Jessie Buckley shines as a beacon of hope for British and Irish talent at the 2026 Academy Awards, with the nominations revealed on Thursday.

The Irish actress has secured a nod for Best Actress for her performance in “Hamnet.”

Fresh off her wins at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards earlier this month, Jessie will be stepping into the Los Angeles ceremony on March 15 as a nominee, marking her return to the Oscars four years after her nomination for “The Lost Daughter.”

This year, the Best Actress category promises fierce competition. Jessie will face off against formidable contenders: Rose Byrne for “If I Had Legs I Would Kick You,” Kate Hudson for “Song Sung Blue,” Renate Reinsve for “Sentimental Value,” and Emma Stone for “Bugonia.”

Expressing her joy, Jessie shared that she feels “so proud and honored” to be recognized for her role as Agatha Shakespeare.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, she said: ‘My baby’s screaming in the background, but I am thrilled. ‘I’m so proud and honoured to be beside all those extraordinary women and to be there with Hamnet. I’m delighted.’

Jessie Buckley leads hopes for the Brits and Irish at the 2026 Academy Awards as the nominations were announced on Thursday

Hamnet is nominated for a total of eight awards, including the coveted Best Picture accolade and Best Director for Chloe Zhao, but Paul Mescal was a surprise snub in the Best Supporting Actor category.

However, Jessie believes her own recognition ‘belongs’ to her co-star just as much as it does to herself because of how much she needed him for her own performance.

Asked her reaction to his omission, she said: ‘Yeah, look, I think he’s extraordinary in this film. I know I’ve met a partner for life in doing this with him. I don’t know what to say apart from he is, to me, my absolute.

‘His artistry is something that will continue to grow and be a theme in so many different ways. I know what we created together is something that’s so special to us, and I hold that so dearly in my heart, and there’s no part of Agnes that exists without Paul.

‘There’s no part of what I created or what we created in this story which exists without Paul and what he poured into this story. So what is recognised belongs to him as much as him being recognised in his own category would.’

Jessie’s Hamnet co-star Paul was amongst the biggest snubs during Thursday’s nominations, failing to receive a nod in the Actor in a Supporting Role field.

Irish actor Paul received nods in that category at the Golden Globes and SAGs but the Academy Awards instead features Brit actor Delroy Lindo, for his role in Sinners. 

Delroy is up against Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another, Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein, Sean Penn – One Battle After Another, and Stellan Skarsgard – Sentimental Value.

After bagging a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice award this month, Jessie will go into the March 15 ceremony as a nominee, four years after she earned a nod for The Lost Daughter (seen at the Critics’ Choice Awards)

In another notable snub Wicked For Good star Cynthia Erivo missed out on an acting nomination, shocking fans who expected her to be up for it after her nod a year ago for the first Wicked movie.

In fact the Wicked sequel, including its other leading lady Ariana Grande, was completely shut out of the 2026 Oscar race a year after its predecessor collected 10 nominations, including Best Picture.

British-Nigerian actress Wunmi Mosaku has also earned a nomination, earning a nod in the Best Supporting Actress field for her role as Hoodoo priestess Annie in Sinners.

It is Mosaku’s first Academy Award nod, but she also has nominations at the Critics’ Choice Awards and Actors Awards.

It was a record-breaking morning as Ryan Coogler’s Sinners made history as it earned most Academy Awards nominations ever with 16 including biggest prize of the night Best Picture. It had broken the record previously shared by 1950’s All About Eve, 1997’s Titanic and 2016’s La La Land of 14 nominations.

The horror flick is one of the ten films up for the honour as the field is rounded out by: Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, and Train Dreams.

The main battle come March 15 will be Timothee Chalamet vs Leonardo DiCaprio who face off in coveted Best Actor category.

Timothee, 30, received a nod for Marty Supreme while Leo, 51, earned it for One Battle After Another as the A-listers will face off against Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon, Michael B. Jordan, and Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent.

Jessie’s Hamnet co-star Paul Mescal was amongst the biggest snubs during Thursday’s nominations, failing to receive a nod in the Actor in a Supporting Role field

Brit Delroy Lindo is up against Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another, Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein, Sean Penn – One Battle After Another, and Stellan Skarsgard – Sentimental Value

British-Nigerian actress Wunmi Mosaku has also earned a nomination, earning a nod in the Best Supporting Actress field for her role as Hoodoo priestess Annie in Sinners

The 98th annual Academy Awards will take place just under two months from now at its home, The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, on March 15.

Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman announced the nominees in all 24 categories, including the new casting award, as it could be viewed in a livestream from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

There are just over 11,000 members of the Academy with individuals split into 19 branches.

Those branches are split between directors, writers, costume designers, hair and make-up teams, publicists, and the biggest one of all: actors.

