2026 Best Screenplay Nominees
2026 Nominees vs. 25 Past Winners

The darkest, most unpredictable class in Oscar history

We scored all 9 nominees across 18 craft dimensions and compared them to 25 past Best Screenplay winners. Here's what stands out.

Joy is at an all-time low. The only emotion that dropped versus past winners — every dark emotion is up.
Horror DNA is 5.8× higher than any previous class. Every nominee is labeled Drama, but underneath they're blending more genres than ever.
Scene-by-scene, these are the best scripts we've measured. Pacing, emotion, and unpredictability all hit record highs — but big-picture craft is the weakest.
Premises are weaker than any class we've scored. The concepts don't pop on paper. The execution carries them.
This is the most character-driven lineup in Oscar history. Plot-to-character ratio is 1.84 — past winners average 2.55.
9 nominees scored 25 past winners compared 18 craft dimensions Scene-by-scene granularity
Where 2026 Leads — and Lags

2026 nominees dominate at the scene level — pacing, emotion, unpredictability, and character changes are all significantly above past winners. But script-level metrics like premise, emotional impact, and structure lag behind.

gap
Δ
'26 vs win
▲ 2026 Strengths
Scene Emotion
+24 91 vs 67
Unpredictability
+28 63 vs 35
Scene Pacing
+27 59 vs 32
Scene Plot
+23 79 vs 56
Char. Changes
+22 89 vs 67
Scene Concept
+19 80 vs 61
▼ 2026 Gaps
Premise
-28 31 vs 59
Emotional Impact
-25 51 vs 76
Structure
-24 34 vs 58
Characters
-21 23 vs 44
Originality
-19 54 vs 73
Emotional Fingerprint

The 2026 class runs hotter on every dark emotion — suspense, fear, sadness, and surprise are all 1.5–3.6× higher than past winners. The one emotion that's down? Joy.

Surprise
+61 pts
84 2026 vs 23 winners
Suspense
+45 pts
78 2026 vs 33 winners
Sadness
+28 pts
85 2026 vs 57 winners
Fear
+23 pts
64 2026 vs 41 winners
Empathy
+26 pts
72 2026 vs 46 winners
Joy
-16 pts
39 2026 vs 55 winners
Genre DNA Shift

Every 2026 nominee is labeled Drama — but under the surface, the genre DNA tells a different story. Horror weight is 5.8× higher than past winners, Action is 3.5×, and Sci-Fi is 2.6×. Meanwhile Comedy is at its lowest ever. The entropy score (genre diversity) of 1.76 is the highest of any class — these scripts blend more genres than any previous nominees.

Horror 5.8×
Action 3.5×
Sci-Fi 2.6×
Fantasy 1.4×
Comedy 0.3×
Thriller 0.7×
Genre Entropy
Most diverse ever
1.76 vs 1.60 winners
Top Genre Share
Less dominant
52% vs 54% winners
PCR Average
Most character-driven
1.84 vs 2.55 winners
2026 Standouts
Sinners 84%
Highest Originality

Top marks in unpredictability (93%) and conflict (77%). The most genre-diverse script at entropy 2.08.

Hamnet 94%
Highest Emotional Impact

Near-perfect scene emotion (99%) and empathy (99%). The class's strongest script-level performer.

Frankenstein 99%
Scene-Level Powerhouse

Concept (99%), plot (97%), character changes (99%), engagement (95%). Dominates every scene metric.

Marty Supreme 96%
Most Suspenseful

Suspense and surprise both at 96%. Highest pacing (75%) in the class. Low emotional impact (8%).

The bottom line: The 2026 nominees execute at a scene level that past winners can't touch — but they're weaker at the macro craft that historically wins Oscars. They're darker, more genre-blended, and more character-driven than any class we've measured. The question is whether the Academy rewards the new blueprint or punishes the departure from tradition.



