The race for Best Visual Effects at the 98th Academy Awards is officially underway.
Variety has released this year’s list of 20 contenders, highlighting some of the biggest blockbusters, long-awaited sequels, and a few surprising dark horses that impressed voters with their technical craft.
This year’s finalists span sci-fi epics, animation hybrids, franchise revivals, and genre experiments. Here’s the full list:
Top 20 VFX Finalists for the 98th Academy Awards
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Captain America: Brave New World
The Electric State
F1
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Frankenstein
How to Train Your Dragon
Jurassic World: Rebirth
Lilo and Stitch
The Lost Bus
Mickey 17
A Minecraft Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Predator: Badlands
The Running Man
Sinners
Superman
Thunderbolts*
Tron: Ares
Wicked: For Good
Here’s how the awards timeline plays out:
• Preliminary voting for the shortlist runs December 8 to 12
• Shortlists in 12 categories, including VFX, drop December 16
• The VFX branch holds its annual bake-offs January 10–11, narrowing the field to 10 films
• Voting across all branches runs January 12–16
• Nominations go live January 22
The 98th Academy Awards air March 15, 2026
