Following yesterday’s announcement of the shortlist of twenty titles and today’s SCL (Society of Composers & Lyricists) Awards nominations, we have updated our predictions in the Best Original Score category for next year’s 98th Academy Awards on the left side column of this page. Nomination voting will begin on January 12, 2026 and will end on January 16. The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on January 22 and the awards ceremony will take place on March 15. Check out our previous article for our original predictions.
The Frontrunners:
- Sinners – Ludwig Göransson
- One Battle After Another – Jonny Greenwood
- Hamnet – Max Richter
- Bugonia – Jerskin Fendrix
- Wicked: For Good – John Powell & Stephen Schwartz
Runner-ups:
- Frankenstein – Alexandre Desplat
- Marty Supreme – Daniel Lopatin
- Sirat – Kangding Ray
- Hedda – Hildur Guðnadóttir
- F1 – Hans Zimmer
- Jay Kelly – Nicholas Britell
Other Possibilities:
- Avatar: Fire and Ash – Simon Franglen
- Tron: Ares – Nine Inch Nails
- Train Dreams – Bryce Dessner
- Captain America: Brave New World – Laura Karpman
- A House of Dynamite – Volker Bertelmann
- Nuremberg – Brian Tyler
- Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery – Nathan Johnson
- Truth & Treason – Aaron Zigman
- Diane Warren: Relentless – Lesley Barber
