Oscars 2026 Winners: Best Picture, Acting and Directing
One Battle after Another won best picture at the 98th Academy Awards, while Michael B. Jordan and Jessie Buckley won the lead acting prizes.
Timeline
- March 15, 2026: The 98th Academy Awards honored films released in 2025.
- March 15, 2026: One Battle after Another won best picture and Paul Thomas Anderson won directing.
- March 15, 2026: Michael B. Jordan, Jessie Buckley, Sean Penn and Amy Madigan won the acting categories.
One Battle after Another won best picture at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026. Paul Thomas Anderson also won the directing award for the film, and Sean Penn received the supporting-actor prize for his performance in it. [1]
The lead acting winners were Michael B. Jordan for Sinners and Jessie Buckley for Hamnet. The supporting winners were Sean Penn for One Battle after Another and Amy Madigan for Weapons. These are four separate categories, so a list that says only “best actor” or “best actress” can obscure whether it means a lead or supporting performance. [1]
Sinners received several major craft and writing honors. The Academy’s record lists it as the winner for original screenplay, original score and cinematography, in addition to Jordan’s lead-actor award. KPop Demon Hunters won animated feature and its song “Golden” won original song. [1]
Other prominent winners included Frankenstein for production design, costume design, and makeup and hairstyling; F1 for sound; and Avatar: Fire and Ash for visual effects. Sentimental Value, submitted by Norway, won international feature film. [1]
The ceremony year and film-release year differ. The event was held in 2026 but honored eligible movies released in 2025. That is why the Academy database describes the ceremony as the 2025 awards year while the public commonly searches for “Oscars 2026.” [1][2]
The Academy’s ceremony page is the simplest source for browsing categories and nominees. Its separate database is the durable official record and is better for historical comparisons because it includes winners and nominees across decades. [1][2]
Award totals can differ depending on whether a source counts nominations, competitive wins, honorary awards or awards credited to an individual rather than a film. This page follows the Academy category pages and names the credited winner in each category. For a complete film-by-film total, readers should query the official database instead of adding headlines that may omit short-film, technical or newly introduced categories. [1][2]