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Culture February 25, 2026

Road to the 2026 Oscars: What to know about the 98th Academy Awards

WATCH: Annual Oscars luncheon celebrates 2026 nominees

The road to the 2026 Oscars is underway.

The 98th Academy Awards will celebrate the top films from the past year from "Hamnet" to "Marty Supreme," "Sinners" and more.

Ahead of Hollywood's biggest night, nominees convened at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Feb. 10 for the annual Oscars luncheon to take their official class photo and to mingle with each other.

The luncheon doubled as a reunion, bringing filmmakers and actors back together as nominees traded congratulations and soaked in the moment. 

With the Oscars now less than a month away, we're taking a look at everything you need to know.

When are the 2026 Oscars?

The 98th Oscars will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026, starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. 

How to watch the 2026 Oscars?

You can watch the Oscars ceremony on ABC and streaming on Hulu. 

Who is hosting?

Conan O'Brien is hosting this year's ceremony for the second year in a row. 

In a January interview with "Good Morning America," the television host and comedian teased "a lot of possibilities" for the upcoming show.

"Early on, you just generate possibilities for the show: 'What might we do?' You have to wait and see which movies are nominated, what's in the zeitgeist, so there'll be a lot of ideas that come in late. Sometimes those are the best ideas," he said.

Who is presenting?

Last year's Oscar winners Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison and Zoe Saldaña will return to the Oscars stage as presenters, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Feb. 19.

Producers will announce more talent joining the show in the coming weeks.

Who is nominated?

2026 Oscar nominations were revealed in January.

"Sinners" reigned supreme, breaking the record for the most Oscar nominations ever, a title previously held by "Titanic," "La La Land" and "All About Eve," with 14 nominations apiece. 

Close behind in this year's nominees pool were "One Battle After Another" with 13 nominations and "Marty Supreme," "Frankenstein," and "Sentimental Value" with nine nominations each. "Hamnet" is also up for eight nominations.

See the full list of nominees here

Who was snubbed?

Following the Oscars nominations announcement on Jan. 22, ABC News' Chris Connelly and Kelley Carter broke down the biggest snubs and surprises.

Notable names they mentioned that were left off the list included Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for their roles in "Wicked: For Good" and Adam Sandler for his role in "Jay Kelly" opposite George Clooney, who was also left off the nominations list.

Is there a new category?

This year, the Oscars will debut a new category: achievement in casting

The new category was announced in 2024 and films from 2025 were eligible for the award. 

Casting directors who are nominated this year include Nina Gold for "Hamnet," Jennifer Venditti for "Marty Supreme," Cassandra Kulukundis for "One Battle After Another," Gabriel Domingues for "The Secret Agent" and Francine Maisler for "Sinners."

How to watch all the best picture nominated films

See our go-to guide for watching all the year's top projects here.

Who won last year?

At the 97th Academy Awards in 2025, "Anora" took home the coveted trophy for best picture. It won five awards, including best director for Sean Baker and best actress for Mikey Madison.

Relive all the top moments from the 97th Oscars here.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News, ABC and Hulu.