On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the 95th Oscar nominations for the 24 various categories. Honoring films from 2022, the nominees range from thrillers such as “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” to biopics such as “Elvis” and “Blonde.” 

For the first time in Oscar history, each category will be streamed live. Increasing the traditional Oscar buzz, predictions have been in the making for months. Though each category should be respected in its own right, Best Picture, Best Lead/Supporting Actor and Best Lead/Supporting Actress remain the most frenzied.

Best Picture

Containing primarily blockbusters, “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Women Talking,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “The Fabelmans,” “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Elvis” and “Tár” were all nominated. A clear top runner was the sequel following Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Ney’tiri (Zoe Saldana) in their hopes to save Pandora, “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

“The fact that it took so long to make and further revolutionizes CGI technology may give it the points it needs to win,” said Finn Caliento, sophomore.

With action being a common selling point, “Top Gun: Maverick,” following naval fighter Maverick (Tom Cruise) in his quest for redemption, stands ahead of the rest.

“It truly did have the best scenery and pictures,” said Haashem Malik, senior.

Best Lead/Supporting Actor

Though separate categories in the show, both Best Lead Actor and Best Supporting Actor are tough races without clear frontrunners. In Best Lead Actor, the nominees were Brendan Fraser for “The Whale,” Austin Butler for “Elvis,” Colin Farrell for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Bill Nighy for “Living” and Paul Mescal for “Aftersun.”

In Best Supporting Actor, the nominees were Brendan Gleeson for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Brian Tyree Henry for “Causeway,” Judd Hirsch for “The Fabelmans,” Barry Keoghan for “The Banshees of Inisherin” and Ke Huy Quan for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Nominated for 11 Oscars, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” leads the pack with Quan being instrumental to the film’s success.

“His role was so smartly played that he just deserves this,” said Daniel Altamirano, sophomore. “The emotion is there and it hurts.”

Best Lead/Supporting Actress

With women dominating the screen in the 2022 film season, these categories are highly competitive with both newcomers and previous Oscar winners. In Best Lead Actress, the nominees were Cate Blanchett for “Tár,” Ana de Armas for “Blonde,” Andrea Riseborough for “To Leslie,” Michelle Williams for “The Fabelmans” and Michelle Yeoh for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

In Best Supporting Actress, the nominees were Angela Bassett for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Hong Chau for “The Whale,” Kerry Condon for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Jamie Lee Curtis for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and Stephanie Hsu for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Bassett, the first actress to be nominated for a Marvel film, stays at the top with her performance as T’Challa’s mom and Queen of Ramonda.

“She gave an electrifying performance,” Altamirano said. “[It] brought me to tears at several different points.”

The Oscars awards will be held on Sunday, March 12 at 7 p.m. and can be streamed on Hulu.