Critics Choice Awards 2026 winners: One Battle After Another wins best picture
After two years of destabilisation due to industry strikes, the US road to the Oscars is back in full swing with the Critics Choice Awards ceremony.
In their 31st year, the annual awards — led by Warner Bros, soon to be acquired by Netflix — are historically known to be the most accurate predictor of the Academy Award nominations.
One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson's revolutionary road tale, won multiple awards including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director.
Despite securing the most nominations of any film, Ryan Coogler's gothic vampire horror Sinners missed out on the big awards but still walked away with Best Original Screenplay and Best Score.
Sarah Snook and Jake Lacy in All Her Fault.
TVNZ
Multiple Australians were up for awards today, with Sarah Snook winning a statue for her performance on thriller limited series All Her Fault and Jacob Elordi pulling out a surprise win for Best Supporting Actor.
The Critics Choice Awards also wrap up the gongs for the 2025/26 television season, with The Pitt and The Studio crowned for Best Drama and Best Comedy, respectively.
Read the full list of winners below.
Film Categories
Best Picture
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Jay Kelly
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another – WINNER
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
- Wicked: For Good
Emma Stone stars as Michelle in director Yorgos Lanthimos' BUGONIA, a Focus Features release. Credit: Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features © 2025 All Rights Reserved.
Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features
Best Actress
- Jessie Buckley – Hamnet – WINNER
- Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
- Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
- Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
- Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
- Emma Stone – Bugonia
Best Actor
- Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme – WINNER
- Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
- Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
- Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
- Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
- Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme.
Supplied
Best Supporting Actress
- Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
- Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
- Amy Madigan – Weapons – WINNER
- Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
- Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Best Supporting Actor
- Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein – WINNER
- Paul Mescal – Hamnet
- Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
- Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
- Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Best Young Actor/Actress
- Everett Blunck – The Plague
- Miles Caton – Sinners – WINNER
- Cary Christopher – Weapons
- Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family
- Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
- Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl
Best Director
- Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another — WINNER
- Ryan Coogler — Sinners
- Guillermo del Toro — Frankenstein
- Josh Safdie — Marty Supreme
- Joachim Trier — Sentimental Value
- Chloé Zhao — Hamnet
Best Original Screenplay
- Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer – Jay Kelly
- Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
- Ryan Coogler – Sinners – WINNER
- Zach Cregger – Weapons
- Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
- Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another – WINNER
- Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams
- Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee – No Other Choice
- Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
- Will Tracy – Bugonia
- Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet
Best Casting and Ensemble
- Nina Gold — Hamnet
- Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold – Jay Kelly
- Jennifer Venditti – Marty Supreme
- Cassandra Kulukundis – One Battle After Another
- Francine Maisler – Sinners – WINNER
- Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey – Wicked: For Good
Best Cinematography
- Claudio Miranda — F1
- Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein
- Łukasz Żal – Hamnet
- Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another
- Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners
- Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams – WINNER
Brad Pitt in F1.
Warner bros.
Best Production Design
- Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis — The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau – Frankenstein – WINNER
- Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton – Hamnet
- Jack Fisk, Adam Willis – Marty Supreme
- Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne – Sinners
- Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales – Wicked: For Good
Best Editing
- Kirk Baxter — A House of Dynamite
- Stephen Mirrione – F1 – WINNER
- Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
- Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another
- Viridiana Lieberman – The Perfect Neighbor
- Michael P Shawver – Sinners
Best Costume Design
- Kate Hawley — Frankenstein – WINNER
- Malgosia Turzanska – Hamnet
- Lindsay Pugh – Hedda
- Colleen Atwood, Christine Cantella – Kiss of the Spider Woman
- Ruth E. Carter – Sinners
- Paul Tazewell – Wicked: For Good
Guillermo del Toro as Victor Frankenstein.
Netflix
Best Hair and Makeup
- Flora Moody, John Nolan — 28 Years Later
- Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey – Frankenstein – WINNER
- Siân Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry – Sinners
- Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal – The Smashing Machine
- Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins – Weapons
- Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, Laura Blount – Wicked: For Good
Best Visual Effects
- Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett — Avatar: Fire and Ash – WINNER
- Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Edward Price, Keith Dawson – F1
- Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell – Frankenstein
- Alex Wuttke, Ian Lowe, Jeff Sutherland, Kirstin Hall – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
- Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean – Sinners
- Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Nazé, Guy Williams – Superman
A still from Avatar
Disney
Best Stunt Design
- Stephen Dunlevy, Kyle Gardiner, Jackson Spidell, Jeremy Marinas, Jan Petřina, Domonkos Párdányi, Kinga Kósa-Gavalda — Ballerina
- Gary Powell, Luciano Bacheta, Craig Dolby – F1
- Wade Eastwood – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – WINNER
- Brian Machleit – One Battle After Another
- Andy Gill – Sinners
- Giedrius Nagys – Warfare
Best Animated Feature
- Arco
- Elio
- In Your Dreams
- KPop Demon Hunters – WINNER
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- Zootopia 2
(Left to right) Mira (voice by May Hong, vocals by Audrey Nuna), Rumi (voice by Arden Cho, vocals by Ejae Kim) and Zoey (voice by Ji-Young Yoo, vocals by Rei Ami).
