Critics Choice Awards 2026: “Sinners” Dominates as Awards Season Begins | Full Winners

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The 2026 awards season officially stepped into the spotlight on Sunday, January 4, as the Critics’ Choice Awards returned for its 31st edition. Held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, the ceremony brought together the year’s most talked-about film and television projects, setting the tone for what promises to be a competitive season ahead. With Chelsea Handler back as host for the fourth year in a row, the night felt both familiar and charged with anticipation.

One film dominated the conversation early on. Sinners, Ryan Coogler’s ambitious supernatural drama exploring American history and racial identity, arrived with a commanding 17 nominations. It left a strong mark on the evening, taking home four awards. The night kicked off with a major win for Miles Caton, who earned Best Young Actor or Actress for his breakout performance as Sammie, a moment that immediately set the pace for the ceremony.

That energy continued when Francine Maisler won the newly introduced Best Casting and Ensemble award for Sinners. She was joined on stage by members of the cast, including Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, and Wunmi Mosaku, turning the win into a collective celebration. Delroy Lindo’s heartfelt remarks drew one of the loudest reactions of the night, as Ryan Coogler and Proximity Media co-founder Zinzi Coogler looked on from the audience. Coogler later returned to the stage to accept Best Original Screenplay, while composer Ludwig Göransson added another trophy to the film’s tally with a win for Best Score.

Elsewhere, One Battle After Another, the politically charged drama from Paul Thomas Anderson starring Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, and Chase Infiniti, followed closely with 14 nominations. Strong showings also came from Frankenstein and Hamnet, each securing 11 nominations heading into the night.

On the television side, standout performances were equally celebrated. Janelle James picked up Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Abbott Elementary, while Tramell Tillman won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Seth Milchick in Apple TV+’s Severance. Netflix’s Adolescence led the television nominations overall, reinforcing its status as one of the season’s early frontrunners.

This year’s Critics Choice Awards also expanded its scope with the introduction of four new categories: Best Variety Series, Best Stunt Design, Best Casting and Ensemble, and Best Sound. The additions signal a broader appreciation for the collaborative and technical work behind film and television, reflecting how the industry continues to evolve.

With the first major trophies now handed out, the road to the Oscars and Emmys is officially underway and all eyes are on what comes next.

Read on for the complete list of nominees and winners.

Best Picture

Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Jay Kelly
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another – Winner 
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Wicked: For Good

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

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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 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 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 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  

Hamnet
Jay Kelly
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners – Winner
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

Best Production Design

The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Frankenstein – Winner
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Wicked: For Good

Best Editing

A House of Dynamite
F1 – Winner
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Perfect Neighbor
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

Best Hair and Makeup

28 Years Later
Frankenstein – WINNER
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
Weapons
Wicked: For Good

Best Visual Effects

Avatar: Fire and Ash – Winner
F1
Frankenstein
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Sinners
Superman

Best Stunt Design

Ballerina
F1
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – WINNER
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Warfare

Best Animated Feature

Arco
Elio
In Your Dreams
KPop Demon Hunters – Winner
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2

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

F1 – Winner
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirāt
Warfare

Best Drama Series

Alien: Earth
Andor
The Diplomat
Paradise
The Pitt – Winner
Pluribus
Severance
Task

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

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 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 Movie Made for Television

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 Movie Made for Television

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 Movie Made for Television

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 Neighborhood 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