SMALLS OSCAR PICKS 2026

 Out of the Oscar nominations, here is who I would pick for each category. A *** indicates my pick for the corresponding category.

BEST ACTOR

Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another

***Timothy Chalamet - Marty Supreme 

Ethan Hawke - Blue Moon

Wagner Moura - The Secret Agent

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Benicio Del Toro - One Battle After Another

***Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein

Delroy Lindo - Sinners

Sean Penn - One Battle After Another

Stellan Skarsgard  - Sentimental Value

BEST ACTRESS

***Jessie Buckley - Hamnet

Rose Byrne - If I had Legs I'd Kick You

Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value

Emma Stone - Bugonia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Elle Fanning - Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental Value

***Amy Madigan - Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku - Sinners

Teyana Taylor - One Battle After Another

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Arco

Elio

KPop Demon Hunters

***Little Amelie or the Character of Rain

Zootopia 2

BEST CASTING

Nina Gold - Hamnet

Jennifer Venditti - Marty Supreme 

Cassandra Kulukundis - One Battle After Another

Gabriel Domingues - The Secret Agent

***Francine Maisler - Sinners 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Dan Laustsen - Frankenstein

Darius Khondji - Marty Supreme

Michael Bauman - One Battle After Another

***Autumn Durald Arkapaw - Sinners

Adolpho Veloso - Train Dreams

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Deborah L. Scott - Avatar: Fire and Ash

***Kate Hawley - Frankenstein

Malgosia Turzanska - Hamnet

Miyako Bellizzi - Marty Supreme

Ruth E. Carter - Sinners

BEST DIRECTOR

Chloe Zhao - Hamnet

***Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme

Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another

Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler - Sinners

BEST EDITING

***Stephen Mirrione - F1

Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme

Andy Jurgensen - One Battle After Another

Olivier Bugge Coutte - Sentimental Value

Michael P. Shawver - Sinners

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

***Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey - Frankenstein

Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu - Kokuho

Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry - Sinners

Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin and Bjoern Rehbein - The Smashing Machine

Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg - The Ugly Stepsister

BEST SCORE

Jerskin Fendrix - Bugonia

Alexandre Desplat - Frankenstein

Max Richter - Hamnet

Jonny Greenwood - One Battle After Another

***Ludwig Goransson - Sinners

BEST SONG 

Dear Me - from Diane Warren: Relentless; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

Golden - from KPop Demon Hunters; Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park

***I Lied to You - from Sinners; Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson

Sweet Dreams of Joy - from Viva Verdi!; Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike

Train Dreams - from Train Dreams; Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner; Lyric by Nick Cave

BEST PICTURE

Bugonia

F1

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme 

***One Battle After Another (TIE)

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Train Dreams

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau - Frankenstein

Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton - Hamnet

Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis - Marty Supreme

Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino - One Battle After Another

***Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Monique Champagne - Sinners

BEST SOUND

***Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta - F1

Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern - Frankenstein

José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio and Tony Villaflor - One Battle After Another

Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor and Steve Boeddeker - Sinners

Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas and Yasmina Praderas - Sirat

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

***Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett - Avatar: Fire and Ash

Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington and Keith Dawson - F1

David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan and Neil Corbould - Jurassic World: Rebirth

Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen and Brandon K. McLaughlin - The Lost Bus

Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter and Donnie Dean - Sinners

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Will Tracy - Bugonia

Guillermo del Toro - Frankenstein

Chloé Zhao & Maggie O'Farrell - Hamnet

***Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another

Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar - Train Dreams

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Robert Kaplow - Blue Moon

Jafar Panahi - It Was Just An Accident

Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme

***Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler - Sinners