The 98th Academy Awards delivered a night of historic wins, political moments and an unexpected tie, as Hollywood’s biggest stars gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate the best in film.
For Ireland, the ceremony marked a major milestone.
Jessie Buckley made history by becoming the first Irish performer to win the Best Actress Oscar, taking the prize for her acclaimed performance in Hamnet. Her victory quickly became one of the defining moments of the evening, dominating social media discussion alongside the continuing Oscar drought of Leonardo DiCaprio, who once again missed out on a win.
Irish success on the night did not stop there. Ireland had secured no less than 10 nominations total.
Dubliner Richard Baneham also added to Ireland’s Oscar tally after Avatar: Fire and Ash won Best Visual Effects, marking another triumph for one of the country’s most celebrated behind-the-scenes talents.
Retirement Plan, directed by John Kelly and voiced by Domhnall Gleeson, was nominated for Best Animated Short Film. Despite a strong showing, the Oscar went to The Girl Who Cried Pearls.
The biggest overall winner of the night was One Battle After Another, which led the field with six awards. The film claimed the top honour of Best Picture, while Paul Thomas Anderson took home Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film’s success continued with Sean Penn winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a military zealot.
Penn, however, was notably absent from the ceremony. According to reports, the 65-year-old actor had travelled to Europe and planned to visit Ukraine instead of attending the awards. Presenter Kieran Culkin referenced the absence during the broadcast, joking: “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening, or didn’t want to, so I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf.” It marked Penn’s sixth nomination and third Oscar win.
@varietymagazine Sean Penn becomes fourth male actor to win three #Oscars ♬ original sound - Variety
Elsewhere, Michael B. Jordan secured the Best Actor award for his performance in Sinners, while Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for Weapons, as this year’s honours were spread across a mix of major studio productions, independent films and international titles.
The ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, featured a lively tone throughout the night. O’Brien repeatedly targeted Timothée Chalamet with playful jabs, a running gag that proved popular with the audience.
@culted Bro actually doesn’t gaf 😭 #timotheechalamet #timothéechalamet #timotheechalametedit #oscars #fyp ♬ original sound - CULTED
Meanwhile, Matt Berry was widely praised for his role as the ceremony’s announcer, delivering his distinctive voiceover introductions throughout the evening.
One of the most emotional moments came during a tribute to veteran filmmaker Rob Reiner, which featured appearances from Billy Crystal and several of Reiner’s close collaborators, drawing an emotional response from the audience.
But one of the most surprising moments came during the Best Live Action Short Film category, which produced the first Oscar tie in 13 years. Presenter Kumail Nanjiani appeared momentarily stunned when he opened the envelope before telling the audience: “It’s a tie. I’m not joking. It’s actually a tie. So everyone calm down. We’re gonna get through this. Focus up.”
The joint winners were The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva, prompting cheers and confusion in equal measure inside the theatre. Nanjiani later joked that the result might upset many Oscar prediction contests, while O’Brien added: “I just want to say congratulations to both winners — you just ruined 22 million Oscar pools.”
Meanwhile, the animated hit KPop Demon Hunters also emerged as one of the night’s standout success stories. The film won Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song for the track Golden, marking the first time a K-pop song has won the category at the Oscars.
The film has already been a major global hit, becoming Netflix’s most-watched film with more than 500 million views, and its success at the awards was celebrated widely in South Korea as a milestone moment for the country’s growing influence in global pop culture.
@entertainmenttonight EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI belted their hit “Golden” from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ just before the anthem won Best Original Song at the #Oscars! #kpopdemonhunters #golden #ejae ♬ original sound - Entertainment Tonight
Among the other winners on the night were Frankenstein, which picked up multiple technical awards including Production Design, Costume Design and Makeup and Hairstyling, while F1 won Best Sound.
In the documentary categories, Mr Nobody against Putin won Best Documentary Feature, while All the Empty Rooms took the Best Documentary Short Film prize.
Norway’s Sentimental Value won Best International Feature Film, while The Girl Who Cried Pearls was named Best Animated Short Film.
Politics was never far from the spotlight during the 98th Academy Awards, with several moments throughout the night drawing clear connections between cinema and the wider global climate.
Host Conan O’Brien signalled early on that the ceremony would not shy away from controversy, warning viewers in his opening monologue: “I warn you, tonight could get political.” He then joked that those uncomfortable with the tone could watch “an alternative Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock at a Dave & Buster’s down the street.” Later in the broadcast he took aim at Donald Trump, quipping that the ceremony was coming live from the “has a small penis theater”, adding: “Let’s see him put his name in front of that.”
Some of the evening’s most direct statements came from presenters and winners themselves.
@parismatch #JavierBardem calls for peace at the #Oscars 🏆 #filmtok #whattowatch #academyawards ♬ son original - Paris Match
While announcing the Best International Feature Film category, Javier Bardem drew loud applause from the audience when he declared: “No to war, and free Palestine.” The sentiment echoed through the Dolby Theatre as several speeches during the night touched on global politics, humanitarian concerns and the responsibility of artists to speak out.
The political tone also ran through the ceremony’s biggest winning film.
One Battle After Another, which picked up six awards including Best Picture, tells the story of a rebel group fighting an authoritarian government that detains immigrants in camps. Accepting the Best Adapted Screenplay award, director Paul Thomas Anderson hinted at the real-world parallels behind the story. “I wrote this movie for my kids, to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we’re handing off to them,” he said. “But also with the encouragement that they will hopefully be the generation that brings us some common sense and decency.”
Other winners used their time on stage to highlight wider social issues.
Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier, accepting Best International Feature Film for Sentimental Value, urged voters to think carefully about leadership, saying: “All adults are responsible for all children. Let’s not vote for politicians that don’t take this seriously into account.”
Meanwhile, Gloria Cazares, featured in the documentary short All the Empty Rooms, delivered one of the night’s most emotional speeches about gun violence in the United States, explaining that the film shows the preserved bedrooms of children lost in school shootings. “Gun violence is now the number one cause of death in kids and teens. We believe that if the world could see their empty bedrooms, it would be a different America.”
With historic Irish success, major Hollywood victories, an unusual tie adding extra drama and strong political statements, the 2026 Academy Awards delivered a memorable night that combined celebration, surprise and a few headline-grabbing moments along the way.
Full list of the Oscars 2026's Winners:
Best Picture
One Battle After Another
Actor in a Leading Role
Michael B Jordan - Sinners
Actress in a Leading Role
Jessie Buckley - Hamnet
Actor in a Supporting Role
Sean Penn - One Battle After Another
Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Madigan - Weapons
Directing
Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
One Battle After Another - Paul Thomas Anderson
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Sinners - Ryan Coogler
Animated Feature Film
KPop Demon Hunters
Animated Short Film
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Casting
One Battle After Another
Cinematography
Sinners - Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Documentary Feature Film
Mr Nobody against Putin
Documentary Short Film
All the Empty Rooms
Editing
One Battle After Another - Andy Jurgensen
International Feature Film
Sentimental Value (Norway)
Music (Original Song)
Golden from KPop Demon Hunters
Music (Original Score)
Sinners - Ludwig Göransson
Production Design
Frankenstein
Sound
F1
Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Costume Design
Frankenstein - Kate Hawley
Live Action Short Film - joint winners
The Singers
Two People Exchanging Saliva
Makeup and Hairstyling
Frankenstein - Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey
