Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change in response to buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
DUNE, Rebecca Ferguson, 2021. © Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett C
Best Cinematography Predictions Commentary (Updated: Oct. 8, 2026): After a historic win for Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who became the first woman to win best cinematography for her work on “Sinners,” the category appears to have no female contender this time around — at least among the leading candidates from the major studios.
The early frontrunner is Hoyte van Hoytema, who won for his work with Christopher Nolan on “Oppenheimer” (2024) and has reunited with the director for the billion-dollar sensation “The Odyssey.” His biggest challenger could be Linus Sandgren, who takes over cinematography duties from Greig Fraser on Denis Villeneuve’s final installment of “Dune.” Fraser, however, remains in the race with another major contender: the space opera “Project Hail Mary.”
The field also includes plenty of familiar names, including three-time winner Emmanuel Lubezki, who could overcome the poor reviews for “Digger” to land another nomination. Other contenders include Łukasz Żal for the monochromatic international drama “Fatherland” and Dion Beebe, whose work helped bring the elaborate musical sequences in “Michael” to life.
The list of predictions in all categories can be found here.
The Governors Awards, which will hand out honorary Oscars to Glenn Close and Ridley Scott, will take place Sunday, Nov. 15. Preliminary voting for the Oscars shortlist in 12 categories runs Dec. 7-11, with the shortlist announcement to follow Tuesday, Dec. 15. Following the close of the eligibility period on Dec. 31, 2026, nominations voting will run Jan. 11-15, 2027. The official Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2027. The 99th Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2027, and will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. The ceremony airs live at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.
Sandra Huller in “Fatherland”
Courtesy of Agata Grzybowska
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