Who will win, could win and should win the 2023 Oscars, and who should have been nominated? Read our predictions for this year’s Academy Awards!

Who will, could and should win the 2023 Oscars, and who should have been nominated? Our predictions for this year’s Academy Awards are live: it’s time to take a look at the nominees and guess the winners!

Our staff writers Daniel, Jack, Jonathan, Maxance, Michael, Serena and William tell us who will win, who could win, and who should win the Oscars this year! Find all our predictions below and, if you haven’t already, don’t forget to download our Oscars 2023 printable ballot sheet! Do you agree with our picks? Let us know on our socials!

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BEST PICTURE

• All Quiet On The Western Front
• Avatar: The Way of Water
• The Banshees of Inisherin
• Elvis
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• The Fabelmans
• TÁR
• Top Gun: Maverick
• Triangle of Sadness
• Women Talking

With 100% confidence, I believe that the 95th Academy Awards will be one of the most historic yet, and that is all due to the sheer power of Everything Everywhere all at Once. It has been racking up guild after guild awards such as PGA, WGA, DGA, and SAG. This is one of the most substantial packages that almost any film can have, because it shows that Everything Everywhere all at Once is widely adored by both the guilds and critics. 

Even though it’s almost certain that this film will be taking Best Picture, I couldn’t be more excited to see how this win affects the Academy’s taste in the future. Will we start to see a rise in appreciation of POC-led films? How about genre films? Only time will tell, but if there is one thing for certain, the legacy that Everything Everywhere all at Once will leave will forever change the way that we appreciate film. (Jonathan Vargas)

1. Will Win: Everything Everywhere All At Once
2. Could Win: Nothing else
3. Should Win: Everything Everywhere All At Once
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: Nope

BEST DIRECTOR

• Martin McDonagh — The Banshees of Inisherin
• Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Steven Spielberg — The Fabelmans
• Todd Field — TÁR
• Ruben Östlund — Triangle of Sadness

Whilst Best Picture could still be anybody’s to win, the Directing category looks a little more clear-cut. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert are the current frontrunners for their multiverse indie hit Everything Everywhere All at Once. It is easy to see why: the movie is anarchic, truly limitless, fun, and emotional, and will gel with a now-younger Academy membership that will be more accepting of this than in the past.

Steven Spielberg could earn his third Academy Award for Best Director for his stunning semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans. It certainly wouldn’t be undeserving. However, the Daniels deserve the win for how they managed to balance every overwhelming element in EEAAO. As for the snubs, I thought it was baffling that no female director was nominated. Sarah Polley should have been for the deft and outstanding Women Talking, which only picked up two nods. The story of the women in a religious community discussing what to do about a series of sexual assaults, Women Talking will go down as one of the cruelly underrated films of this awards season. (Daniel Allen)

1. Will Win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — Everything Everywhere All At Once
2. Could Win: Steven Spielberg — The Fabelmans
3. Should Win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — Everything Everywhere All At Once
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: Sarah Polley — Women Talking

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

• Austin Butler — Elvis
• Colin Farrell — The Banshees of Inisherin
• Brendan Fraser — The Whale
• Paul Mescal — Aftersun
• Bill Nighy — Living

If you need proof that 2023 was an amazing year for film, just take a look at this year’s nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Honestly, every single one of these actors deserves to win the Oscar, as they each gave incredible, career-defining performances in their respective roles.

The Whale marked the return of Brendan Fraser and, controversies aside, the Mummy actor is absolutely flawless in a physically and mentally demanding role. But so are Colin Farrell, Paul Mescal and Bill Nighy, whose performances in their respective films are more restrained but just as effective, and who play a huge role in The Banshees of Inisherin, Aftersun and Living‘s success. And then there’s Austin Butler, whose first appearance in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis made us just as excited as the crowd, and who kept on entertaining, surprising, and moving us until the end of the film.

Judging by his Golden Globe, BAFTA, and People’s Choice Awards wins, it looks like Austin Butler might bag an Oscar as well. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the award went to either Brendan Fraser, who won big at the Critics Choice Awards and SAG, or Colin Farrell, who won a Golden Globe and Venice’s Golden Lion for his performance. (Serena Seghedoni)

1. Will Win: Austin Butler — Elvis
2. Could Win: Brendan Fraser — The Whale
3. Should Win: Brendan Fraser — The Whale
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: Jeremy Pope — The Inspection and Tom Cruise — Top Gun: Maverick

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

• Cate Blanchett —TÁR
• Michelle Yeoh — Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Andrea Riseborough — To Leslie
• Michelle Williams — The Fabelmans
• Ana De Armas — Blonde

For the majority of this year’s awards season, Best Actress seemed like it was going to be among the most straightforward categories to predict. From the moment the critics’ guilds started announcing their winners late last year, Cate Blanchett immediately solidified herself as the early frontrunner. She continued this momentum throughout the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice Awards, and the BAFTAs.