Show Descriptions
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Overall (Scene)
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Structure/ Plot (Script)
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Plot (Scene)
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Move Story Forward (Scene)
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Characters (Script)
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Characters (Scene)
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Characters Changes (Scene)
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Conflict (Script)
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Conflict (Scene)
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High Stakes (Scene)
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Emotional Impact (Script)
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Emotional Impact (Scene)
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Theme (Script)
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Dialogue (Scene)
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Visual Imagery (Script)
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Originality (Script)
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Concept (Scene)
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Premise (Script)
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Screen Play
Blue Moon
Drama
Drama 55% Comedy 30% Romance 25%
R/R/C/R/R83% (8.6)41% (7.8)56% (8.1)16% (7.5)10% (7.4)100% (9.0)78% (7.6)58% (7.6)6% (6.2)12% (6.0)67% (8.0)94% (8.8)37% (8.0)99% (8.7)55% (7.8)35% (8.6)73% (8.3)46% (8.0)
Screen Play
Marty Supreme
Drama
Drama 50% Crime 25% Comedy 20% Romance 15% Action 25% Thriller 20%
R/R/R/R/C83% (8.6)22% (7.6)92% (8.5)92% (8.7)6% (7.3)74% (8.6)95% (8.1)40% (7.2)92% (8.6)83% (8.5)9% (7.1)80% (8.5)37% (8.0)90% (8.4)50% (7.7)18% (8.4)73% (8.3)10% (7.3)
Screen Play
Sentimental Value
Drama
Drama 70% War 15% Thriller 10% Comedy 5% Romance 5%
R/R/R/C/R83% (8.6)41% (7.8)56% (8.1)16% (7.5)28% (7.7)95% (8.8)85% (7.7)40% (7.2)5% (6.1)12% (5.9)92% (8.5)97% (8.9)77% (8.4)68% (8.1)87% (8.3)22% (8.4)73% (8.3)35% (7.9)
Screen Play
Sinners
Drama
Horror 40% Fantasy 25% Drama 50% Action 20% Romance 15%
R/R/C/R/R90% (8.7)29% (7.7)92% (8.5)69% (8.4)73% (8.1)74% (8.6)91% (7.9)82% (8.0)68% (8.0)64% (7.9)53% (7.9)80% (8.5)37% (8.0)95% (8.5)84% (8.2)30% (8.5)87% (8.4)23% (7.7)
Screen Play
Bugonia
Drama
Science Fiction 45% Thriller 35% Drama 35% Action 25% Horror 15%
R/C/R/R/R90% (8.7)41% (7.8)92% (8.5)84% (8.6)22% (7.6)87% (8.7)95% (8.1)58% (7.6)81% (8.3)83% (8.5)32% (7.6)87% (8.6)57% (8.2)85% (8.3)50% (7.7)19% (8.4)91% (8.5)10% (7.3)
Screen Play
Hamnet
Drama
Drama 60% Romance 25% Fantasy 15% Horror 10%
R/R/R/C/R95% (8.8)62% (8.0)92% (8.5)69% (8.4)49% (7.9)99% (8.9)97% (8.3)58% (7.6)46% (7.5)61% (7.8)95% (8.6)99% (9.1)37% (8.0)85% (8.3)89% (8.4)22% (8.4)94% (8.6)63% (8.3)
Screen Play
Train Dreams
Drama
Drama 60% Romance 15% Fantasy 15% Western 30% Action 10%
R/R/R/R/R90% (8.7)41% (7.8)56% (8.1)16% (7.5)3% (7.1)74% (8.6)72% (7.5)58% (7.6)2% (5.4)10% (5.7)53% (7.9)97% (8.9)37% (8.0)46% (7.9)84% (8.2)29% (8.5)87% (8.4)46% (8.0)
Screen Play
Frankenstein
Drama
Drama 40% Horror 30% Science Fiction 25% Thriller 20% Action 15% Romance 10%
R/HR/R/R/R95% (8.8)41% (7.8)97% (8.7)96% (8.8)22% (7.6)95% (8.8)99% (8.5)58% (7.6)76% (8.2)77% (8.3)43% (7.8)97% (8.9)57% (8.2)95% (8.5)70% (8.0)34% (8.6)99% (8.8)57% (8.1)
Screen Play
It was just an accident
Drama
Drama 60% Thriller 40% Crime 25% Action 15%
R/C/C/R/R90% (8.7)29% (7.7)95% (8.6)96% (8.8)28% (7.7)87% (8.7)99% (8.5)82% (8.0)95% (8.7)90% (8.7)43% (7.8)98% (9.0)26% (7.8)90% (8.4)42% (7.6)31% (8.6)87% (8.4)10% (7.3)