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Awards season 2023: our predictions for who is set to win big this year

Find out who we think will win big at the Emmys, Academy Awards and more...

award season predictions
Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
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Awards Season is our favorite time of year and thanks to last week's Golden Globes and this week's Critics Choice Awards, the glittering season is well underway already.

But there's plenty more on the horizon. Fans of movies and television can look forward to the Academy Awards, the BAFTAs, the Primetime Emmys and the Screen Actors Guild Awards still to come. So who are the famous names and big titles expected to pick up the coveted gongs? Here are our predictions…

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Oscars 2023: our predictions

The nominees for the 2023 Academy Awards haven't been announced yet but predictions can be made based on how the guilds have voted and past favorites. 2023 is also shaping up to be a year in which the winners all come from different films, with no one movie sweeping all the awards so far.

Best Film:

There are 10 spots open in this category although the Academy doesn't always fill it entirely.

Gonzo thriller Everything Everywhere All At Once (EEAAO), Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans and The Banshees Of Inisherin with Colin Farrell are all shoo-ins at the moment with the latter two the frontrunners for a win.

Elvis Presley biopic Elvis, TAR, Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick all have a good shot at nominations although wins are looking less likely. The rest of the spots are a free-for-all but we wouldn't rule out black comedy Triangle of Sadness, German-language war film All Quiet on the Western Front and Sarah Polley's incredible Women Talking.

Our pick for a win though is The Fabelmans, the trailer for which you can watch below. A semi-autobiographical love letter to Steven Spielberg's own career that doesn't shy away from the interpersonal drama he and his parents faced as Jews in America, the film hits all the talking points the Academy loves.

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MORE: The best of cinema in 2023: 11 top movies to look out for this year

Best Actress:

Michelle Yeoh looks set to be a first-time Oscar winner for her performance in EEAAO. The actress has been leading the conversation since the film premiered in 2022 and a recent win at the Golden Globes along with making the BAFTA longlist and a SAG nomination show her support is growing.

The rest of the category remains up in the air although we expect to see Cate Blanchett's name on nomination day for TAR. Viola Davis (The Woman King), Ana de Armas (Blonde) and Danielle Deadwyler (Till) made up the rest of the SAG nominations with the surprising omission of Michelle Williams for The Fabelmans revealing her decision to campaign in Best Actress may not have paid off.

michelleyeoh

Michelle Yeoh in gonzo thriller EEAAO

Best Actor:

Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Austin Butler (Elvis) and Colin Farrell (Banshees of Inisherin) all seem locked with the three all frontrunners.

Recent wins for Austin and Colin at the Globes suggest they may be racing ahead, although it's difficult to predict who may take home the little gold man, with Brendan - who has returned to the spotlight after years away - beloved among his peers.

Other potential nominees include Bill Nighy for Living, Tom Cruise for Top Gun: Maverick, Fellix Kammerer in All Quiet on the Western Front and Paul Mescal in Aftersun.

Supporting Actress:

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Angela Bassett has been sweeping the 2023 awards for her outstanding performance as Queen Ramonda. She won the 2023 Golden Globe - where she gave a highly charged and emotional speech - and many have long thought she had been overdue for her little gold man.

Other names to look out for though include EEAAO's Jamie Lee Curtis (who has never had an Oscar nomination) and Stephane Hsu - and Dolly De Leon in Triangle of Sadness who has seen a late-stage surge in support. Hong Chau in The Whale and Kerry Condon in The Banshees of Inisherin are also in contention, and it would be nice to see Claire Foy for Women Talking get a nod although the devastating film appears to be waning.

banshees

Colin and Brendan both look set to get Oscar nods

Supporting Actor:

Frustratingly, this category may be where Women Talking gets its only nod for Ben Whishaw who, while outstanding, is the only male actor in an ensemble of brilliant women.

The statue looks set to go to Ke Huy Quan for EEAAO though after a Globes win and SAG nod.

Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan for The Banshees of Inisherin and Brad Pitt in Babylon may round out the category.

Best Director:

Martin McDonough and Steven Spielberg are the obvious frontrunners here after their wins at the 2023 Golden Globes and nods at the 2023 Director's Guild of America.

Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert for EEAAO also seem like certainties at this point, while a surprise DGA nod for Top Gun: Maverick's Joseph Kosinski revealed the popularity of the blockbuster is translating to awards success. That fifth spot is looking more likely to go to Todd Field's for TAR although James Cameron (Avatar 2), Baz Luhrmann (Elvis) and Sarah Polley (Women Talking) are all in the hunt.

Screen Actors Guild Awards 2023: our predictions

The 2023 SAG nominations, an important bellwether of the Oscars acting races, threw up some major surprises including nods for Adam Sandler and Eddie Redmaybe, and a shut out for Michelle Williams and Rian Johnson's Glass Onion.

Best Film:

fabelmans

The Fabelmans remains a firm favorite

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture is considered the ceremony's top honor, and this year's nominees are Babylon, The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, and Women Talking.

