As the 2026 awards season continues, this year’s Oscars contenders are basking in the glow of their nominations.
Nominations were officially announced for the 98th annual Academy Awards on Thursday, January 22, introducing the first new category in more than 20 years. This year, the Oscars will honor achievements in casting, with plans for another new category honoring stunt design to be added for the milestone 100th awards ceremony.
Ryan Coogler‘s Sinners broke records with its 16 nominations at the 2026 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan. History was also made by Timothée Chalamet — the youngest actor since Marlon Brando to receive three Oscar nods for Best Actor — and Emma Stone — the youngest woman in Oscars history with seven nominations.
The 2026 Academy Awards take place Sunday, March 15, and will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. The returning host recently hinted that viewers can expect “a lot of magic” at this year’s show.
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“There’ll be some explosions, CGI will be used,” he joked to ABC News. “I see this second Oscars as an opportunity to take things up a notch.”
Scroll down to see reactions from 2026 Oscars nominees, including Teyana Taylor and more:
Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another)
“I fell asleep last night watching Pretty Woman, thinking about happy endings and how impossible they sometimes feel … and I woke up realizing I’ve been living in one that God has been preparing me for my own fairytale ending,” Taylor shared in a statement following her Best Supporting Actress nomination. “To be an Academy Award nominee is beyond anything I ever allowed myself to fully believe was possible. I am so deeply emotional, so humbled, and so grateful for every person who has walked this road with me & honored to be nominated alongside these amazing women in my category.”
Taylor continued, “My career has been filled with battles, doubts, and moments of deep uncertainty. It has felt like one long fight for space, for respect, and for opportunity. But today feels like a gentle reminder that dreams really do survive … even when the journey is hard. Today feels like a soft, beautiful ‘yes’ from the universe. And as I always say … the wait was not punishment, it was preparation for what was already written.”
The actress gave a shout-out to “the entire cast and crew” behind One Battle After Another before naming director Paul Thomas Anderson.
“As always and forever … to Paul ‘Let Him Cook’ Thomas Anderson, thank you for your vision, your trust, and your brilliance. My gratitude is endless. I am emotional. I am humbled,” she stated. “My heart is full. My life is forever changed, and I give all glory to God.”
Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)
“Playing Larry Hart was the greatest challenge of my 40 year acting career,” read a statement from Hawke, who is up for Best Actor. “To make this film alongside one of my best friends, the incomparable Richard Linklater, was an honor in itself. Today I’m thinking back to the first time I read Robert Kaplow’s brilliant, now Oscar-nominated script, which so vividly captures the dangers and the joy in pursuing an artistic life. Thank you to The Academy for recognizing our work, and with it the work of our cast, crew, and the entire company of artists who came together in Ireland to realize BLUE MOON.”
Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)
“Making this film was one of the most meaningful and collaborative experiences of my life. It was made possible by the generosity, courage, and talent of an extraordinary cast — Teyana, Chase, Benny, Sean, Regina — and by the commitment of our entire crew,” read a statement from the Best Actor nominee. “None of this would have been possible without Paul’s vision, dedication, and belief in this film. He brought to life a complex story that feels deeply relevant to the world we’re living in, and I’m honored the Academy has recognized it in this moment.”
DiCaprio added, “Congratulations to my fellow nominees for their remarkable work this season, and thank you again to the Academy.”
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Amy Madigan (Weapons)
“Words cannot express my gratitude to the Academy for this recognition,” the Best Supporting Actress nominee said. “It’s hard to believe that it’s been 40 years since I received my first Academy Award nomination for TWICE IN A LIFETIME, and never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get to experience this moment for the second time in my career.”
Madigan continued, “Playing Aunt Gladys and seeing the world fall in love with this character over the last few months has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I feel so humbled to receive this nomination and to stand alongside the brilliant actresses in this category – Elle, Inga, Wunmi and Teyana – but also to be in the company of all the incredible actresses that have made their indelible mark on films this year. Your work has been remarkable, inspiring and the reason why films must continue to be seen on the big screen.”
Her statement concluded, “Thank you to my fellow castmates for being the best scene partners; the crew for creating the best playground for an actor, especially the unbelievable hair, makeup, prosthetics and costume artists for helping bring Gladys to life; to Miri, Roy and the incomparable Zach Cregger for being a great collaborator and friend throughout this whole process. And a huge thanks to everyone at Warner Bros. and New Line for believing in WEAPONS, and to the fans that showed up to the theaters around the world to support a wholly original film, something we need more of in this industry. This honor is as much yours as it is mine. Gladys, herself, would be thrilled with this recognition too…so on behalf of both of us, thank you!”
Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value)
“IS THIS REAL!?!?!?! IS THIS A DREAM!?!?!?! I can’t catch my breath,” the Best Supporting Actress nominee said on Thursday. “I am in absolute shock. What an honor to have my first Academy Award nomination be for a film that acknowledges the power of moviemaking and family! My Mom, Grandma, Sister, and Aunt were here with me this morning to scream and hug and cry. Thank you thank you thank you. To be amongst the beautiful women in this category is truly overwhelming. I was equally overjoyed to see our entire “Sentimental Value” family recognized!!!!!! The gorgeous Stellan, Inga, and Renate, I will forever be in awe of you!!!!! Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt, our editor Olivier Bugge Coutté, Maria, Andrea, Lars, our Neon team, EVERYONE INVOLVED – cheers to you all! Or as you say in Norway, Skå!!!!!!!! I am filled with so much love. The whole house got nominated!!!”
Benicio Del Toro (One Battle After Another)
“This is crazy! Waking up to this is the best breakfast an actor can get. Thank you so much to the Academy for this recognition,” the Best Supporting Actor nominee gushed on Thursday. “To be acknowledged among this remarkable group of my peers, including my costar Sean, who have all done astounding work, is truly humbling. The role of Sensei was a gift and collaborating with Paul and Leo to bring him and his world to life, and to tell such a timely story, in such an epic way, was pure joy for me as an actor, a human being and a lover of movies. In the words of Sensei, Ocean waves for everyone!”
Raphael Saadiq (Sinners)
“Thank you to the Academy and thank you to all the voters for this incredible honor. Being part of Sinners and being able to share the power of the blues through music and cinema has been an incredible experience for me,” the Best Original Song nominee noted in a statement. “I am so proud of what Ludwig and I were able to create with ‘I Lied To You.’ This song was written with my family in mind, generations of men and women from the South. Nothing is more powerful than when music and film come together and seeing this on the big screen, in a cinema was special. Miles brought this song to life in ways I could have never imagined, and his talent completes the power of this piece.”
Saadiq continued, “I also want to say thank you to Ryan Coogler, thank you for allowing me to be part of your vision and trusting me with this now iconic scene. ‘I Lied to You’ not only honors our ancestors but allows us to shine a light on our musical history, it’s an honor I will never forget.”
Emma Stone (Bugonia)
“Thank you to the Academy for these nominations and to everyone who poured their hearts into Bugonia,” the Best Actress nominee said. “None of this exists without our director, Yorgos. I am forever grateful for our creative partnership and friendship. I share this recognition with the beyond brilliant Jesse Plemons and our remarkable cast, crew and producers. To be in the company of all of these incredible nominees is a true honor, and I’m deeply thankful.”
Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value)
The Best Supporting Actor nominee said in a statement: “I’m deeply grateful and happy for this nomination, and for the extraordinary recognition the film has received. That no Norwegian film has ever been honored with so many nominations is both humbling and moving. This was a small film made with great care, and to see it connect with a broader audience in this way means a great deal to all of us as we don’t have the same budgets for marketing on a big scale. The traveling circus continues! I look forward to seeing everyone and celebrating together soon.”
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Francine Maisler (Sinners)
As part of the inaugural group of Best Casting nominees, Maisler said, “Thank you to the Academy for this incredible recognition. This is a historic moment for the casting community.”
She continued, “I am honored to be a part of it and humbled to share it with my fellow nominees whose work I deeply admire. To receive this acknowledgement for this film is beyond special. It was the experience of a lifetime to collaborate with Ryan and the producers on SINNERS, and to bring this amazing ensemble of actors together. I am especially thrilled for Michael, Wunmi and Delroy for their most deserving nominations!”
Zootopia 2 Team
Directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard issued a statement alongside producer Yvett Merino: “To the Academy, the entire Zootopia 2 team is deeply grateful. Our film is about recognizing and celebrating one another’s differences and what started as a sketch on a piece of paper – took years of writing, drawing, artists crafting each and every frame, the best voice cast in the world, all working together to bring this story to the big screen. The fact it is connecting with our colleagues in the film community and audiences around the world means so much to us all.”
Mike Fontaine (Sinners)
“Every day working on Sinners, I was in complete awe of the talent that surrounded me on that set. I got to watch artists at the top of their craft do the impossible day after day. From the music to the performances to the craftsmanship, it was overwhelmingly inspiring,” said Fontaine, who is up for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. “There are no words for how humbled I feel to have been a part of that team and to have the Academy’s recognition as the most nominated film in history. It’s truly a testament to Ryan Coogler’s profound vision and leadership. I’m so grateful to my team of nearly 30 amazing artists who worked so hard to build hundreds of prosthetics and bring over 80 effects to life. From being covered in fake blood in the swamps of Louisiana to today’s Oscar nomination, this has been a journey I will remember for the rest of my life.”
