oscar nominations brought countless jaw-dropping moments — shocking nominations, diabolical omissions, and plenty of tea leaves for awards season prognosticators to read. Here are 11 of the most confusing snubs and exciting surprises we can’t stop talking about.
Snubbed: Ariana Grande evil: doing good
There was a time, not long after evil The sequel is out and it looks like our Glinda is on the right track win Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She came close last year, and this felt like her moment — but then the film underperformed among audiences and critics. On the morning of the Oscar nominations, evil: doing good No nominations were received. (the first evil Scored 10 points. ) was once considered a must-win in the top ten Best Picture lineup, but it wasn’t to be, missing out even in Best Production Design and Costume Design (it won two last time and was once predicted to win this time), as well as Cinematography, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Original Song (two new ones, “Girl in the Bubble” and “No Place Like Home”), not to mention Cynthia Erivo’s Best Actress nod. Shocking indeed.
Surprise: Elle Fanning emotional value
If you can believe it, this Hollywood stalwart has never been nominated for an Oscar before. (Last year she was Completely unknownAs competition in the Supporting Actress category gets tougher, it looks like she’ll be on the losing end again – but thankfully she plays a sensitive role in Joachim Trier’s Norwegian family drama. It received an impressive nine nominations in total, including Best Picture.
Surprise: Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo sinner
Michael B. Jordan is widely expected to be on the Best Actor shortlist for Ryan Coogler’s vampire saga, but the fate of his two co-stars looks more uncertain. They shouldn’t worry, though – nominations came in the morning sinner Earthshaking received 16 nominations, the most in Oscar history. Among them, Best Supporting Actress Mo Zuo and Best Supporting Actor Lin Duo. Praise.
Surprise: Kate Hudson Song Shenglan
If Grande’s omission was the morning’s single biggest snub, then the biggest surprise was its inclusion this Industry veteran whose last Oscar nomination was a quarter-century ago almost famouswon the Best Actress Award. Her band musical tribute to Neil Diamond caused quite a stir among voters, and there were rumors she might be on the shortlist — she’s already been nominated for a Golden Globe and a SAG Award, after all — but actually seeing her on that list was still jaw-dropping.
Snubbed: Chasing Infiniti one battle after another
Hudson’s infiltration meant that the surprising lead in Paul Thomas Anderson’s revolutionary epic didn’t win the best actress award. At 25, she’ll naturally have more opportunities moving forward, but she definitely deserves to be here. It’s also a shame that without her, we’re left with an all-white Best Actress cast.
Snubbed: Paul Mescal Hamnet
Hamnet Peaked from the Ballon d’Or, beating sinner Best drama statuette. This morning it was nominated for a respectable eight Oscars, but crucially missed out on Best Cinematography and Editing (nominations in the latter categories are a key bellwether for winning Best Picture). Paul Mescal, who also won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as the gruff William Shakespeare, was previously considered a lock. Still, the Irish heartthrob has at least been nominated before (because After sun exposure 2023) and, I suspect, will appear again soon. (After all, he’ll be playing Paul McCartney next…) As for the film’s overall fate, this could indicate sinner Now No. 2 in the Best Picture race one battle after anotheras Hamnet Dropped to third place.
Snubbed: Guillermo del Toro frankenstein
God bless the three-time Oscar-winning Mexican director who has launched a hellish campaign for the controversial monster movie, dragging it out from its polarizing Venice Film Festival premiere and establishing it as a major awards season contender through a never-ending series of interviews, events and exhibitions. His hard work paid off with an astonishing nine nominations, but, in a cruel twist of fate, he missed out on the chance to win Best Director despite winning Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay. frankenstein However, he is unlikely to win in either category and knowing del Toro, he will be fully committed to ensuring his wider team takes home as many awards as possible. From Jacob Elordi’s win for Best Supporting Actor to Best Costumes, Best Production Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling, multiple awards seem likely.
Neglected: it’s just an accident
Consider Palme d’Or-winning Iranian director Jafar Panahi, a dissident who recently found international success with a dark comedy inspired by his previous incarceration before being sentenced to another prison term. Once considered a strong contender for Best Picture, it’s just an accident It only received two nominations – Best International Feature Film and Original Screenplay – while Panahi also sadly missed out on Best Director. History of recent Palme d’Or winners’ Best Picture nominations and wins (Anora, Anatomy of a Fall, triangle of sadness, parasites) This ends here for now. In its place is another Cannes hit, the work of Kleber Mendonça Filho secret agent, did won Best Picture and was nominated for three other items.
surprise: F1
To replace Panahi’s acclaimed art film in the Best Picture lineup? Joseph Kosinski’s big, funny, breathtaking racing movie also won Best Editing, Sound and Visual Effects – proving that, no matter how cosmopolitan and highbrow the academy becomes, crowd-pleasing blockbusters never go out of style.
surprise: Bugonia
Yorgos Lanthimos’ sci-fi oddball could have easily received zero nominations. (Yes, favorite Winner of Academy Awards through nine nominations, and poor thing 4 out of 11 were secured, but Kinds of Kindness was completely ignored. ) However, the Academy clearly still has a soft spot for Greek provocateurs –Bugonia It was nominated for four awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Emma Stone’s mesmerizing performance in the title role. Jesse Plemons, long considered a candidate for Best Actor, couldn’t squeeze in, but the film’s production team is sure to be happy this morning.
surprise: Voice of India Rajab
emotional value, it’s just an accident, secret agentand Silat looks solid in the Best International Film category, but Park Chan-wook’s no choice As the film’s popularity soared, it began to feel like Kaouther Ben Hania’s searing retelling of the true story of a little girl who came under fire in Gaza might not receive Oscar recognition. But it’s exciting that it’s actually here. In fact, it deserves full recognition, including a Best Picture win, but do you know the Academy didn’t completely shut it out? Well, there’s no better news for Oscar nominations day.
