Oscars 2026 Introduces A New Category For The First Time In 25 Years, What Is It? Winner Prediction

The countdown for the 98th Academy Awards has begun, and this year's nominees are just hours away from making history in cinema. The 2026 Oscars will begin on the evening of Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and will be aired live on ABC and Hulu. The excitement for this year's Oscars is higher than last season, thanks to record-breaking nominations and some new changes. 

The Oscars 2026 introduce a new award category

The 98th Academy Awards are introducing a whole new category for projects with the most impressive casting in the nominated films. This is the first new Oscar category in 25 years, since 2001, when the Best Animated Feature category was added. The new category, Best Casting, will recognise casting directors for selecting the actors who bring stories to life on screen. With this addition, there are now 24 competitive Academy Award categories.

Under this category, the first-ever nominees include Nina Gold for Hamnet, Gabriel Domingues for The Secret Agent, Francine Maisler for Sinners, and Jennifer Venditti (official nominee) for Marty Supreme. If the popular predictions are to be followed, industry veteran Francine Maisler has a high probability of winning the Best Casting award for the 16-time nominee, Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan.

The Best Casting category highlights the often-overlooked work of casting professionals, whose choices play a crucial role in shaping a film’s success and overall impact. Speaking about adding this new category, Academy President Janet Yang and Academy CEO Bill Kramer released a joint statement on the official website:

“Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognise and celebrate. We congratulate our Casting Directors Branch members on this exciting milestone and for their commitment and diligence throughout this process.”

What else to expect in the 2026 Oscars?

The Academy has introduced a major change this year to improve the voting decisions. For the first time in the history of the Oscars, the members must confirm that they have watched all of the nominated films in a category before voting, and it will be monitored through the Academy Screening Room.

The awards show will be held at the iconic Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, Los Angeles, and will air live at 7 p.m. ET on ABC. The Oscars can also be streamed live on Hulu for uninterrupted viewership across more than 200 territories worldwide. However, the red carpet festivities will kick off hours before the main event. This time, comedian and talk show legend, Conan O’Brien, will be returning for the second consecutive year after his last season's hosting was widely praised for his signature blend of late-night style humor and the traditional Hollywood tone.

This year's theme is "A Human Touch" to highlight a human-centred approach to creativity. There will be performances from top artists, including Shaboozey, Brittani Howard, and Raphael Saadiq. There will also be an extended In Memorium segment to honour the industry delegates who passed away last year.

Indian audiences can watch the 2026 Oscars live on Monday, March 16, 2026. starting at 4:30 a.m. IST on JioHotstar (formerly Disney+ Hotstar). Viewers can also watch the event on Star Movies, Star Movies Select, and Colors Infinity.

Also Read: Oscars 2026: Which Film Is Leading The Race? Key Nominees, New Voting Rules, And What To Expect

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