However, a recent shake-up at the SAG Awards has seen Blanchett’s seemingly-unbeatable streak disrupted. Riding the wave of Everything Everywhere All At Once’s incredible success, lead actress Michelle Yeoh has started to build a strong narrative for herself. She’s got both the SAG Award and the Golden Globe (for Comedy) under her belt, and she’s starring in the movie that seems to have the strongest Best Picture momentum.

All of these factors lean in her favor – but it’s also important to remember how strongly Blanchett has been leading this race from the beginning. It’s an incredibly tight choice between the two, and despite strong campaigns from the other three actresses, they just don’t have the wins necessary to give them a fighting chance. (Jack Walters)

1. Will Win: Michelle Yeoh — Everything Everywhere All At Once
2. Could Win: Cate Blanchett —TÁR
3. Should Win: Michelle Yeoh — Everything Everywhere All At Once
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: Danielle Deadwyler — Till

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Brendan Gleeson — The Banshees of Inisherin
• Brian Tyree Henry — Causeway
• Judd Hirsch — The Fabelmans
• Barry Keoghan — The Banshees of Inisherin
• Ke Huy Quan— Everything Everywhere All At Once

It’s safe to say that Ke Huy Quan is winning the Oscar for his performance as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once. After decades of stepping away from the spotlight, Quan returns to the screen in a comeback performance so filled with deep emotion that anyone who likely saw the film in a packed theater wept during the scene in which he admits to Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) that “In another life, I would’ve really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.” Barry Keoghan could technically win, since he snagged a BAFTA from Quan, but the EEAAO actor has won literally every other award that it’s almost in the bag for him. Anything else will be an upset. (Maxance Vincent)

1. Will Win: Ke Huy Quan — Everything Everywhere All At Once
2. Could Win: Barry Keoghan — The Banshees of Inisherin
3. Should Win: Ke Huy Quan— Everything Everywhere All At Once
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: Mark Rylance — Bones and All

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Angela Bassett — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Hong Chau — The Whale
• Kerry Condon — The Banshees of Inisherin
• Jamie Lee Curtis — Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Stephanie Hsu — Everything Everywhere All At Once

After being one of the most predictable awards the past few years, this year’s Supporting Actress Oscar is so much fun to try to figure out. At first it looked like this was Angela Bassett’s award to lose. She appeared primed to take her first win (and the first for any Marvel performer) after wins at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice. But in recent weeks, Kerry Condon’s win at BAFTA and a SAG win for Jamie Lee Curtis have made this a tough one to pick.

Curtis could be an interesting pick to win after a great campaign, but will sharing the category with co-star Stephanie Hsu split some of that vote? The most likely pick to be the one to take the win is Condon. Oscar and BAFTA have shared Supporting Actress winners in seven of the past 10 years, and The Banshees of Inisherin being one of the top Best Picture contenders could help propel her over Bassett and the rest of the field. (Michael Carvelli)

1. Will Win: Kerry Condon — The Banshees of Inisherin
2. Could Win: Angela Bassett — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
3. Should Win: Kerry Condon — The Banshees of Inisherin
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: Jessie Buckley or Claire Foy — Women Talking

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• The Banshees of Inisherin
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• The Fabelmans
• TÁR
• Triangle of Sadness

The Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All at Once have both been getting love in the form of awards throughout the season, so this category is a tricky one to call.

The darkly comic, shiveringly bleak The Banshees of Inisherin is Martin McDonagh’s best and most mature screenplay to date, as it creates an unforgettable ensemble of characters falling out to dramatic effect on a remote island off of Ireland. The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once expertly navigates a mind-bending spectrum of multiverses, in the process ranging from riotous comedy to serious reflection seamlessly. Both would be worthy winners.

