Critics Choice Awards 2026 winners: Sinners star Miles Caton takes residence Best Young Actor as huge night time in movie and TV kicks off
Miles Caton took home the first award of the night at the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards.
The 20-year-old actor earned Best Young Actor/Actress for their work in the blockbuster Sinners at the gala taking place in Santa Monica, California on Sunday.
Caton made his acting debut as musician and sone of a preacher, Sammie Moore, in the vampire thriller.
He beat out an impressive field including: Everett Blunck – The Plague, Cary Christopher – Weapons, Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family, Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet and, Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl.
The star thanked the producers and director/writer Ryan Coogler as he joked: ‘Thank you for seeing whatever it is you could see in that poorly lit audition video that I sent you guys.’
Chelsea Handler returned as host for the fourth consecutive year as the star-studded ceremony lit up the Barker Hangar – a glitzy night that regularly signals who’s about to dominate awards season.
Miles Caton took home the first award of the night at the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards
She started out the show with a hilarious monologue taking aim at filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kevin Costner, and Nicki Minaj.
Long considered one of the most accurate crystal balls in Hollywood, the Critics Choice Awards have a strong track record of forecasting Oscar glory.
That predictive power was on full display last season, when Anora used its Critics Choice Best Picture win to reassert itself after being shut out at the Golden Globe and SAG Awards, momentum it ultimately carried all the way to the Academy Awards.
Three acting winners, Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña, also repeated their Critics Choice victories at the Oscars.
With the Golden Globe Awards not airing until January 11 this year, the Critics Choice Awards step into the spotlight as the first major televised ceremony of 2026, giving studios and contenders a crucial early boost.
Critics Choice Association CEO Joey Berlin called the awards ‘a celebration of the very best in film and television,’ adding that the group’s voters help guide audiences toward standout storytelling each year.
Leading the pack this year is Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which scored a jaw-dropping 17 nominations across film and television categories – just one shy of Barbie’s record-breaking 18 nods in 2024.
The 20-year-old actor earned Best Young Actor/Actress for their work in the blockbuster Sinners at the gala taking place in Santa Monica, California on Sunday
Caton made his acting debut as musician and sone of a preacher, Sammie Moore, in the vampire thriller
The star thanked the producers and director/writer Ryan Coogler as he joked: ‘Thank you for seeing whatever it is you could see in that poorly lit audition video that I sent you guys’
Close behind are One Battle After Another with 14 nominations, and Hamnet and Frankenstein, which each earned 11.
Other major contenders include Marty Supreme, Wicked: For Good, Sentimental Value, Train Dreams, Jay Kelly and Bugonia.
The Best Actor race in film is stacked, with Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) battling it out.
Best Actress nominees include Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), Amanda Seyfried (The Testament of Ann Lee) and Emma Stone (Bugonia).
In the supporting categories, Best Supporting Actor contenders feature Benicio Del Toro (One Battle After Another), Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Paul Mescal (Hamnet), Sean Penn (One Battle After Another), Adam Sandler (Jay Kelly) and Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value).
Best Supporting Actress nominees include Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value), Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value), Amy Madigan (Weapons), Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another).
On the television side, the acting races are just as competitive.
Drama Series contenders include Sterling K. Brown (Paradise), Adam Scott (Severance), Diego Luna (Andor), Billy Bob Thornton (Landman) and Keri Russell (The Diplomat), alongside performances from Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) and Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age).
Comedy categories bring familiar favorites and breakout turns, with nominees such as Adam Brody and Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This), Ted Danson (A Man on the Inside), Jean Smart (Hacks), Danny McBride (The Righteous Gemstones) and Seth Rogen (The Studio).
Chelsea Handlerreturned as host for the fourth consecutive year as the star-studded ceremony lit up the Barker Hangar – a glitzy night that regularly signals who’s about to dominate awards season
She started out the show with a hilarious monologue taking aim at filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kevin Costner, and Nicki Minaj
Sinners leads the Critics Choice Awards film contenders with an impressive 17 nominations. Michael B Jordan and Omar Benson Miller in a scene from Sinners
Limited series and TV movie races are led by Stephen Graham (Adolescence), Brian Tyree Henry (Dope Thief), Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story), Sarah Snook (All Her Fault), Michelle Williams (Dying for Sex) and Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy).
Supporting categories feature standout work from Tramell Tillman (Severance), Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Allison Janney (The Diplomat), Hannah Einbinder (Hacks), Janelle James (Abbott Elementary), Julianne Moore (Sirens) and Nick Offerman (Death by Lightning).
Also on the TV side, Adolescence leads with six nominations, followed closely by Nobody Wants This with five.
Heavy hitters like The Diplomat, Hacks, The Pitt, All Her Fault and Ghosts also made strong showings.
Studio powerhouses are equally competitive, with Warner Bros. leading film nominations and Netflix dominating the television field.
This year’s ceremony also introduces four new categories – including best variety series, casting, stunt design and sound.
On the red carpet, expect a parade of A-listers.
One Battle After Another followed closely behind Sinners, earning 14 nominations; Leonardo DiCaprio is pictured
Timothee Chalamet was nominated for his role in Marty Supreme
Adolescence leads this year’s television nominees with six nominations including a nod for Best Limited Series; (Owen Cooper is pictured)
Cynthia Erivo was snubbed for her role as Elphaba, while Ariana Grande scored a Supporting Actress nod as Glinda
Nominees like Chalamet, Stone, Grande and more are expected to attend, alongside presenters including Colman Domingo, Regina Hall, Diego Luna, Allison Janney, Kaley Cuoco, Ava DuVernay, Bradley Whitford and Billy Bob Thornton.
The Critics Choice Awards were launched in 1995 by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, originally a small group of around 60 film journalists dedicated to honoring cinematic excellence.
Over time, the organization expanded to include television and streaming categories, with past winners like La La Land, Nomadland and Everything Everywhere All at Once frequently continuing on to Oscar glory.
What began as a modest industry gathering has since evolved into a major red-carpet event at the Barker Hangar, drawing hundreds of stars and live audiences eager for the season’s first big wins.
The 31st Critics Choice Awards also mark Handler’s return to E!, the network that was home to her talk show for eight years.
In recent years, the ceremony has seen a rotating roster of hosts, including Taye Diggs, who helmed the show from 2019 to 2021, and co-hosted the 2022 ceremony alongside Nicole Byer.
Past hosts have also included Olivia Munn, T.J. Miller, Michael Strahan, Aisha Tyler, Kristin Chenoweth and D.L. Hughley.
Actor Eric McCormack served as the ceremony’s first-ever host in 2005.
The 31st annual Critics Choice Awards will air live on USA Network and E! on Sunday, January 4, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