Netflix
Best Comedy
- The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Eternity
- Friendship
- The Naked Gun – WINNER
- The Phoenician Scheme
- Splitsville
Best Foreign Language Film
- It Was Just an Accident
- Left-Handed Girl
- No Other Choice
- The Secret Agent – WINNER
- Sirāt
- Belén
Best Song
- Drive — Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin — F1
- Golden – Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy – KPop Demon Hunters – WINNER
- I Lied to You – Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson – Sinners
- Clothed by the Sun – Daniel Blumberg – The Testament of Ann Lee
- Train Dreams – Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner – Train Dreams
- The Girl in the Bubble – Stephen Schwartz – Wicked: For Good
Best Score
- Hans Zimmer — F1
- Alexandre Desplat – Frankenstein
- Max Richter – Hamnet
- Daniel Lopatin – Marty Supreme
- Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another
- Ludwig Göransson – Sinners – WINNER
Best Sound
- Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John — F1 – WINNER
- Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, Greg Chapman – Frankenstein
- Jose Antonio Garcia, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor – One Battle After Another
- Chris Welcker, Benny Burtt, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, Felipe Pacheco, David V. Butler – Sinners
- Laia Casanovas – Sirāt
- Mitch Low, Glenn Freemantle, Ben Barker, Howard Bargroff, Richard Spooner – Warfare
Television Categories
Best Drama Series
- Alien: Earth
- Andor
- The Diplomat
- Paradise
- The Pitt — WINNER
- Pluribus
- Severance
- Task
Mark Ruffalo as Tom Brandis in Task.
WarnerMedia Direct, LLC. All Rights Reserved. HBO Max™ is used under license.
Best Actor in a Drama Series
- Sterling K. Brown — Paradise
- Diego Luna – Andor
- Mark Ruffalo – Task
- Adam Scott – Severance
- Billy Bob Thornton – Landman
- Noah Wyle – The Pitt – WINNER
Best Actress in a Drama Series
- Kathy Bates — Matlock
- Carrie Coon – The Gilded Age
- Britt Lower – Severance
- Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
- Keri Russell – The Diplomat
- Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus – WINNER
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Patrick Ball — The Pitt
- Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
- Ato Essandoh – The Diplomat
- Wood Harris – Forever
- Tom Pelphrey – Task
- Tramell Tillman – Severance – WINNER
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
- Nicole Beharie — The Morning Show
- Denée Benton – The Gilded Age
- Allison Janney – The Diplomat
- Katherine LaNasa – The Pitt – WINNER
- Greta Lee – The Morning Show
- Skye P. Marshall – Matlock
Best Comedy Series
- Abbott Elementary
- Elsbeth
- Ghosts
- Hacks
- Nobody Wants This
- Only Murders in the Building
- The Righteous Gemstones
- The Studio – WINNER
Best Actor in a Comedy Series
- Adam Brody — Nobody Wants This
- Ted Danson – A Man on the Inside
- David Alan Grier – St. Denis Medical
- Danny McBride – The Righteous Gemstones
- Seth Rogen – The Studio – WINNER
- Alexander Skarsgård – Murderbot
Best Actress in a Comedy Series
- Kristen Bell — Nobody Wants This
- Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face
- Rose McIver – Ghosts
- Edi Patterson – The Righteous Gemstones
- Carrie Preston – Elsbeth
- Jean Smart – Hacks – WINNER
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- Ike Barinholtz — The Studio — WINNER
- Paul W. Downs – Hacks
- Asher Grodman – Ghosts
- Oscar Nuñez – The Paper
- Chris Perfetti – Abbott Elementary
- Timothy Simons – Nobody Wants This
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- Danielle Brooks — Peacemaker
- Hannah Einbinder – Hacks
- Janelle James – Abbott Elementary – WINNER
- Justine Lupe – Nobody Wants This
- Ego Nwodim – Saturday Night Live
- Rebecca Wisocky – Ghosts
Best Limited Series
- Adolescence – WINNER
- All Her Fault
- Chief of War
- Death by Lightning
- Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
- Dope Thief
- Dying for Sex
- The Girlfriend
In Adolescence, Jaime's parents are played by Christine Tremarco and Stephen Graham.
Netflix
Best Movie Made for Television
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy – WINNER
- Deep Cover
- The Gorge
- Mountainhead
- Nonnas
- Summer of ’69
Best Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie Made for Television
- Michael Chernus — Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
- Stephen Graham – Adolescence – WINNER
- Brian Tyree Henry – Dope Thief
- Charlie Hunnam – Monster: The Ed Gein Story
- Matthew Rhys – The Beast in Me
- Michael Shannon – Death by Lightning
Best Actress in a Limited Series or Made for Television Movie
- Jessica Biel — The Better Sister
- Meghann Fahy – Sirens
- Sarah Snook – All Her Fault – WINNER
- Michelle Williams – Dying for Sex
- Robin Wright – The Girlfriend
- Renée Zellweger – Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Made for Television Movie
- Owen Cooper — Adolescence — WINNER
- Wagner Moura – Dope Thief
- Nick Offerman – Death by Lightning
- Michael Peña – All Her Fault
- Ashley Walters – Adolescence
- Ramy Youssef – Mountainhead
Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Made for Television Movie
- Erin Doherty — Adolescence — WINNER
- Betty Gilpin – Death by Lightning
- Marin Ireland – Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
- Sophia Lillis – All Her Fault
- Julianne Moore – Sirens
- Christine Tremarco – Adolescence
Best Foreign Language Series
- Acapulco
- Last Samurai Standing
- Mussolini: Son of the Century
- Red Alert
- Squid Game — WINNER
- When No One Sees Us
Best Animated Series
- Bob's Burgers
- Harley Quinn
- Long Story Short
- Marvel Zombies
- South Park — WINNER
- Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man
Best Talk Show
- The Daily Show
- Hot Ones
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! - WINNER
- Late Night with Seth Meyers
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Best Variety Series
- Conan O'Brien Must Go
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - WINNER
- Saturday Night Live
Best Comedy Special
- Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life
- Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian
- Leanne Morgan: Unspeakable Things
- Marc Maron: Panicked
- Sarah Silverman: PostMortem
- SNL50: The Anniversary Special - WINNER