Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. The eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and is subject to change.
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DRAFT>>>PRE-SEASON>>>REGULAR SEASON>>>POST SEASON
2022 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST ACTOR
UPDATED: Aug 19, 2021
AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY: Twenty years after Will Smith lost his first Oscar nomination for “Ali” to Denzel Washington for “Training Day,” the two biggest celebrities could battle it out once again, at least based on the early word for “King Richard” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”
It won’t be that easy because the word on the street is Andrew Garfield is something to behold in “tick, tick…Boom” and Benedict Cumberbatch could be in the conversation again for either “The Power of the Dog” or “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain.”
Oscar nominations voting begins on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, and will end on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022. The official Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, with the ceremony taking place on Sunday, March 27, 2022.
ALL AWARDS CONTENDERS AND RANKINGS:

AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY (Best Actor)
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood's most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. The most awarded films in Oscar history are "Ben-Hur," "Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" at 11 statuettes. The most nominated films in Academy history are "All About Eve," "Titanic" and "La La Land" at 14. "La La Land" is the only film of the three to have lost best picture. The biggest Oscar "losers," meaning most nominated and walk away with zero awards, are 1977's "The Turning Point" and 1985's "The Color Purple" at 11 each. Daniel Day-Lewis has the most wins in this category with three, while Marlon Brando, Gary Cooper, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Fredric March, Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn and Spencer Tracy all have two. Tracy and Sir Laurence Olivier have the most nominations in this category, with nine. Anthony Hopkins is currently the oldest winner and nominee ever at 82 for "The Father," recently surpassing Henry Fonda for "On Golden Pond" and Richard Farnsworth for "The Straight Story." Adrien Brody is the youngest winner ever for "The Pianist" at 29, while Jackie Cooper is the youngest nominee ever for "Skippy" at 9.
2022 Academy Awards Predictions
- Best Picture
- Best Director
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Adapted Screenplay
- Best Animated Feature
- Best Production Design
- Best Cinematography
- Best Costume Design
- Best Film Editing
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Best Sound
- Best Visual Effects
- Best Original Score
- Best Original Song
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best International Feature
- Best Animated Short
- Best Documentary Short
- Best Live-Action Short
2021 Oscars predictions are here.
About the Academy Awards (Oscars)
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners are selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 17 branches are represented within the near 10,000 person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.
- The date for the 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27, 2022