15 Worst Oscar Snubs Of 2026

The problem with awards ceremonies is that there are always too many great movies to recognize. With the Oscars, there are typically only five slots per award, though they can have up to 10 for Best Picture, and obviously, there are always more worth nominees than slots available in each category in a given year. As a result, there are inevitably going to be snubs, and the 2026 Academy Awards ceremony is no exception. 

Moviegoers noticed some major snubs (and surprises) when the 2026 Oscar nominations were announced. Of course, it’s amazing to see Delroy Lindo get a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his incredible turn in “Sinners” when most folks figured that was too much of a long shot. It’s a shame other actors and films couldn’t have pulled off similar upsets.

I’ll try to be reasonable when discussing the worst Oscar snubs of 2026. These aren’t just movies I enjoyed that I would’ve liked to see in contention. These are nominees that could’ve won their respective categories but won’t even get a shot now. Maybe there’s even one nominee that I think could’ve fallen to the wayside to make room. While the current crop of Oscar nominees is fantastic (mostly), it could’ve been even better with these. 

Here are the 15 worst Oscar snubs of 2026.

In a perfect world, “No Other Choice” would’ve been up for Best Picture. I can think of at least a couple of nominees who could’ve been pushed aside for it. “No Other Choice” genuinely deserves all the praise its getting as a dark Korean thriller that hilariously sums up everything awful about 2025. It follows recently laid off Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) who can get a job he’s perfectly suited for, as long as he’s able to murder the competition first. 

From director Park Chan-wook, “No Other Choice” boasts stellar cinematography, which makes Man-su’s home and yard come to life. But even if it’s too tragically funny for the Best Picture race, it should’ve been a shoo-in for Best International Feature. 

Park just never seems able to crack into Oscar voters’ favor. None of his films have ever been nominated for a prize, with his equally excellent “Decision to Leave” only getting shortlisted for Best International Feature during its year. Perhaps Park’s sensibilities are too esoteric for the Academy to appreciate. Hopefully, over time, that changes. 

The Best Actress prize at the 2026 Oscars is basically Jessie Buckley’s to lose at this point. She’s earned widespread acclaim and has been the favorite to win ever since “Hamnet” came out. Buckley’s portrayal as William Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, is devastating in this Shakespearean tragedy, as she contends with her son’s death. 

But her co-star, Paul Mescal playing Shakespeare himself, got left out in the cold. He doesn’t have as much of a presence, as Agnes encourages him to pursue his dreams. Still, he has ample acting showcase moments where he, too, struggles to keep it together, but it’s far more internal. Agnes isn’t even sure if he’s hurting the same way she is until she sees his play “Hamlet,” which addresses the idea of unfathomable loss.

Best Supporting Actor at the 2026 Oscars is stacked with talent. Honestly, most people likely assumed Mescal would nab the fifth slot that went to the aforementioned Delroy Lindo instead (a very welcome inclusion, mind you). Mescal may have lost out this year, but with the way his career’s going, it’s only a matter of time until he’s in the Oscar conversation once more. 

It’s hard to say “Sinners” was snubbed for anything, considering it broke an astonishing Oscars record with 16 nominations total, the most in history. But Miles Caton’s performance, his first ever film role, deserved some recognition. 

He holds his own against legends like Delroy Lindo, Michael B. Jordan, and Wunmi Mosaku. Jordan’s twins, Smoke and Stack, may have gotten the bulk of attention, but Caton’s Sammie is the beating heart of the film. He’s the centerpiece of the outstanding musical sequence where we go through the past, present, and future of Black music. That’s in addition to his internal struggle of pursuing music against his father’s wishes, who wants him to come into the church for true salvation.

The truth of the matter is that “Sinners” simply doesn’t work without Caton bringing an incredible amount of passion and talent into the role of Sammie. He’s still young, though. Hopefully, there are many more Oscar-worthy projects in his future with filmmakers knowing how to use him as well as Ryan Coogler did.

With 10 Best Picture slots but only five nominees allowed for Best Director, it’s a safe assumption that the director line-up at the Oscars will consist of artists who worked on the Best Picture nominees. Therefore, with “It Was Just an Accident” missing out that big nomination, it was a long shot for Jafar Panahi to make it into the Best Director race, although he absolutely should be in conversation.

Panahi has faced political repercussions for his filmmaking in his home country of Iran. Works like “It Was Just an Accident,” a revenge thriller about a man seeking justice against someone who might’ve tortured him long ago, aren’t just mindless entertainment. They’re works of protest with Panahi operating against an oppressive regime. 

“It Was Just an Accident” was nominated for Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay, but it should’ve been up for more awards. With a Best Picture nomination, Panahi easily could’ve slid into the Best Director place (likely taking Josh Safdie’s place, which I’d be fine with). 