EEAAO and The Banshees of Inisherin inclusion reveals these two films are the ones to beat this entire awards season, but our guess is SAG voters will come down on the side of EEAAO which is rich with performances from beloved actors who have previously been shut out of the opportunities afforded to their peers and have spoken passionately about how the film's success has changed their lives.

Best Actress:

Ana de Armas' name was a surprise to many when the shortlist was announced, as Blonde was a controversial and polarising film. But her performance was praised by many and it's clear her fellow actors saw that and chose to honor the young actress. 

It will be hard for her to beat Michelle Yeoh though, who has been storming the awards season so far.

Best Actor:

Adam Sandler's name was another surprise to many but the actor has been campaigning quietly for his work in Hustle, and it comes after several years of impressive performances that have gone under the radar of many guilds. 

Still, the inclusion of Austin Butler, Colin Farrell and Brendan Fraser proves that these three are the ones to beat - and our pick for the SAG would be Colin, who has been putting in the work for decades and is a surprising first-time SAG nominee.

Austin Butler poses as Elvis Presley in the film Elvis

Elvis has been a surprise awards hit

Supporting Actress:

The guild gave two nods for EEAAO - one for Jamie Lee Curtis and another for Stephanie Hsu - but despite the film's growing popularity among awards voters we think Marvel's Angela Bassett remains a lock for the win.

Supporting Actor:

Paul Dano was the only nod for The Fabelmans, a nice win on his continuing awards campaign and he is joined by The Banshees of Inisherin's Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan, Ke Huy Quan (EEAAO) and Eddie Redmayne for The Good Nurse.

But this seems likely to go to Ke, who returned to the big screen after years away for this role, and has become a huge favorite thanks to not just his incredible performance but his heartfelt acceptance speeches and pure joy at being back in the game.

BAFTAs 2023: our predictions

The British Academy Film Awards is definitely one of the biggest in the calendar. Here's who we think is going to be winning big...

Outstanding British Film

The Banshees of Inisherin

This flick starring Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell has won the critics' hearts and has a shiny awards season ahead, we think.

Film

Tár

Cate Blanchett and award-winning films go hand-in-hand and her performance in this psychological drama is being hailed as one of her best.

Cate Blanchett sits at piano in Tar

Cate Blanchett in TAR

Leading Actor

Bill Nighy: Living

Bill Nighy is a national treasure and his work in Living as a former civil servant looking for a new lease of life has gone down very well with critics.

Leading Actress

Cate Blanchett: Tár

As mentioned, Cate's turn as a composer who suffers a downfall could bag her a BAFTA. Watch this space…

Supporting Actor

Barry Keoghan: The Banshees of Inisherin

BAFTA love awarding young and upcoming actors, so it was perhaps unsurprising that talented Irish actor Barry Keoghan was nominated for a Rising Star Award in 2019. Could this year be the year he finally nabs a BAFTA?

Supporting Actress

Angela Bassett: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Marvel films don't typically win awards but Angela made history at the Golden Globes when she became the first Marvel dtar to pick up a statue. BAFTA may make another exception for Angela Bassett and her incredible performance in this box office smash.

Angela Bassett in Black Panther© Photo: Rex

2023 has been Angela Bassett's year

Director

Steven Spielberg: The Fabelmans

Could Steven be set add another gong to his huge collection for his 2022 flick? We'll soon find out.

Others to look out for:

There are so many other contenders for this year such as All Quiet on the Western Front, Aftersun, Elvis and Avatar: The Way of Water, and Till.

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Michelle Williams smiles in The Fabelmans

Will Michelle Williams pick up awards?

Primetime Emmy Awards 2023: our predictions

The Primetime Emmy Awards don't air until later in the air, not to mention that the eligibility period runs until May 2023, so any releases out over the coming months will no doubt be hoping to get a look in. Until we find out who is nominated, here are our predictions of who could be winning big...

Outstanding Comedy

The Bear

This show on Disney+ has proved to be a bit of an underdog. Critics and fans alike couldn't get enough of Jeremy Allen White and the rest of the cast in the drama which was as funny as it was affecting.

Outstanding Drama

House of the Dragon

The Game of Thrones spin-off has become one of the most successful shows ever, so we think it's almost certain it'll pick up an award or two.

Emma DArcy in House of the Dragon© Photo: Sky

House of the Dragon looks set for a good Emmys run

Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series

The White Lotus

We can't deny that this is one of our favourite shows, and given its success at the Golden Globes, we think it is in for a strong chance of winning big at the Emmys.

Lead Actor

Comedy: Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary

Drama: Kevin Costner – Yellowstone

Limited: Andrew Garfield – Under the Banner of Heaven

Cast of Abbott Elementary© Photo: Disney+

Abbott Elementary has been a runaway success

Lead Actress

Comedy: Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary

Drama: Emma D'Arcy – House of the Dragon

Limited: Amanda Seyfried – The Dropout

Others to look out for:

Make sure you look out for special mentions for shows such as Only Murders in the Building, Better Call Saul and Severance. 

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