Oscars 2025: Predicting The Nominees & Winners Of All 23 Categories

It's awards season again ahead of the Oscars 2025 , and the list of eligible movies that could receive nominations and potentially win an Academy Award shows the scope of greatness across 2024 movies. Prior to the 97th Academy Awards taking place on March 2, 2025, it is up to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to nominate five movies in all 23 categories, with Best Picture the only category to get ten nominations. The 2024 Oscar winners saw Oppenheimer dominate the field, but there does not appear to be an overall frontrunner regarding the 2025 nominees and winners.

While the official Oscars 2025 nominations will be announced until January 17, 2025, the lead-up to that date leaves room to predict which films and creatives will be recognized in each category. Big-budget fare like Gladiator II or Dune: Part Two have Oscars hopes in many categories, especially when it comes to recognizing Ridley Scott or Denis Villeneuve. There are also smaller, critically acclaimed indies like Anora, Emilia Pérez, and The Brutalist in good shape to win despite a major Oscars rule change. Each of those films and many others are among Screen Rant's predicted Oscars 2025 nominations and winners.

23 Best Picture

Winner: Anora

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The Best Picture race for the 2025 Oscars is already forming a strong grouping of contenders at the top. Anora, Conclave, Emilia Pérez, and The Brutalist are the four that appear to be in the best position to earn nominations. Anora has the Palme d'Or from Cannes 2024 plus nominations from Golden Globes, NBR, Gotham Awards, AFI, and Film Independent Spirit Awards - which puts it very much in the lead when it comes to precursor recognitions. Still, the other three also have Golden Globes nominations and the expected nominations in other Oscar categories to put them near the top.

The biggest riser to this point is undoubtedly Wicked. Following its theatrical release, Wicked won Best Film from NBR and started to climb up prediction charts. The movie is now fully expected to land Oscar nominations in several below-the-line categories and possibly even emerge in the acting categories too. With voters potentially looking for more of a feel-good movie, Wicked could perform quite well on the preferential ballot. Of course, if one film is rising so rapidly, that also means that others are dropping.

Movie Studio 1 Anora Neon 2 Conclave Focus Features 3 Emilia Pérez Netflix 4 The Brutalist A24 5 Wicked Universal Pictures 6 A Complete Unknown Searchlight Pictures 7 Sing Sing A24 8 Dune: Part Two Warner Bros. 9 Gladiator II Paramount 10 The Room Next Door Sony Pictures Classic

Gladiator II is near the bottom of our Best Picture predictions at this point, as the movie missed out on being among the Golden Globes 2025 nominees for Best Motion Picture - Drama. The film's more mixed reception and Scott's expressed interest in a third film hurt its chances too. Instead of replicating the success of the 2000 original Best Picture winner, Gladiator II could be lucky to wind up in the nominees at all when everything is said and done. If so, that could help more populist films like Dune: Part Two or Wicked.

These are far from the only titles in the Best Picture race for 2025. Brazil's Best International Feature Film selection I'm Still Here, Netflix's The Piano Lesson, Amazon's Nickel Boys, and Jesse Eisenberg's A Real Pain all have realistic chances at securing a nomination. Luca Guadagnino's Queer and Challengers could do well with voters, as could Clint Eastwood's Juror No. 2 or Maria after Angelina Jolie's buzzy performance. The Academy could even bring animation back to the biggest category with The Wild Robot or Inside Out 2 or surprise by recognizing horror by nominating Nosferatu.

22 Best Director

Winner: Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)

The Oscars 2025 could have some of Hollywood's biggest names among its Best Director nominees. Denis Villeneuve was notably snubbed from the category in 2022 for Dune, but Dune: Part Two could be his chance to secure his first Best Director nomination since Arrival. However, at this point even Villeneuve's chances of a nomination seem to have taken a hit, as he missed out on the Golden Globes. Critics groups and WB's FYC campaign will look to keep him in the mix and the forefront of Oscar voters' minds.

Director Movie 1 Brady Corbet The Brutalist 2 Sean Baker Anora 3 Edward Berger Conclave 4 Jacques Audiard Emilia Pérez 5 Denis Villeneuve Dune: Part Two

Ridley Scott - our previous predicted winner in the category - has seemingly already fallen out of the race for Gladiator II. His case was shaky to begin with, as it rested more on the career aspect than the actual directing abilities on display in the sequel. Now that he's outside the expected nominees, The Brutalist's director, Brady Corbet, is our predicted Best Director Oscars 2025 winner. His 3-hour epic is an impressive display of his skills and vision, and with the film's uncertain status of winning elsewhere, this could be a chance for the Academy to recognize a great accomplishment.

Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez, Sean Baker for Anora, and Edward Berger for Conclave are other names to look out for regarding who could win Best Director. This projected field does notably lack a female nominee or a black nominee, both of whom have a low history of earning nominations. Steve McQueen (Blitz), Coralie Fargeat (The Substance), Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light), and RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys) are a few names who could emerge. The same could be true of Jon M. Chu (Wicked) and extending the strong representation of Asian directors in recent years.

21 Best Actress

Winner: Angelina Jolie (Marie)

Best Actress is shaping up to be one of the most competitive categories for the Oscars 2025. At the top of the field, there's a battle between Angelina Jolie (Maria) and Mikey Madison (Anora) for who is the frontrunner to win. Right now, it's a close race between the former Best Supporting Actress winner and potential first-time nominee. While the odds favor Mikey Madison winning the Oscar, Angelina Jolie is still our projected Best Actress Oscars 2025 winner. She has a strong narrative case and is bound to pick up more momentum now that Maria is streaming on Netflix.

Actress Movie 1 Angelina Jolie Maria 2 Mikey Madison Anora 3 Nicole Kidman Babygirl 4 Karla Sofía Gascón Emilia Pérez 5 Cynthia Erivo Wicked

The shifts in the Best Actress race have come with Nicole Kidman (Babygirl) and Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) garnering more acclaim. As a former winner, Kidman's bold performance in the erotic thriller has brought her right back into the mix for potentially her sixth Oscar nomination overall. Meanwhile, Erivo is gaining momentum to secure her second Best Actress Oscar nomination thanks to her powerful leading role as the eventual Wicked Witch of the West. Gascón is also still very much in the mix and can make history as the first openly transgender person nominated for an acting Oscar.

There is still room for the full nomination lineup to fluctuate too, as Saoirse Ronan (The Outrun) and Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here) have fallen out of our rankings. Demi Moore (The Substance) is gaining some recognition from her performance, but it's unclear if there's enough support to get her into the final group. Meanwhile, Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) is rising too. The race isn't fully over for The Room Next Door's dual leading performances from Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, but they need a big boost soon to make it happen.

20 Best Actor

Winner: Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown)

The Best Actor category for the 2025 Oscars is also one where plenty of star power could be included. A24 releasing The Brutalist and Queer in 2024 immediately made Adrien Brody and Daniel Craig strong contenders to receive nominations in 2025. Sing Sing's release helped Colman Domingo leave a huge impression on viewers a year after securing his first Oscar nomination for Rustin. Meanwhile, Timothée Chalamet's 2025 Best Actor win could come from multiple movies, with Dune: Part Two and A Complete Unknown aiming to give him his second nomination.

Actor Movie 1 Timothée Chalamet A Complete Unknown 2 Ralph Fiennes Conclave 3 Adrien Brody The Brutalist 4 Colman Domingo Sing Sing 5 Daniel Craig Queer

At this stage, our predicted Best Actor winner for the 2025 Oscars is Timothée Chalamet for A Complete Unknown. He's a former nominee in the category thanks to Call Me By Your Name, but his transformational role as Bob Dylan looks like it could get him the win he missed out on last time. After all, if Rami Malek could win an Oscar for playing Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Chalamet taking on another iconic musician in a major biopic can gain him favor with voters too.

Falling behind Chalamet for now is Ralph Fiennes. He's a two-time Oscar nominee, but it's been nearly 30 years since he was last recognized. The Academy has given the Best Actor Oscar to a first-time winner in each of the last three years, a streak that could continue with Fiennes, Chalamet, Domingo, or Craig winning. If the Academy chooses more of a legacy angle when voting, Fiennes very well could emerge victorious, as Chalamet would be one of the youngest Oscar winners in history.

19 Best Supporting Actress

Winner: Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

The Best Actress field for the Oscars 2025 is quite competitive as notable established stars and rising names look to make a mark. Those in the strongest spots include Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Pérez and Ariana Grande for Wicked. Both have earned high praise for their performances in their respective musicals, including their Golden Globes nominations. It would not be surprising if the category ultimately came down to one of them winning, but which one ultimately comes out on top is certainly up for debate.

