The 2026 Oscars nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced Thursday morning, finally giving film fanatics a definitive pool of potential winners for the event, which will be held Sunday, March 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET. This is a look at the actors, directors, writers and films that missed out on Academy Award nominations.
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Check out our coverage of who received Oscar nominations here:
- Best Picture
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Best Director
- Best Original Screenplay
2026 Oscars Snubs
There were plenty of incredible films and performances over the past year. It’s impossible to give a nomination to everybody who is deserving of one. So, while every nominee is worthy of the honor, this is a list of a few films, actors, directors and writers who were expected to get nominations, but were left out.
Best Picture- It Was Just an Accident, Wicked: For Good, Weapons
The ten films nominated for Best Picture were all fantastic, but these would have been worthy nominees as well. Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident was an acclaimed film that was expected to do much better at the Academy Awards than these nominations indicate. Zach Cregger’s Weapons was thought to be a potential fun pick out of the horror genre, but with Sinners and Frankenstein already in the nomination pool, Weapons was left out.
The most surprising 2026 Oscars snub was the total shutout of Wicked: For Good. Last year, Wicked got ten Oscar nominations and won two of them. However, the sequel did not get nearly the same critical acclaim or cultural resonance. It’s not overly surprising that it got left out of the Best Picture race, but it not getting a single nomination is a major shock.
Best Director- Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident)
Jafar Panahi is one of the most acclaimed directors of the past 30 years. He has won countless awards at film festivals around the world. That includes winning the Palme d’Or for It Was Just an Accident last year. However, the Academy Awards have never honored him with a Best Picture or Best Director nomination. It Was Just an Accident is nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature, but was left out of the two major awards for which it was contending.
Best Actress- Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another)
Another major shock from the nominations show was the exclusion of Chase Infiniti in the best actress race. She had been nominated at almost every other awards show in the lead-up. Infiniti burst onto the scene and delivered an amazing performance alongside some of Hollywood’s best actors in One Battle After Another. However, veteran actress Kate Hudson swooped in and took the last nomination for her performance in Song Sung Blue instead. The Academy can be wary about nominating young performers like Infiniti, and that shone through this year.
Best Supporting Actor- Paul Mescal (Hamnet)
Paul Mescal being left out was arguably the most surprising snub of all of the acting categories. Hamnet was picking up serious momentum after winning Best Picture- Drama at the Golden Globes. Mescal is also a prior nominee for his work in Aftersun. Playing William Shakespeare is the exact type of role that the Academy typically likes to award. However, Mescal was left out after the surprising but deserving nomination of Delroy Lindo in Sinners.
Best Supporting Actress- Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good), Odessa A’Zion (Marty Supreme)
The most shocking part of Wicked: For Good being shut out is Ariana Grande not getting nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Even those who didn’t enjoy the film still praised Grande’s great performance. Although it was clear that the Academy just didn’t enjoy the Wicked sequel and ended up not voting it for a single nomination. The other snub in this category was Odessa A’Zion, who had a breakout performance in Marty Supreme, which was well-nominated in other categories.
Best Original Screenplay- The Secret Agent, Sorry, Baby
There were a couple of great screenplays left out of the Best Original Screenplay category: The Secret Agent and Sorry, Baby. The Secret Agent did receive a few nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor. So, the movie will be well represented at the 98th Academy Awards despite the snub in this category. More disappointing is the exclusion of Eva Victor’s fantastic debut feature, Sorry, Baby. This was a fantastic script, and it seemed as if this was the one category where the movie would be acknowledged.
Best Adapted Screenplay- Frankenstein, No Other Choice
In Best Adapted Screenplay, Frankenstein and No Other Choice were the odd films out. Frankenstein did receive nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and several other awards. However, the adapted screenplay of Mary Shelley’s classic story did not make the cut. Park Chan-Wook’s masterpiece No Other Choice was another glaring omission from the nominations list. The film was left out of Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best International Feature, despite it being one of the most acclaimed films of the year.
