The 98th Academy Awards ceremony scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday, March 15 on ABC has a dizzying low number of LGBTQ+ nominations.
Notably, Paul Tazewell — costume designer in Wicked: For Good who Oscars history in 2025 for his work in the first Wicked film — and Cynthia Erivo (lead actress who played Elphaba Thropp in Wicked: For Good) were both shockingly snubbed.
As was Ariana Grande (supporting actress who played Glinda in Wicked: For Good and was considered a shoo-in for this year's Oscars). Neither of the original songs in Wicked: For Good — "The Girl in the Bubble" and "No Place Like Home" — were nominated, either.
Zero nominations for LGBTQ+ projects like Twinless, The Wedding Banquet (2025), Kiss of the Spider Woman, Peter Hujar's Day, Plainclothes, Hedda, The History of Sound, Ponyboi, and Enigma… to name a few.
So, without further ado — or much to include — see below the list of LGBTQ+ nominees at the 2026 Oscars.
KPop Demon Hunters (2 nominations)
KPop Demon Hunters; Mark Sonnenblick at the 2026 Golden Globes.
Netflix; Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The girls, gays, and theys love KPop Demon Hunters, which has been one of the most exciting contenders during this 2026 awards season. The animated film's song, "Golden," also gained a life of its own that went beyond the Netflix animated feature itself.
"Golden" was cowritten by Mark Sonnenblick, an Out100 honoree who is now also an Academy Award-nominated songwriter.
See below a list of nominations for KPop Demon Hunters at the 98th Academy Awards.
- Best Animated Feature Film
- Best Original Song - "Golden"
Come See Me in the Good Light (1 nomination)
Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley in Come See Me in the Good Light.
Apple TV+
Come See Me in the Good Light was nominated for one Oscar. The documentary centers late Colorado poet laureate Andrea Gibson alongside their wife, Megan Falley, as they navigate Gibson's medical issues with incurable ovarian cancer.
- Documentary Feature Film
Mr. Nobody Against Putin (1 nomination)
The official poster for Mr. Nobody Against Putin; Pasha Talankin in Mr. Nobody Against Putin.
PINK Productions
Mr. Nobody Against Putin follows a videographer and events coordinator at Karabash Primary School #1 named Pavel "Pasha" Talankin for over two years. Ultimately, the feature ends up documenting real-time reactions of Russian residents — and young kids — to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Talankin discussed growing up as gay in Russia in an interview with The Sunday Times, adding that his default mode of "living a little bit of secrecy" ended up helping the doc. Directed by David Borenstein — and with Talankin as its main subject — Mr. Nobody Against Putin was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.
Elio (1 nomination)
The character of Elio Solís, voiced by actor Yonas Kibreab, in Elio.
Pixar Animation Studios/Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesDisney/Pixar's Elio, co-directed by out filmmaker Adrian Molina, only received one nomination at the 2026 Oscars.
- Best Animated Feature Film of the Year"Two People Exchanging Saliva" (Canal+/The New Yorker)
A Friend of Dorothy (1 nomination)
Miriam Margolyes and Alistair Nwachukwu in A Friend of Dorothy.
Filthy Gorgeous Productions
A British short film starring Miriam Margolyes and Alistair Nwachukwu — among others — A Friend of Dorothy was also nominated for one Oscar.
- Best Live Action Short Film
Two People Exchanging Saliva (1 nomination)
Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Luàna Bajrami in Two People Exchanging Saliva.
Canal+/The New Yorker
Some viewers argue that Two People Exchanging Saliva isn't a directly, explicitly queer project. Other queer audiences saw the French short navigating themes and dynamics that usually resonate with the LGBTQ+ community, from its subversive plot to the idea of forbidden love/intimacy. The short film was nominated for one Oscar.
- Best Live Action Short Film
Honorable Mention: Sinners (16 nominations)
Michael B. Jordan in Sinners.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Mey Rude in her Sinners review for Out, "There's always been something inherently queer about vampires. That doesn't go away in Sinners, as Remmick tries to seduce Sammie into his coven — offering him power, immortality, and freedom from racism."
With a mind-blowing 16 nominations, Sinners has broken the all-time record for most-nominated film of all time at an Oscars ceremony. (For context: The previous record was 14 nominations — shared by 1950's All About Eve, 1997's Titanic, and 2016's La La Land.)
See below a list of nominations for Sinners at the 98th Academy Awards.
- Best Picture
- Original Screenplay
- Best Actor in a Leading Role — Michael B. Jordan
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role — Delroy Lindo
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role — Wunmi Mosaku
- Casting
- Cinematography
- Costume Design
- Directing
- Film Editing
- Makeup and Hairstyling
- Original Score
- Original Song — "I Lied To You"
- Production Design
- Sound
- Visual Effects
