The 2026 Oscar Nominations: Latest Odds

Although awards season technically starts in November, it doesn’t truly get going until the Golden Globes at the start of January. They kicked things off last weekend and set the tone for the final stretch towards the trophy that really matters: the Oscar. I mean, do we really think our lad Cillian Murphy kept his Irish Film & Television Award up once he nabbed his Oscar last year? 

Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards are officially announced on Thursday 22nd January ahead of the glamorous ceremony on Sunday 15th March, which will be hosted by honorary Irishman Conan O’Brien. Let’s take a look at who the bookmakers are backing to take home one of those precious golden statuettes.

The Categories Are…

The Academy Award categories have changed throughout the years, but the full list currently stands at 24, with Best Casting featuring for the first time at this year’s ceremony. If we went through them all, we’d be here all night. Even the Academy understands that some categories just don’t have the same razzmatazz, they’ve tried to cut the list of ones that get televised live in the past to the core ones they know we really care about: 

• Best Picture

• Best Director

• Best Actor

• Best Actress

• Best Supporting Actor

• Best Supporting Actress

Best Actor

It’s been a strong year for both up-and-comers and well-established Hollywood actors. There’ve been a couple of surprises, like Wagner Moura’s Golden Globe win for The Secret Agent, but there are some clear standout performances that we’d frankly be shocked to see get looked over. Here are the current favourites for Best Actor nomination:

Timothee Chalamet - Marty Supreme: 1/4 with Betfred

This isn’t Timmy’s first rodeo at the Oscars, having received noms for Call Me By Your Name and A Complete Unknown in 2018 and 2025 respectively, but this may be his strongest chance of success. He’s already beaten Leonardo DiCaprio at the Globes, which has boosted his odds considerably, can he do it again in March?

Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another: 11/2 with Interwetten

Leo’s career-long lobby for an Oscar finally came through in 2016 when he won it for his standout performance in The Revenant. That hasn’t stopped him continuing to pour literal blood, sweat and tears into every role he plays, the man simply refuses to phone it in and you have to respect the hustle. It seems like the bookies agree, with interwetten pricing him as the main opposition to Chalamet at 11/2 to take home a second statuette.

Best Actress

There’s a lot of talent amongst the leading ladies on this list, but interestingly, only Emma Stone has ever been nominated for this category before. As the Academy frequently comes under fire for bias, it’d be nice to see a first timer take home the trophy – especially if it comes all the way home to Ireland.

Jessie Buckley - Hamnet: 1/12 with William Hill

It’s always great to see an Irish star break out across the pond. Until now, Buckley’s films have generally been outside of the typical Oscar bait, apart from The Lost Daughter in 2021 for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This changes with her role as Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, in Hamnet. The Academy loves a period piece, and we’d love to see Jessie bring the award home for Ireland. William Hill has her as the clear favourite to win - come on Jessie!

Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value: 14/1 with Betfred

Speaking of the types of films the Academy loves to praise, foreign films don’t often make the cut. After all, they have their own category. Sentimental Value is looking likely to be added to the short list of exceptions to this rule, especially in the acting categories, with Betfred pricing Renate Reinsve at 14/1 for Best Actress.

Best Picture

Across all bookmakers and prediction lists, Best Picture is probably the award that has people divided the most. A couple of titles like Hamnet, One Battle After Another, and Sinners are popping up everywhere, but for the seven remaining spots it really is anyone’s guess as to who will get a shoutout. 

One Battle After Another: 1/7 with William Hill

One Battle After Another is the clear favourite at the time of writing and tells the story of a former revolutionary forced back into one last job when his family is threatened. It’s a tale as old as time but, as its 94% Rotten Tomatoes score tells us, it clearly works. The bookies agree, and the current odds for it to take home the Best Picture win are 1/7.

Hamnet: 7/2 with BetVictor

As we’ve said, period pieces always do well with the Oscars crowd, so it’s no surprise to see Hamnet sitting at 7/2 with BetVictor. Based on the best-selling novel by Maggie O’Farrell, who also co-wrote the screenplay, this tearjerker features two Irish powerhouses at the helm, and may end up being responsible for a nationwide shortage of tissues. 

Best Director

It’s very rare to see Best Director noms without a corresponding Best Picture one, but they don’t always go hand in hand. Let’s take a look at some of the top names on the list to be nominated for Best Director.

Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another: 1/20 with Interwetten

This would be PTA’s third Best Director nomination, and twelfth Academy nomination overall, but despite his critical successes, he is yet to bag a coveted golden knight trophy. This could finally be his year though, with bookmakers pricing him up as a commanding 1/20 favourite for One Battle After Another at the time of writing.

Chloe Zhao - Hamnet: 12/1 with bet365

Chloe Zhao is one of the few female directors to have been nominated for - and won - Best Director at the Academy Awards. She’s currently a 12/1 shot with bet365to be the first woman to win the award twice.

Best Supporting Actor and Actress

The actors up for the main prizes wouldn’t shine as brightly if they weren’t performing opposite an equally talented supporting cast. With its many nominations and wins for Best Ensemble throughout awards season, it’s not hard to imagine that the cast from One Battle After Another will dominate these categories.

Sean Penn - One Battle After Another: 2/1 with William Hill

Since 2012, Sean Penn has shifted his focus to directorial and television work, but with One Battle After Another he’s back to the big screen in a big way. His seamless transformation into the main antagonist has garnered him praise and, most importantly, 2/1 odds of adding another Oscar to his collection. His seamless transformation into the main antagonist has garnered him praise and, most importantly, 2/1 odds of adding another Oscar to his collection.

Teyana Taylor - One Battle After Another: 4/7 with bet365

Teyana Taylor is an actress, singer, songwriter, dancer, choreographer and model – is there anything she can’t do? She’s considered one of the standout performances of the film, and the bookies seem to agree, making her an odds-on chance at 4/7 to take the award.

Notable Mentions

Traditionally, horror movies don’t even get a look in at the Oscars. There’s only one that has ever won Best Picture, Silence of the Lambs, so it’s very interesting to see Sinners getting so much attention. In fact, it’s currently predicted to get 15 nominations, shattering the all-time record held by All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land (14 each). It would be great to see Jack O’Connell get a Supporting Actor nomination for the best Irish dancing we’ve seen on film since Lord of the Dance. With 50/1 odds, it’s not completely out of the question, but we’re not holding our breath.