Actress Movie 1 Zoe Saldaña Emilia Pérez 2 Ariana Grande Wicked 3 Danielle Deadwyler The Piano Lesson 4 Isabella Rossellini Conclave 5 Felicity Jones The Brutalist

Zoe Saldaña gives a career-best performance in Emilia Pérez, and her acclaimed dramatic turn could gain extra praise after spending so much time with Marvel and Avatar. She looks like a shoo-in for her first Oscar nomination and has a strong narrative case to win, in addition to being attached to a major Best Picture contender. However, she's been at the forefront of the race for some time, leaving room for Grande to emerge late. If it's really true that Ariana Grande is Wicked's best chance to win an Oscar, then she could overtake Saldaña by March.

After being one of the biggest Oscars 2022 snubs after her role in Till, Danielle Deadwyler is still a strong contender to earn a nomination, even if The Piano Lesson is not gaining as much awards season attention as expected. Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) and Felicity Jones (The Brutalist) could ride the support of their likely Best Picture nominated films to enter the race. Others still in contention include Selena Gomez (Emillia Pérez), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickel Boys), and Saoirse Ronan (Blitz).

18 Best Supporting Actor

Winner: Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)

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Is the Best Supporting Actor win for the Oscars 2025 Denzel Washington's to lose? That's certainly how it continues to feel after Gladiator II's release. The nine-time Oscar nominee received his first ever Academy Award in the category in 1990 for Glory, and his only other win for Training Day came in Best Actor. And with him repeatedly talking about retiring in the near future, time could be running out for the Academy to have Denzel join the elite group of actors who are three-time Oscar winners. Recognizing him for Gladiator II is something everyone could root for.

Actor Movie 1 Denzel Washington Gladiator II 2 Kieran Culkin A Real Pain 3 Guy Pearce The Brutalist 4 Clarence Maclin Sing Sing 5 Edward Norton A Complete Unknown

That said, Denzel Washington has not locked up this category. Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) is gaining a lot of support to win his first Oscar, including winning from NBR and earning a Golden Globes nomination. If he can overtake Denzel at a few more shows, the Oscar could be his too. Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing) and Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown) are among the remaining predicted nominees, with Norton's place feeling the most vulnerable. That leaves some hope for people like Stanley Tucci (Conclave), Yura Borisov (Anora), or Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) to enter.

17 Best Original Screenplay

Winner: Anora

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The Best Original Screenplay category still needs some sorting out from the Academy to fully determine. Saturday Night is currently trying to campaign for the category, although there is a chance it will move to Best Adapted Screenplay, which is an arguably tougher category. Still, Sean Baker's script for Anora has been widely praised and recognized for how it handles its sex worker story and balances romance, comedy, and drama. If an upset is to come, Jesse Eisenberg's screenplay for A Real Pain feels like it has the strongest case for doing so.

Movie Writers 1 Anora Sean Baker 2 A Real Pain Jesse Eisenberg 3 The Brutalist Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold 4 The Seed of the Sacred Fig Mohammad Rasoulof 5 September 5 Moriz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum

Without knowing for certain where Saturday Night will run, its possible it will get a nomination in Best Original Screenplay still. In the meantime, The Brutalist, Blitz, and September 5 are among the movies still angling for spots. Other candidates that look like long shots in need of a strong campaign include Hard Truths, His Three Daughters, Dìdi, and Challengers. It's possible any of these titles could emerge as a favorite to win if Anora misses out because of its potential Best Picture win.

16 Best Adapted Screenplay

Winner: Emilia Pérez

Best Adapted Screenplay could be another chance for the Academy to honor Emilia Pérez if the movie falls short of a Best Picture win. Jacques Audiard's movie could strengthen its position in other categories if it manages to pull ahead as the favorite in this category. And while Audiard has received plenty of accolades across his filmography, an Oscar nomination for his writing has eluded him. Emilia Pérez is a chance to fix that and win if it holds off the other contenders.

