Oscar Predictions 2022: A Breakdown Of All 23 Academy Awards

The 94th Academy Awards will take place Sunday to honor the best movies of 2021, capping off an extremely feverish awards season. Could Will Smith, Jessica Chastain, Troy Kotsur and Ariana DeBose take home the night’s top acting prizes? Will the Western psychological drama “The Power of the Dog” prevail with its 12 nominations? Or will the coming-of-age dramedy “CODA” steal the show to win Best Picture? We can hardly wait to find out.

In the meantime, we’ve compiled a breakdown of our own predictions. Take a look at Patch's Oscar winner predictions in all 23 categories:

Related: Oscars 2022: Time, Date, Nominations And More

2022 Oscar Winner Predictions

Best Picture

Predicted Winner: "CODA"

The Best Picture race has become quite a showdown between "The Power of the Dog" and the family dramedy "CODA." Netflix's Western psychological drama won Best Film at the British Film Academy Awards (BAFTA) and the Theatrical Feature Film at the Directors Guild Of America (DGA) Awards, while AppleTV+'s family dramedy won Best Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards and Best Picture at the Producers Guild Awards (PGA). Considering the PGA's Best Picture award has predicted this Oscars category in all but three of the past 12 years, “CODA” has an edge over “The Power of the Dog.”

Best Director

Predicted Winner: Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”

Nearly 29 years since Jane Campion received an Oscars nomination for directing the "Piano," she is once again nominated in recognition of her outstanding direction for "The Power of the Dog." The trailblazing filmmaker auteur now holds the distinction as the first female director ever nominated for this award a second time. This award is Jane Campion's to lose, having won Best Director at the Directors Guild Awards (DGA). For the past 73 years, except in seven occasions, the DGA’s top prize winner has gone on to win the Oscars’ Best Director award.

Best Actor

Predicted Winner: Will Smith, “King Richard”

It’s been a long time coming for the two-time Oscar-nominated Will Smith to win an Academy Award. Having swept the best acting prize for an actor in a leading role across the awards season — from the Golden Globes to the British Film Academy Awards (BAFTA) — Smith is heavily favored to win for his blistering performance as the titular hard-driving monarchical figure in the crowd-pleaser "King Richard."

Best Actress

Predicted Winner: Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”

Having won best acting prize for an actress in a leading role at both SAG and Critics' Choice awards, the two-time Oscar-nominated Jessica Chastain is expected to score her first Oscar win for her compelling portrait of a fragile-yet-indefatigable star of Christian broadcasting. However, we wouldn't be surprised if Penélope Cruz or Olivia Colman, Chastain's primary challengers, pulled off an upset victory.

Best Supporting Actor

Predicted Winner: Troy Kotsur, “CODA”

This year, Troy Kotsur has made Oscars history as the first deaf man nominated for an acting Academy Award. Having swept most of the precursor awards, the timing is ripe for a historic win. His "CODA" co-star, Marlee Matlin, is the only other deaf person who has won an an acting Oscar to date, and it was for her role in "Children of a Lesser God" 35 years ago.

Best Supporting Actress

Predicted Winner: Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”

For her magnificent portrayal of Anita in Steven Spielberg's reimagining of “West Side Story,” Ariana DeBose is heavily favored to take home the Oscar after winning all precursor best supporting female lead prizes, including Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, SAGs and BAFTAs. However, first-time Oscar contender Aunjanue Ellis can still be a threat to win this category for her role as a caring mother in “King Richard.”

Best Adapted Screenplay

Predicted Winner: Siân Heder, “CODA”

This category is a showdown between Siân Heder's English-language remake of the 2014 French film "La Famille Bélier," and Jane Campion's film adaptation of Thomas Savage's 1967 novel "The Power of the Dog." However, Heder's WGA (Writers Guild Of America) win should seal her Oscar victory.

Best Original Screenplay

Predicted Winner: Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”

Three-time Oscar Best Picture nominee Kenneth Branagh's love letter to his childhood hometown, "Belfast," is the absolute epitome of an amazingly lyrical "Original." However, Adam McKay's "Don’t Look Up" and Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" are not far behind.

Best Animated Feature

Predicted Winner: “Encanto”

Since “Encanto” is also nominated for Best Song and Best Score, Disney's juggernaut is heavily favored to take home the Oscar for this category.

Best Documentary Feature

Predicted Winner: “Summer of Soul”

Having won top accolades at the BAFTA, Critics Choice, Spirit and PGA awards, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's musical documentary is heavily favored to win in this category.

Best International Feature

Predicted Winner: “Drive My Car”

Should we dare say more? After receiving Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, "Drive My Car" has the edge over other nominees in this category.

Best Cinematography

Predicted Winner: “The Power of the Dog”

While "Dune" cinematographer Greig Fraser has won precursor accolades, we will go out on a limb for Australian cinematographer Ari Wegner's spellbinding vision of the West in "The Power of the Dog."

Best Costume Design

Predicted Winner: “Dune”

Like the Oscars’ previous winners in this category, the style of the costumes in “Dune” simply radiates an aura of distinctiveness that resonates emphatically with movie fans.

Best Film Editing

Predicted Winner: “Dune”

The action film has a resilient heart with an unshakable soul that delivers pure entertainment delight — coupled with a resounding musical score.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Predicted Winner: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”

“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” has an ace in this category. Check out the masterful makeup transformation of Jessica Chastain into Tammy Faye by Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh. It’s absolutely stunning beyond belief.

Best Original Score

Predicted Winner: “Dune”

Twenty-seven years after his first Oscar win for the 1995 "Lion King," Hans Zimmer — who is one of the most prolific film composers of our time — is heavily favored to win his second Oscar for this category.

Best Original Song

Predicted Winner: “No Time To Die” from “No Time To Die”

Simply put: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, the songwriters of the titular song from “No Time To Die,” are awards magnets in the music world.

Best Production Design

Predicted Winner: “Dune”

This is a tough one to call, but the futuristic world of "Dune" is amazingly mesmerizing and evocative.

Best Sound

Predicted Winner: “Dune”

Of all the nominated films in this category, "Dune" upped the ante the most for this coveted prize, with resounding bold new instrumentation augmented by a choir of ferocious voices.

Best Visual Effects

Predicted Winner: “Dune”

Having won the top prize at the 2022 Visual Effects Society (VES) awards, "Dune" is heavily favored to win for this Oscar category.

Best Animated Short

Predicted Winner: "Robin Robin"

Aardman Studios has become a darling favorite within the Academy over the years since winning Best Animated Feature in 2006 for “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” So, its animated feature "Robin Robin" is heavily favored to nab the Oscar in this category.

Best Short Documentary

Predicted Winner: “The Queen of Basketball”

This is a two-pronged race between "Lead Me Home" and "The Queen of Basketball." Both capture the essence of resiliency in humanity, but Lusia "Lucy" Harris-Stewart's rise to the top to become the first and only woman to be drafted into the NBA will leave you in awe.

Best Live-Action Short

Predicted Winner: “The Long Goodbye”

"The Long Goodbye" star Riz Ahmed, who was nominated for Best Actor in 2021, is a favorite within the Academy, so his film is heavily favored to win an Oscar for this category.