Of those 11,000 members, just under 10,000 end up voting for the Academy Awards as members who don’t vote have emeritus status.

The Academy has massively increased its membership over the past 14 years as a Los Angeles Times report published in 2012 revealed the Academy had about 5,800 members at that time.

Nominees were chosen through a ranked-choice ballot, AKA a preferential ballot, as each voter listed their nominees in order of preference.

Then when the ballots are counted, nominees were selected based on the number of votes over a particular threshold as well as the number of overall nominees in that category.

In another notable snub Wicked For Good star Cynthia Erivo missed out on an acting nomination. In fact the Wicked sequel, including its other leading lady Ariana Grande, was completely shut out of the 2026 Oscar race 

Timothee Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio will face off in coveted Best Actor category as the full list of nominations for the 2026 Oscars were announced on Thursday (they are seen at the Golden Globe Awards last week)

It was a record-breaking morning as Ryan Coogler’s Sinners made history as it earned the most Academy Awards nominations ever with 16, including the biggest prize of the night – Best Picture

However, for those contenders that didn’t hit the required threshold, the ranked-choice balloting takes effect.

At the biggest night in film, 24 categories will be awarded as each category features five nominees, except for Best Picture, which has ten.

Best Picture nominations are determined by eligible members from all 19 Academy branches.

All rounds of Oscars voting are conducted by secret online ballot, tabulated by the independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Oscar viewers will be seeing a familiar face as Conan O’Brien will be returning to host a year after he helped last year’s ceremony draw the biggest audience in five years.

The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

Oscar 2026 nominations in full

Best Picture

Bugonia

F1

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Train Dreams

Sinners earned most Oscar nominations ever with 16 including Best Picture

 

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan – Sinners

Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent

Timothee Chalamet was recognized for his work in Marty Supreme

 

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley – Hamnet

Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue

Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value

Emma Stone – Bugonia

 

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein

Delroy Lindo – Sinners

Sean Penn – One Battle After Another

Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

 

Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value

Amy Madigan – Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners

Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Amy Madigan earned a nod in the Best Supporting Actress category for Weapons

 

Best Director

Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler – Sinners

 

Best Original Screenplay

Robert Kaplow – Blue Moon

Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident

Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme

Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler – Sinners

Ryan Coogler earned Best Original Screenplay nod for Sinners

 

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will Tracy – Bugonia

Guillermo Del Toro – Frankenstein

Chloe Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet

Paul Thomas Anderson  – One Battle After Another

Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams

 

Best Animated Feature Film

Arco

Elio

KPop Demon Hunters

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

Zootopia 2

 

Best International Feature Film

The Secret Agent (Brazil)

It Was Just an Accident (France)

Sentimental Value (Norway)

Sirât (Spain)

The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)

Brazilian film The Secret Agent starring Wagner Moura (pictured) is nominated for Best International Feature Film 

 

Best Casting

Nina Gold – Hamnet

Jennifer Venditti – Marty Supreme

Cassandra Kulukundis – One Battle After Another

Gabriel Domingues – The Secret Agent

Francine Maisler – Sinners

Best Cinematography

Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein

Darius Khondji – Marty Supreme

Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another

Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners

Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams

One Battle After Another is up for Best Cinematography

 

Best Production Design

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Best Editing

F1

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sentimental Value

Sinners

 

Best Original Score

Bugonia

Frankenstein

Hamnet

One Battle After Another

Sinners

 

Best Original Song

“Dear Me” – Diane Warren: Relentless

“Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters

“I Lied to You” – Sinners

“Sweet Dreams of Joy” – Viva Verdi!

“Train Dreams” – Train Dreams

Global hit KPop Demon Hunters received a Best Original Song nod for Golden

 

Best Sound

F1

Frankenstein

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Sirât

 

Best Visual Effects

Avatar: Fire and Ash

F1

Jurassic World: Rebirth

The Lost Bus

Sinners

Avatar: Fire and Ash earned a Best Visual Effects nod

 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Frankenstein

Kokuho

Sinners

The Smashing Machine

The Ugly Stepsister

 

Best Costume Design

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

Sinners

Frankenstein earned a Best Costume Design nod

 

Best Animated Short Film

Butterfly

Forevergreen

The Girl Who Cried Pearls

Retirement Plan

The Three Sisters

 

Best Live-Action Short Film

Butcher’s Stain

A Friend of Dorothy

Jane Austen’s Period Drama

The Singers

Two People Exchanging Saliva

 

Best Documentary Feature Film

The Alabama Solution

Come See Me in the Good Light

Cutting Through Rocks

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

The Perfect Neighbor

Mr. Nobody Against Putin is up for best Documentary Feature Film

 

Best Documentary Short

All the Empty Rooms

Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud

Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”

The Devil Is Busy