Never rule out Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner though, here with Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical tale loosely based on his own adolescence and early filmmaking years. The Oscar dream for Aftersun rests solely with Paul Mescal for Best Actor, but Charlotte Wells’ sublime, nostalgic screenplay about depression and family relationships really should have, at the very least, made it in as a nominee. (William Stottor)

1. Will Win: The Banshees of Inisherin
2. Could Win: Everything Everywhere All at Once
3. Should Win: The Banshees of Inisherin
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: Aftersun

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
• Living
• Top Gun: Maverick
• Women Talking

In a perfect world, Women Talking would have been the clear winner in this category, especially since the film was snubbed in a few other categories, only scoring a Best Picture nomination outside of this award. Sarah Polley has been consistently getting the short end of the stick this award season, so an Oscar would be the perfect reward for a truly great film.

Even though Women Talking looks to be in the lead for this race, All Quiet on the Western Front is right on its heels. It won the BAFTA for the same award, and it will definitely not go home empty-handed, so I wouldn’t be too surprised if this award was part of its package. Besides these two films, the category as a whole is pretty weak, so it would be extremely surprising if The Academy rewarded any other film. (Jonathan Vargas)

1. Will Win: Women Talking
2. Could Win: All Quiet on the Western Front
3. Should Win: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: She Said

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

• Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
• Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
• The Sea Beast
• Turning Red

Much like a lot of categories for this year’s Oscars, the Animated Feature category is kind of stacked this year. I enjoyed all of the nominated films a lot and even though Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On have had some brief moments where they’ve gotten some major much-deserved praise, neither of those films have a filmmaker the caliber of Guillermo del Toro attached to it. It’s no surprise that Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has been the runaway favorite throughout award season, and it should carry that over to the Oscars. (Michael Carvelli)

1. Will Win: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
2. Could Win: Probably nothing else?
3. Should Win: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
• Elvis
• Empire of Light
• TÁR

This year’s favorite would seem to be All Quiet on the Western Front, and, since Top Gun: Maverick shockingly isn’t nominated, it would be a well-deserved win for DOP James Friend. The techniques used to film the movie, from how many cameras to use and where to place them to the use of light, colour and specific angles, are part of what make it so immersive and effective.

But the other nominees would also deserve to win, starting with Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths where director Alejandro González Iñárritu kept experimenting with filming techniques with cinematographer Darius Khondji. The stunning movie resulting from this collaboration might as well have been a virtual reality experience, due to the use of wide-angle lenses and 360° filming that enabled them to experiment with depth and movement: when watching Bardo, it often feels like the film itself surrounds us.

Roger Deakins’ and Florian Hoffmeister’s work on Empire of Light and TÁR also deserve recognition, as both films excel from a visual standpoint. But if All Quiet on the Western Front doesn’t score Best Cinematography, chances are the award will go to DOP Mandy Walker for her work on Elvis, which would also be a well-deserved win. Not only that, but Walker would also make history as the first woman cinematographer to win an Academy Award. (Serena Seghedoni)

1. Will Win: All Quiet on the Western Front
2. Could Win: Elvis
3. Should Win: Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: Top Gun: Maverick

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• Babylon
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Elvis
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

This is a really tough race to predict that I think should come down to two big options. On one hand, you have Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is a franchise where costume designer Ruth Carter has won an Oscar before. Wakanda Forever, once again had a ton of very Oscar-worthy costumes (especially during the scenes in the beginning during T’Challa’s funeral), but I do worry that not having a Best Picture nomination could hurt.

That’s where Elvis enters the mix— which also has a lot of flashy costumes and won a Costume Designers Guild Award. It has that Best Picture nom, Austin Butler’s performance, and generally seems like it is very well liked by voters. You could definitely see picking up that momentum and taking the win here. (Michael Carvelli)

1. Will Win: Elvis
2. Could Win: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
3. Should Win: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: The Woman King

BEST FILM EDITING

• The Banshees Of Inisherin
• Elvis
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• TÁR
• Top Gun: Maverick

Two maximalist movies are the frontrunners at this year’s Oscars, but one will ultimately come triumphant. While I personally found myself enraptured by Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond’s incredible transitions and emotional cuts in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, there’s no denying that Everything Everywhere All at Once wouldn’t  nearly be as impactful without such sharp editing. It’s especially challenging when you have to juggle through multiple universes and make sense of the madness in a smart way, which Paul Rogers does brilliantly. He won plenty of award throughout the season, and he’s likely going to win the Oscar (though don’t rule out the Elvis editors!) (Maxance Vincent)

1. Will Win: Everything Everywhere All At Once
2. Could Win: Elvis
3. Should Win: Elvis
4. Should’ve Been Nominated: RRR

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

• All Quiet On The Western Front
• The Batman
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
• Elvis
• The Whale