Oscars 2026 Winners: "One Battle After Another" Triumphs, Records and Surprises on Oscar Night
What a night at the Dolby Theatre! The 98th Academy Awards are now history, and they delivered exactly what every film lover could ask for: clear winners, historic moments, and one or two moments that no one saw coming. Paul Thomas Anderson's epic "One Battle After Another" was the undisputed king of the night, taking home a solid six trophies, including the really big ones. But "Sinners" and "Frankenstein" also had no reason to complain, each bagging multiple gold awards.
The Big Winner: "One Battle After Another"
Director Paul Thomas Anderson, who has been counted among the greats for decades, finally got to take home the long-overdue Oscar for Best Director. The fact that his film also won the night's most prestigious award, Best Picture, was the logical conclusion of a stunning awards sweep. But that wasn't all: the film also secured awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Casting – a newly introduced category – and Sean Penn was thrilled to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. For Penn, this is already the third acting trophy of his career, placing him in an elite league with Jack Nicholson and Daniel Day-Lewis.
The Acting Honours: Jordan and Buckley Shine
In the acting categories, there were no real surprises, but plenty of reason for celebration. Michael B. Jordan deservedly won the Oscar for Best Actor for his dual role in Ryan Coogler's vampire drama "Sinners." He beat out stiff competition like Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio. Among the women, Jessie Buckley took the prize. For her intense performance in "Hamnet," she was awarded the Oscar for Best Actress – a choice that came as no surprise after her triumphs at the major award ceremonies this season.
In the supporting roles, alongside Sean Penn, there was another memorable moment: Amy Madigan was honoured as Best Supporting Actress for her role in the horror film "Weapons," crowning a decades-long career.
Historic Wins and a Curious Tie
But the evening had much more to offer than just the big winners. There was double the reason to celebrate for "Sinners." The film not only won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (Ryan Coogler), but Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history as the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. A long-overdue milestone in this category! Composer Ludwig Göransson rounded off the triumph for "Sinners" with the Oscar for Best Original Score.
One of the most emotional moments came from Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein." This reimagining of the classic dominated the technical categories, deservedly winning Oscars for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
"KPop Demon Hunters" was also a phenomenon. The Netflix animated hit not only won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, but the catchy tune "Golden" also won in the Best Original Song category – the first K-Pop song to achieve this. And then there was the first tie in a category in 14 years: in the Live Action Short Film category, "The Singers" and "Two People Exchanging Saliva" had to share the statue – a curious but lovely moment that drew laughter and applause in the hall.
The Winners of the 98th Academy Awards at a Glance
Here is the complete list of Oscars 2026 winners in the major categories:
- Best Picture: One Battle After Another
- Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
- Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
- Best Actress: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
- Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
- Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan (Weapons)
- Best Original Screenplay: Sinners
- Best Adapted Screenplay: One Battle After Another
- Best International Feature Film: Sentimental Value (Norway)
- Best Animated Feature: KPop Demon Hunters
- Best Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Sinners)
- Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson (Sinners)
- Best Original Song: "Golden" (KPop Demon Hunters)
- Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash