Oscars 2025: The Contending Consensus In All 23 Categories

The 97th Annual Academy Awards will be revealed Sunday night. Thank God.

Don’t get me wrong: talking about the Oscars with my friends and coworkers is a great deal of fun. It’s just that the season feels longer every year. This year, it did help that I stayed mostly off social media and, as a result, stayed mostly away from everyone’s “hot takes.” I find the early days of the “Oscar season” more fun than its last gasp leading up to the ceremony. I can’t imagine actually being someone in contention for the award. Sitting through all of those Q&As. Attending all of those parties and shaking all of those hands. Putting your own life aside for months at the time. All of it to campaign for an Oscar. Of course, I would gladly do it to win one. Wouldn’t we all?

But the sheer exhaustion nominees must feel after it’s all said and done must be palpable.

By Sunday night, we’ll know who goes home feeling like it was time well spent. So, who will those lucky few be?

We here at The Contending have ranked our leading contenders throughout the whole season through our Oscar Predictions pages. We break it down by predictor, by category, and by the site’s consensus: The Contending Consensus. I’m listing The Contending Consensus selections in all 23 categories here for your convenience, but check out the pages to see which of our The Contending staff members may be outliers in their predictions.

Check back with us Sunday night as we live update the 2025 Oscars. We’ll weigh in on the ceremony in next week’s Contending at the Water Cooler podcast.

The Contending Consensus

Picture: Anora

Director: Sean Baker, Anora

Actor: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Actress: Demi Moore, The Substance

Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Supporting Actress: Zoë Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

Original Screenplay: Anora

Adapted Screenplay: Conclave

Editing: Anora

Cinematography: The Brutalist

Animated Feature: The Wild Robot

Costume Design: Wicked

Makeup & Hair: The Substance

Production Design: Wicked

Sound: Dune: Part Two

Visual Effects: Dune: Part Two

Original Song: “El Mal,” Emilia Pérez

Original Score: The Brutalist

International Feature: I’m Still Here

Documentary Feature: No Other Land

Animated Short: Wander To Wonder

Documentary Short: I Am Ready Warden

Live Action Short: The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent