Hollywood’s most anticipated night is here. The 98th Academy Awards, concluding the 2025 film awards season, will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026. Following the star-studded red carpet arrivals, the ceremony will honor the finest achievements in cinema from the past year. For viewers eager to follow every moment, here is a comprehensive, fact-based guide to the event, its participants, and how to watch.
Venue and Tradition
The ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the permanent home of the Oscars since 2002. Located in the Hollywood & Highland Center, this venue is specifically designed for the broadcast, featuring a signature red-carpeted grand staircase and advanced acoustics and projection systems provided by its title sponsor, Dolby Laboratories.
Host and Presenters
Comedian and television personality Conan O’Brien will return for his second consecutive year as host. The Academy announced his rehiring in late 2025, citing his well-received debut. According to The Hollywood Reporter, O’Brien has been refining his monologue and segments through a series of unannounced stand-up performances in the weeks leading up to the show.
The ceremony will feature a roster of presenters. As per tradition, the previous year’s winners in the four acting categories—Kieran Culkin (Best Supporting Actor), Zoe Saldaña (Best Supporting Actress), Adrien Brody (Best Actor), and Mikey Madison (Best Actress)—will return to present their respective successors. Additional confirmed presenters include Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Will Arnett, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Javier Bardem, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Maya Rudolph, Chris Evans, and Chase Infiniti.
Key Nominations and Competitive Categories
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners leads the pack with a historic 16 nominations, tying the record previously held by All About Eve (1950) and Titanic (1997). Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another follows with 13 nods, while Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, and Sentimental Value each garnered nine nominations.
The acting categories are notably wide open. In Best Actor, Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) faces Michael B. Jordan (Creed III). Best Supporting Actress includes Amy Madigan (Mass), Teyana Taylor (Alice), and Wunmi Mosaku (The Last of Us). The most predictable category appears to be Best Actress, with Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) having won the major precursor awards (Golden Globes, BAFTA, SAG). For the complete and official list of nominees in all 23 categories, the Academy