Like Miles Caton, Chase Infiniti also made her film debut in 2025 with “One Battle After Another.” Another similarity the two share is that Infiniti’s character, Willa Ferguson, is the real heart of the story, as she finds herself trying to escape from Colonel Jockjaw (Sean Penn) while her father Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) tries to find her. She’s now coming into this world of revolutionaries, and by the end of the film, it’s clear she’ll carry on the legacy set forth by her parents.

Infiniti is incredible in the film, and it seemed like she would waltz into the Oscar race. She had been previously nominated for a Best Actress prize at the Golden Globes and The Actor Awards, so it felt like it was leading up to an Oscar nomination. But it didn’t happen.

Maybe the Academy feels like Infiniti needs to prove herself more before getting nominated. Regardless, it would’ve been thrilling to see a young talent who made such a strong impression in her debut feature wind up in the race.

Look, I’m not a “Wicked” stan. Unlike others online, I’m not going to act like it’s all that surprising “Wicked: For Good” was completely shut out of Oscar nominations. It’s not a very good movie, especially compared to the first, which is surely due to the second acts of musicals usually being inferior to the first. “Wicked: For Good” could’ve worked much better without as much padding, but as it stands, it’s simply not Oscar material.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are still great as Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, but the sheen has worn off on their performances. Without as good of material, it’s understandable they’d lose out on acting nominations. Still, it’s kind of surprising the film couldn’t even get into the Best Costume and Best Production Design races. 

Those are the two categories “Wicked” won last year. With the same quality, one might assume “Wicked: For Good” could’ve snuck in there. Whatever magic “Wicked” had on Academy voters last year simply vanished back to Kansas this time around. 

The following slide includes references to sexual assault. 

“Sorry, Baby was one of the most underrated films of 2025, so it’s probably not too surprising to see the Oscars not pay it any mind. It’s a dark story told in a non-linear manner of a woman experiencing sexual assault and the subsequent depression she goes through. It’s a horrific story, but it still manages to be funny at times and surprisingly hopeful toward the end. 

It’s a testament to the film’s script, which should’ve gotten a Best Original Screenplay nod. It’s impossible to watch the sandwich shop scene and not realize what what a talent Eva Victor is on the page. Even an acting award could’ve been in the cards, but the film was completely shut out. Still, Victor got perhaps an even greater honor — an effusive shoutout from Julia Roberts at the Golden Globes.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

“Train Dreams” landed a Best Picture nomination, in addition to a few others. But it’s kind of surprising it was recognized for being an exceptional film without simultaneously lauding Joel Edgerton’s central performance. The movie lives and dies by his role of Robert Grainier. 

To be fair, it’s not exactly a flashy performance. It’s meditative, as the audience follows his life as a young boy to a logger who experiences the death of both his wife and child. There’s an internal sadness within Robert that one would imagine expounds as he sees many of his fellow loggers meet untimely demises. 

The Academy Awards tend to honor the most acting as opposed to the best. That mindset likely explains why Lily Gladstone lost for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” despite being silently haunting in the film. There’s an art to portraying quiet sadness as opposed to screaming and punching a wall, and it’s really something the Oscars should rectify going forward. 

Show of hands: How many people out there actually watched “The Testament of Ann Lee” when it hit theaters? That should explain why the musical drama film has been largely pushed aside in awards conversations. But if you actually did watch it, you’d realize it should’ve gotten a few nominations.

For starters, Amanda Seyfried really should’ve been in contention for Best Actress. She’s simultaneously fierce yet vulnerable, who’s both a loving mother and religious leader. Her singing is impeccable, bringing out raw, primal screams to punctuate certain moments. 

Speaking of which, “The Testament of Ann Lee” could’ve filled the void left behind by “Wicked: For Good” by giving the Academy a musical based in historical fact to rally behind. It’s a bit surprising “Clothed by the Sun,” which concludes the film didn’t make it into the Best Original Song category. It feels like the film is destined to be appreciated down the road as opposed to getting much recognition today. 

2019’s “Knives Out” got Rian Johnson a nomination for Best Original Screenplay while the sequel, “Glass Onion,” secured one for Best Adapted Screenplay. Unfortunately, Johnson couldn’t go for the threepeat as “Wake Up Dead Man” didn’t get into the screenplay race despite arguably having the best script of the bunch. 

The “Knives Out” movies have always incorporated social and political themes into whodunnit stories. “Wake Up Dead Man” does the same by focusing on how a man can amass an army through a cult of personality, but it examines this idea through the lens of religion. The movie has conversations where solid cases can be made both for and against following any sort of religious doctrine without ever feeling preachy one way or another. That’s nothing to say of the intricate mystery that feels like it’s gradually spiraling out of control, only for everything to come together in a satisfactory manner by the end. 

