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
I think Conclave gets one more, maybe cinematography or score.
Probably editing. Seems to be a 50/50 split between that and Anora. I just don't think Sean Baker's going home with 4 Oscars Sunday night. I should probably go with him in Screenplay and Conclave for Editing.
Editing Anora??? Act 2 is still running.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/af88a4bbd0c0f0951c8c425f0fab15185fd031e94dfe10a497f8f36cbfb442a2.gif