Awards Central 2022: The Leaderboard

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The staple of the awards season, the Academy Awards (commonly known as the Oscars) bring with them a flurry of films hoping to strike gold. With a plethora of major contenders debuting on the festival circuit, releasing wide, and picking up precursor nominations, Awards Editor Diego Andaluz is here to break down the current state of every category in the 2022 Oscars race. Films like Belfast, Dune, and King Richard have already been picking up steam, and more join them as the weeks go by. The next Oscar season is coming up faster than you may think, so there’s no better time to launch our very own Awards Central Leaderboard!

Throughout the next few months, we’ll be updating this leaderboard to reflect the latest ups and downs of the season. Check back regularly to our Awards Central Leaderboard to get a leg up on your own predictions and stay informed with up-to-date developments in the 2022 Oscar race. You can also check out the final winners for the 2022 Golden Globes, Critics Choice, BAFTAs, SAG Awards, and our very own DiscussingFilm Critics Awards.

Final 2022 Oscar Predictions

BEST PICTURE

Frontrunners

1. CODA
2. The Power of The Dog 

Next In Line

3. Don’t Look Up
4. King Richard
5. Belfast

In The Race

6. Drive My Car
7. West Side Story
8. Dune
9. Licorice Pizza
10. Nightmare Alley

BEST ACTOR

1. Will Smith (King Richard)

2. Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)
3. Andrew Garfield (Tick Tick Boom)
4. Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)
5. Javier Bardem (Being The Ricardos)

BEST ACTRESS

1. Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
2. Penelope Cruz (Parallel Mothers)

3. Kristen Stewart (Spencer)
4. Nicole Kidman (Being The Ricardos)
5. Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Frontrunners

1. Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)

Next In Line

2. Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)
3. Kirsten Dunst (The Power of The Dog)
4. Judi Dench (Belfast)
5. Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Editor’s Picks:

1. Troy Kotsur (CODA)
2. Kodi Smitt-McPhee (The Power of The Dog)
3. Ciaran Hinds (Belfast)
4. Jesse Plemmons (The Power of The Dog)
5. J.K. Simmons (Being The Ricardos)

BEST DIRECTOR

Editor’s Picks:

1. Jane Campion (The Power of The Dog)
2. Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)
3. Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)
4. Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)
5. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Editor’s Picks:

1. Don’t Look Up
2. Belfast
3. Licorice Pizza
4. The Worst Person In The World
5. King Richard

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Editor’s Picks:

1. CODA
2. The Power of The Dog
3. The Lost Daughter
4. Drive My Car
5. Dune

BEST EDITING

Editor’s Picks:

1. Dune
2. Tick, Tick… Boom!
3. King Richard
4. Don’t Look Up
5. The Power of The Dog

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Editor’s Picks:

1. Dune
2. The Power of The Dog
3. The Tragedy of Macbeth
4. West Side Story
5. Nightmare Alley

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Editor’s Picks:

1. Cruella
2. West Side Story
3. Dune
4. Nightmare Alley
5. Cyrano

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Editor’s Picks:

1. Encanto
2. Flee
3. The Mitchells vs The Machines
4. Luca
5. Raya and The Last Dragon

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Editor’s Picks:

1. Dune
2. Nightmare Alley
3. West Side Story
4. The Power Of The Dog
5. The Tragedy of Macbeth

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Editor’s Picks:

1. Dune
2. Spider-Man: No Way Home
3. No Time To Die
4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
5. Free Guy

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Editor’s Picks:

1. The Eyes of Tammy Faye
2. Coming 2 America
3. House of Gucci
4. Dune
5. Cruella

BEST SOUND

Editor’s Picks:

1. Dune
2. West Side Story
3. Belfast
4. No Time To Die
5. The Power of The Dog

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Editor’s Picks:

1. Dune 
2. The Power of The Dog
3. Don’t Look Up
4. Parallel Mothers
5. Encanto

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Editor’s Picks:

1. No Time To Die (No Time To Die)
2. Be Alive (King Richard)
3. Somehow You Do (Four Good Days)
4. Dos Oruguitas (Encanto)
5. Down To Joy (Belfast)

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Editor’s Picks:

1. Drive My Car
2. The Worst Person In The World
3. Flee
4. The Hand of God
5. Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Editor’s Picks:

1. Summer of Soul
2. Flee
3. Writing With Fire
4. Attica
5. Ascension

LIVE ACTION SHORT

1. The Long Goodbye
2. Ala Kachuu — Take and Run
3. Please Hold
4. On My Mind
5. The Dress

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

1. The Queen of Basketball
2. Three Songs for Benazir
3. Audible
4. Lead Me Home
5. When We Were Bullies

ANIMATED SHORT

1. Robin Robin
2. Bestia
3. The Windshield Wiper
4. Boxballet
5. Affairs of the Art

The Final Award Winners of 2022:

• BAFTAs
• Critics Choice
• DiscussingFilm Critics Awards
• Golden Globes
• Gotham Awards
• SAG Awards

Follow Awards Editor Diego Andaluz on Twitter: @thediegoandaluz