Neither “Knives Out” not “Glass Onion” won, so it’s unlikely “Wake Up Dead Man” could’ve taken home a trophy even with a nomination. But Johnson’s storytelling prowess deserves to be recognized.

Emma Stone is an Oscar darling at this point. At just 37 years old, she’s become the youngest woman nominated for seven Oscars throughout her career, and she’s won two of them. Her seventh nomination comes courtesy of “Bugonia,” and it’s a shame her co-star, Jesse Plemons, didn’t also walk away with a nod.

Plemons manages to make Teddy Gatz horrifying yet somewhat depressing. Teddy’s a conspiracy theorist who believes CEO Michelle Fuller (Stone) is an alien. He’s naturally scary as he dives into all of his evidence, but as the film goes on, we learn just how scared he truly is. He’s a man searching for meaning in a world that no longer makes sense, so he’s held on tight to the only thing that still makes sense — aliens.

Stone is only as good as she can be by having a scene partner give her a ton to work with, and that’s where Plemons shines. With how Plemons’ filmography is shaping up, it’s only a matter of time until the Academy recognizes him once more. 

Nepo baby or not, Odessa A’Zion delivered a truly mesmerizing performance in “Marty Supreme.” She plays Rachel Mizler, who’s having an affair with Marty (Timothée Chalamet), despite being married, and actually gets pregnant with Marty’s kid. It’s just one of the many things Marty has to contend with while trying to make it to a global table tennis tournament, and though Rachel easily could’ve faded into the sidelines with the rest of the chaos unfolding, A’Zion makes the character stand out, imbuing her with a real sense of sadness and regret. 

A Golden Globe and Actor Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress could’ve lined her up nicely to get into the Oscar race, but it didn’t happen. To be fair, the Supporting Actress race might be one of the most incredible categories of this year. 

Amy Madigan and Wunmi Mosaku got in for horror movies. Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas are great surprise picks for “Sentimental Value,” and Teyana Taylor is probably the favorite to win for “One Battle After Another.” There aren’t any really I’d swap out for A’Zion, but I wish there could just be six nominees.

It’s no surprise to see “Avatar: Fire and Ash” get into some technical categories for the 2026 Oscars, even if it did miss out on Best Picture, making it the first “Avatar” film to fail to secure that. But that’s not the snub I’m here to talk about, because 2025 was a great year for film, so being “just okay” for an “Avatar” film isn’t enough. But if there’s one more category “Fire and Ash” should’ve gotten into, it’s Best Original Song for Miley Cyrus’ “Dream as One.”

The “Avatar” movies have always gotten a pop star to provide a track for the closing credits. Previously, it’s been Leona Lewis and The Weeknd, but if any song should’ve gotten Oscar recognition, it’s Cyrus’ tune. “Dream as One” genuinely feels like an ideal tribute to the Na’vi people who commune together in respect for nature and all those they have already lost. Plus, Cyrus’ powerhouse vocals give the song an anthem-like quality appropriate for the blockbuster franchise.

The Tulkun may hold the key for “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5.” But the series definitely needs to focus on getting some more great singers to top what Cyrus did here.

The 2026 Oscars ceremony introduces a new category for the first time since 2002 — Best Casting. It’s a fantastic addition that sees the inaugural line-up include “Sinners,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After Another,” “The Secret Agent,” and “Hamnet.” One could make a case for all five of those being here, but for me, it’s a shame “Sentimental Value” isn’t in there. 

For starters, the main four actors in the film — Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas — all got nominated for acting Oscars. It’s a rare feat, and that’s a testament to the casting team, led by Yngvill Kolset Haga and Avy Kaufman, finding the right people for the job. 

While casting someone like Skarsgård in anything is a no-brainer, the casting team did a great job finding Lilleaas, who didn’t have many prominent roles under her belt before “Sentimental Value.” It’s a perfect mix of old and new talent that would’ve been fascinating to add to the Best Casting line-up in its first year. 

As a whole, “Die My Love” probably didn’t get enough positive critical response to warrant much awards attention. The portrait of a woman, Grace (Jennifer Lawrence), languishing in a terrible relationship while battling postpartum depression isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if there’s one thing most folks should be able to agree on, it’s that Lawrence gave one of the best performances of her career here and should’ve been recognized if nothing else. 

Lawrence commands the screen every second she appears. She cranks it up to 11 in terms of both physicality, as she violently flails around on screen or crawls through the dirt, and emotionality, going through myriad emotions throughout the film’s two-hour runtime. It’s a fearless, leave-nothing-on-the-table kind of role, and it’s absolutely one of the most memorable 2025 performances.

“Die My Love” didn’t make much of an impact, which likely blunted Lawrence’s Oscar chances this year. Granted, Amy Madigan is the sole nomination out of “Weapons,” but that film was far buzzier. If nothing else, all these snubs from the 2026 Oscars are good reminders that there are always more movies to check out than what’s been nominated for awards.