Movie Writers 1 Emilia Pérez Jacques Audiard 2 Conclave Peter Straughan 3 Sing Sing Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield 4 Nickel Boys RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes 5 The Piano Lesson Virgil Williams, Malcolm Washington

The Piano Lesson has some Oscars pedigree attached to it with Virgil Williams co-writing the screenplay after receiving a nomination for Mudbound. But it is Conclave, Sing Sing, and Nickel Boys that are rising faster. Conclave's Peter Straughan has an Oscar nomination under his belt in the category from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, putting it squarely in the second spot as the adapted work of Robert Harris' book gains praise. Audiard and Straughan are the only ones to have Golden Globes nominations at this stage, strengthening their spots further.

15 Best Animated Feature Film

Winner: The Wild Robot

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Best Animated Feature Film could be The Wild Robot's Oscar to lose. Pixar was thought to be in a strong position to win with Inside Out 2 and its emotional exploration of puberty, anxiety, and growing up. However, The Wild Robot's reviews marked just the beginning of the praise being showered upon DreamWorks' animated movie about motherhood, family, and technology vs. nature. The incredible love for the movie and its beautiful handpainted animation style make it look like the frontrunner in a category Pixar used to dominate.

Movie Studio 1 The Wild Robot DreamWorks Animation 2 Inside Out 2 Pixar 3 Flow Janus Films/Sideshow 4 Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Netflix 5 Memoir of a Snail IFC

The Oscar nominations lineup for Best Animated Film still has a chance for variance. Inside Out 2 should be in and keep Pixar's nomination streak intact. Flow is a strong contender after being selected as Latvia's entry for Best International Feature Film and earning accolades elsewhere. There's also the stop-motion features Memoir of a Snail and Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and the anime The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim that could contend. Disney is trying to get Moana 2 in the mix after it joined our predicted Oscar nominees in the Golden Globes lineup.

14 Best International Feature Film

Winner: Emilia Pérez

Director Movie 1 Emilia Pérez France 2 The Seed of a Sacred Fig Germany 3 I'm Still Here Brazil 4 The Girl with the Needle Denmark 5 Kneecap Ireland

The Best International Feature Film category is one that is subject to change drastically as the Academy's selection process unfolds. For the time being, Emilia Pérez could be the favorite to win after France officially selected it. The movie could copy All Quiet on the Western Front by being an international contender with Netflix distribution, where it takes a win here instead of Best Picture. If not, then Germany's The Seed of a Sacred Fig, Brazil's I'm Still Here, and Denmark's The Girl with the Needle could battle for the win.

13 Best Documentary Feature

Winner: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

The documentary branch of the Academy typically goes for documentary features that explore a little-known subject to the public. While movies like Daughters or Sugarcane fit that mold, Oscar voters could break away from what is expected and make Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story an Oscar winning documentary. Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, the exploration of Christopher Reeves' life makes the doc a touching tribute to the talented star. Warner Bros. and DC Studios head James Gunn could help Super/Man get enough attention to win.

Movie Director 1 Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui 2 Daughters Angela Patton, Natalie Rae 3 Will & Harper Josh Greenbaum 4 Sugarcane Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie 5 Dahomey Mati Diop

If it's not Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, the 2025 Oscars winner for Best Documentary Feature could come down to Daughters and Will & Harper. The former has Netflix's backing and explores the relationships between incarcerated men and their daughters through a beautiful story worthy of its 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, Will & Harper has major star power with Will Ferrell and a timely story about his friend coming out as a trans woman to win over voters too.

12 Best Documentary Short Subject

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It is too early to predict the Best Documentary Short Subject nominees. This is because the Academy is still accepting submissions for the category and has yet to announce the shortlist of potential nominees. The deadline for submissions is October 10, 2024, and the actual shortlist for Best Documentary Short Subject will be announced on December 17, 2024.

11 Best Animated Short Film

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The Best Animated Short Film category is not yet ready to predict nominees. Like the Documentary Short Subject category, Best Animated Short Film has until October 10, 2024 to accept submissions from desired contending shorts. The lineup will be announced on December 17, 2024 and provide a better understanding of which shorts are in contention.

10 Best Live-Action Short Film

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The Best Live-Action Short Film category is also awaiting all submissions. With the October 10, 2024, deadline for submissions and the December 17, 2024, shortlist announcement, it will not be too long before eligible titles are known. It will then be possible to predict which short will win the Best Live-Action Short Film Oscar in 2025.

