1. Timothée and Jessie Slightly Upstaged
Timothée Chalamet, a frontrunner for Best Actor for his role in Marty Supreme, stands prominently at the front of the 2026 Oscars nominees class photo, dressed in a sharp blue tuxedo. This marks his second consecutive year in the photo, following last year's nomination for portraying Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Nearby are other notable figures such as Hamnet star and Best Actress frontrunner Jessie Buckley, director Ryan Coogler and producer Zinzi Coogler of Sinners, and director Paul Thomas Anderson of One Battle After Another. However, the spotlight is somewhat stolen by Guillermo del Toro, director of Frankenstein, who is one of the few to adopt a playful pose with outstretched arms, making him the highlight of the front row.
2. Tallest at the Back, Please
Jacob Elordi, nominated for his role as Frankenstein's monster in Netflix's adaptation, stands tall at 6ft 5in (1.97m), often towering over co-stars on red carpets. The photo organizers placed him in the back row alongside the similarly tall Stellan Skarsgård (6ft 2in/1.91m), nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Sentimental Value, ensuring the arrangement accommodated their height.
3. Teyana Taylor Wins Best Jacket
Teyana Taylor, nominated for Best Supporting Actress for One Battle After Another, stands out in the photo wearing a shimmering black overcoat. At 35, she is a strong contender and the only actress in her category to have nominations across the Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and Actor Awards, reflecting broad recognition.
4. Presence of Pop Royalty
Diane Warren, nominated for Best Original Song for "Dear Me" from the documentary Relentless—which chronicles her own songwriting career—has been nominated 17 times without a win. Despite this year's nomination, she is expected to lose to the KPop group Demon Hunters' song "Golden." Warren's extensive songwriting catalog includes hits like "Unbreak My Heart" (Toni Braxton), "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" (Aerosmith), "How Do I Live" (LeAnn Rimes), "If I Could Turn Back Time" (Cher), and "Because You Loved Me" (Celine Dion).
5. Michael B Smilin'
Michael B. Jordan, nominated for Best Actor for Sinners, brightens the class photo with his signature smile. Rising to fame as a child actor on The Wire, Jordan's film Sinners holds a record 16 Oscar nominations, the highest ever for a single film. Standing to his left is Ejae, singer and songwriter from KPop Demon Hunters.
6. Wunmi and Delroy Represent the UK
Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku, nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress respectively for Sinners, are the only British nominees in the acting categories this year. Wunmi, born in Nigeria and raised in Manchester, now resides in Los Angeles but retains her distinctive northern English accent. Lindo, originally from Lewisham, south London, has lived in the US for many years and does not strongly identify as British, though his nomination is considered a partial win for the UK.
7. Oscar Regulars and First-Time Nominees
Emma Stone returns to the class photo, nominated for Best Actress for her role in Bugonia. Though not the frontrunner this year, Stone has previously won twice for La La Land and Poor Things. At 37, she is the youngest woman to receive seven Oscar nominations, surpassing Meryl Streep. Other actresses include first-time nominee Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, and Amy Madigan, nominated for Weapons, marking her first nomination in 40 years.
8. H is for Hawke
Best Actor nominee Ethan Hawke appears somewhat isolated at the end of a row. He is nominated for his role in Blue Moon, a character study of songwriter Lorenz Hart, who struggles with the success of former partner Richard Rogers' musical Oklahoma! The film received two nominations: Best Actor for Hawke and Best Original Screenplay for Robert Kaplow.
9. Kate Hudson Adds a Splash of Colour
Among the predominantly black, blue, grey, and burgundy suits, Kate Hudson stands out in a vibrant red dress. Despite appearing in Song Sung Blue, a film about a Neil Diamond tribute act, Hudson chose a bold look for the photo. Originally placed in the back row, she swapped positions with Sirât director Oliver Laxe to avoid being overshadowed by his height.
10. Leo and Benicio Go into Battle
The class photo was well attended, with only two of the 20 nominated actors absent: Renate Reinsve and Sean Penn. Penn's co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro represented One Battle After Another alongside Teyana Taylor. Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor offered advice to actors on winning at the ceremony, emphasizing quick stage arrival, limiting speeches to 45 seconds, and preparing remarks in advance. She advised against reading speeches from phones, noting that "paper looks better on TV."
11. Hamnet's Team Stuck Together
Following Hamnet's Best Drama Film win at the Golden Globes, Steven Spielberg accepted the award as a producer, positioning him as a potential Oscar winner if the film takes Best Picture. In the class photo, Spielberg stands near director Chloé Zhao, a previous Oscar winner for 2020's Nomadland. Producer Yvette Marino of Zootopia 2 is positioned between them.
12. Mind Your Head, Wagner
Brazil is represented this year by political thriller The Secret Agent, which has four nominations including Best Picture. Star Wagner Moura, known for Netflix's Narcos, is nominated for Best Actor. Moura stands in the photo in a way that partially obscures Ashley Schlaifer, producer of Best Picture nominee Train Dreams. Observers have noted this year's nominees form one of the tallest groups in recent memory, with several tall actors placed strategically in the back row.
Previous class photos provide a look back at past nominees and moments, including Ariana DeBose and Cynthia Erivo in 2025, Margot Robbie and Billie Eilish in 2024, Brendan Fraser in 2023, Quentin Tarantino and a Frozen couple in 2020, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in 2019, cardboard cutouts and color splashes in 2018, and Pharrell Williams dressing down in 2017. Notably, no class photos were taken during the Covid years.
