Los Angeles, CA (December 16, 2025)—Awards season is officially underway, as The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the shortlists in 10 categories this morning for the 98th Academy Awards. Among the shortlists announced were Best Sound and Best Original Score.
Shortlists narrow down the often dozens of films in the running for award consideration, designating the specific films in the running to be nominated for an Academy Award category. Nominations voting will commence on Monday, January 12, 2026, and conclude on Friday, January 16, 2026. The official list of Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
‘BEST SOUND’ SHORTLIST
The 10 films shortlisted for the Sound category, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Sinners
Sirât
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
All eligible members of the Sound Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. Academy members will be invited to view excerpts from each of the shortlisted films beginning Saturday, January 10, 2025, in the San Francisco Bay area, London and New York, followed by Los Angeles on Sunday, January 11, 2026.
‘BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)’ SHORTLIST
The 20 films shortlisted for the category, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Captain America: Brave New World
Diane Warren: Relentless
F1
Frankenstein
Hedda
A House of Dynamite
Jay Kelly
Marty Supreme
Nuremberg
One Battle after Another
Sinners
Sirât
Train Dreams
Tron: Ares
Truth and Treason
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Wicked: For Good
A full 132 films were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
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In all, awards in two-dozen categories will be presented at the 98th Oscars, determined from five nominees in each category except for Best Picture, which has 10. Best Picture nominations are determined by eligible members from all 19 Academy branches. All rounds of Oscars voting are conducted by secret online ballot. The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be air live on ABC.