9 Best Original Song

Winner: Emilia Pérez

Song Movie 1 "Mi Camino" Emilia Pérez 2 "Kiss the Sky" The Wild Robot 3 "Like A Bird" Sing Sing 4 "I Always Wanted A Brother" Mufasa: The Lion King 5 "Relentless" Dianne Warren: Relentless

The Best Original Song category for the Oscars 2025 could go to Emilia Pérez for "Mi Camino." The Wild Robot has a strong contender with "Kiss the Sky," as does Sing Sing with "Like A Bird." Dianne Warren could snag another Oscar nomination with "Relentless," while Lin-Manuel Miranda will likely enter the race with Mufasa: The Lion King. There's even a chance Moana 2's new songs could hit big, as well as some of Lady Gaga's music from Joke: Folie à Deux. Even Twisters' soundtrack could gain recognition through "Ain't No Love In Oklahoma" possibly.

8 Best Original Score

Winner: The Brutalist

Movie Composer 1 The Brutalist Daniel Blumberg 2 Emilia Pérez Clément Ducol and Camille 3 The Wild Robot Kris Bowers 4 Conclave Volker Bertelmann 5 Challengers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

It was widely expected that Hans Zimmer would win another Oscar for Dune: Part Two, but that has become impossible due to it being deemed ineligible to compete based on the rules associated with franchise films. Zimmer's absence opens the race up much wider, with Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist) ready to emerge as the frontrunner. There's still room for this race to shift drastically, but all five of these films have secured Golden Globes nominations. While the Globes aren't always predictive, it boosts the composers associated with each score.

7 Best Sound

Winner: Dune: Part Two

Movie 1 Dune: Part Two 2 A Complete Unknown 3 Wicked 4 Emilia Pérez 5 Gladiator II

Dune: Part Two can continue the success of the first movie in the below-the-line categories with a win in Best Sound. The sound team on Denis Villeneuve's sequel did excellent work once again and should be recognized with a nomination at least. If another movie comes in to win the category, A Complete Unknown and Wicked are two strong contenders thanks to their musical elements. Still, the same could be said for Emilia Pérez, while Gladiator II could gain recognition too.

6 Best Visual Effects

Winner: Dune: Part Two

The Best Visual Effects Oscar can often go to a movie where the VFX is so good and so subtle that viewers don't fully notice it as opposed to a title that is very clearly CGI heavy. That should work in Dune: Part Two's favor to win another Oscar in the same category as the original. Still, it would be nice for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes to win here since the Planet of the Apes movies have never won a Best VFX Oscar despite their remarkable displays of motion and performance capture technology.

Movie 1 Dune: Part Two 2 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 3 Gladiator II 4 Mufasa: The Lion King 5 Civil War

Gladiator II's CGI looks a bit shakier compared to the other two titles, while Mufasa: The Lion King has the results of the Oscar-nominated 2019 live-action remake to surpass. Blockbusters like Wicked, Twisters, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga could enter the race. Currently, Civil War might gain an advantage because of its seamless use of visual effects to bring the war-torn American story to life, with an Alex Garland movie already winning the category before with Ex Machina.

5 Best Film Editing

Winner: Anora

Movie 1 Anora 2 The Brutalist 3 Emilia Pérez 4 Dune: Part Two 5 Conclave

Best Film Editing can often be a precursor to the Best Picture winner, as roughly two thirds of Film Editing winners go on to win Best Picture. That trend could continue with Anora winning both categories as we've predicted. The Brutalist could pull an upset here thanks to how well the edit helps the three-and-a-half-hour drama fly by. Emilia Pérez's editing has also gained recognition, while Dune: Part Two hopes to follow Dune's win in the category. Given Conclave's expected strong performance overall, if it is going to steal Best Picture, a nomination or win here helps.

4 Best Costume Design

Winner: Wicked

Movie 1 Wicked 2 Dune: Part Two 3 Nosferatu 4 Blitz 5 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Costume Design could be a spot for the Academy to recognize Wicked at the 2025 Oscars. The costuming done to bring the characters in Oz to life are bright and detailed, and the intricate designs should catch the eyes of voters. Dune: Part Two has plenty of great costumes worth celebrating, such as Florence Pugh's Irulan outfits, so the added work done in the sequel could be celebrated. The period-accurate costumes for Nosferatu and Blitz fit the Academy's tendency to highlight less flashy work, while Beetlejuice Beetlejuice could get an Oscar nomination for its imaginative costumers.