If you, like us, were glued to your TV (and Instagram) for minute-by-minute action from the Oscars, we hope you’ve left the couch and are blinking into the daylight now. The evening swung between One Battle After Another and Sinners with a sprinkle of Hamnet and F1 (not on our 2026 Oscar Bingo, but we’ll take it).
Host Conan O’Brien’s opening monologue made it all too real too quick: “Last year, when I hosted, Los Angeles was on fire... But this year, everything’s going great.”
Thereon, the ceremony delivered (as always): some memorable looks (there was a lot of Chanel), teary speeches (KPop Demon Hunters’ Ejae), and a steady stream of jokes that (mostly) landed. O’Brien had to take a predictable swipe at Timothée Chalamet. “Security is extremely tight. I’m told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities,” before leaning down to the actor and adding, “They’re just mad you left out jazz.”
Presenting the Live Action Short Film category, Kumail Nanjiani joked that One Battle After Another could be “One Battle” and Schindler’s List could have been “Schindler’s Post-It”. Bridesmaids stars Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Ellie Kemper had a reunion on stage, reading faux notes from Elle Fanning, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Benicio del Toro.
But beyond the jokes and reunions, this year’s Academy Awards also came with a few surprises—a brand-new category, recognition of a new genre, a big win for women everywhere , and a whole many first-time wins for veterans (Ryan Coogler, Paul Thomas Anderson, Amy Madigan, Michael B Jordan). In fact, seven out of the eight major categories this year had first-time winners.
Here’s a roundup of all the firsts that the 2026 Oscars gifted us.
Casting gets a statue
Did you ever think you would see Pico Iyer snubbing Timothée Chalamet on the big screen? Or hear Miles Caton belting out the blues in Sinners as the ‘Preacher Boy’? Casting directors have arguably the most crucial job in filmmaking: to find the right person for the role. So, it was about time that the Academy recognised the relentless scouting behind the scenes.
For the first time in over two decades, the Oscars introduced an all-new competitive category: the Academy Award for Achievement in Casting. (The last addition was in 2001, for Animated Feature.) Making history, American casting director Cassandra Kulukundis took home the very first award for bringing together Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, and Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another.
Yes, it took this long for a woman to win Best Cinematographer
Sinners’ Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman—and the first woman of colour— to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography! In her gracious speech she said: “I want all the women here to stand up because I don’t get here without you guys.” As the room rose to its feet, we realised there’s something powerful about being the first to open a door.
It’s a tie, not a Moonlight-La La Land moment
This one’s not technically a first, but a decade and a half is a long time in Oscar history. The award for Best Live Action Short Film ended in a rare tie, the first in 14 years (the last was Best Sound Editing in 2012). Presented by Kumal Nanjiani, the honour was jointly awarded to Sam A Davis and Jack Piatt for The Singers and Alexandre Singh (the Franco-Indian director was the only India-adjacent win this year) and Natalie Musteata for Two People Exchanging Saliva.
KPop’s goin’ up, up, up
A K-pop anthem just pulled off the ultimate feat by winning Best Original Song at the Oscars. The win for ‘Golden’ marks the first time a K-pop track has taken home the Academy Award, proving that the genre is not just sweeping charts but Hollywood, too.
A Nordic win for best international feature
If there’s one country basking in golden glory this year, it’s Norway. Sentimental Value took home the Best International Feature Film award, becoming the first Norwegian film to win the award. Directed by Joachim Trier and co-written with Eskil Vogt, the film explores the fragile dynamics of a father-daughter relationship. Starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Elle Fanning, and Anders Danielsen Lie, it’s a quiet emotional drama that’s now made very loud Oscar history.
Finally, PTA
“You make a guy work hard for one of these. I really appreciate it,” said Paul Thomas Anderson in his acceptance speech, hinting at the 14 nominations he has racked up over the years, including Best Director for There Will Be Blood, Phantom Thread and Licorice Pizza. Call it resilience, persistence, or just the Academy finally catching up. Anderson also paid tribute to the best picture Oscar nominees from the 1975 ceremony, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon, Jaws and Nashville. “There is no best among them,” he said. “There is just what the mood might be that day. But we’re happy to be part of this, a wonderful, wonderful journey.”
...And Amy Madigan
Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for playing the terrifying Aunt Gladys in horror film Weapons, 40 years after her first nomination for Twice in a Lifetime. And even before Weapons hit the screens, director Zach Cregger has been talking about a prequel movie for the character.
