Here at Seattle Film Critics Society, we already doled out our awards for the best in 2025 Film, but after the long parade of critics prizes and guild awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will close out the year in cinema by bestowing Oscars this weekend. Ahead of the ceremony, airing Sunday at 4:00 pm (PDT) on ABC and Hulu, we surveyed SFCS members about what they thought would win in each category.
The results were hardly unanimous (except for one category), but if you’re still struggling to fill out a ballot for your Oscar Pool, here’s what got the majority of picks from more than a dozen local critics:
Best Picture: One Battle After Another
(Adam Somner, Sara Murphy and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers)
Directing: One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson
Actress in a Leading Role: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Actor in a Leading Role: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Actress in a Supporting Role: Amy Madigan, Weapons
Actor in a Supporting Role: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): One Battle After Another, written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Writing (Original Screenplay): Sinners, written by Ryan Coogler
International Feature Film: Sentimental Value, Norway
Documentary Feature Film: The Perfect Neighbor (Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu and Sam Bisbee)
Animated Feature Film: KPop Demon Hunters (Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle L.M. Wong)
Cinematography: One Battle After Another, Michael Bauman
Editing: One Battle After Another, Andy Jurgensen
Casting: Sinners, Francine Maisler
Music (Original Score): Sinners, Ludwig Goransson
Music (Original Song): “Golden,” KPop Demon Hunters (Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo and Teddy Park)
Production Design: Frankenstein (Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau)
Costume Design: Frankenstein, Kate Hawley
Makeup and Hairstyling: Frankenstein (Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey)
Sound: F1 (R) The Movie (Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta)
Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash (Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett)
Live Action Short Film: Two People Exchanging Saliva, Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata
Documentary Short Film: All the Empty Rooms, Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones
Animated Short Film: Retirement Plan, John Kelly and Andrew Freedman
Want to read more thoughts from local critics prognostications and opinions ahead of Hollywood’s biggest night?
- Chase Hutchinson on KUOW: Soundside’s 2026 Oscars Preview!
- Josh Bis, Marina Coates, Morgen Schuler, and friends at the SunBreak: Roundtable: 2026 Oscar Picks and Predictions
- Konnor Beaulier in Film & Froth five-part preview: Best Picture, The Acting Categories, Writing Directing and Casting, Niche Categories, Technical Categories
- Linda at MoviePie runs down the short films: How to watch most of the 2026 Oscar-nominated short films online
- Moira Macdonald: 2026 Oscar predictions: Who will win, who should win
- Sean Gilman at The End of Cinema: Predictions for the 98th Academy Awards
- Warren Cantrell and the Scene Stealers: Oscars Preview 2026! Scene-Stealers Breaks Down the 98TH Annual Academy Awards
Thanks to: Eric Zhu (The Insert), Chase Hutchinson (The Seattle Times/TheWrap/The Inlander/IndieWire), Bob Foster (Cinema Crazed), Blake Peterson (425), Candice McMillan, Josh Bis (The SunBreak), Marina Coates (The SunBreak / The Pop Break), Sean Gilman (The Chinese Cinema), Marc Morin (TheTwoOhSix), René Sánchez (Cine Sin Fronteras), Konnor Beaulier (Film & Froth), Justin Moore (Justin Watches Movies), Warren Cantrell (Scene Stealers), and Sara Michelle Fetters (Moviefreak.com) for chiming in with their predictions!
Think you can outguess our members? Try your hand and put your guesses into the SFCS Oscar Pool.