By the time a film is holding an award, it has already survived a far tougher contest: the awards campaign. Where strategic screenings and press runs matter more than surprise victories. What audiences see as a celebratory sprint is really the final stretch of a long marketing marathon – where perception can rival performance.
Modern awards campaigns are built on narrative, comeback stories like Brendan Fraser in The Whale, overdue recognition like Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant, and timely themes such as Parasite. Campaigns turn films into cultural events, where the story around a contender can feel as compelling as the work itself. Visibility is essential, with press appearances, interviews, and controlled messaging ensuring the narrative remains consistent throughout the season.
The 2026 awards season has offered a clear reminder of how central narrative remains to the race. Several of this year’s most prominent contenders have been framed not only around their artistic merit, but around the stories they represent – such as Sinners, Hamnet and One Battle After Another. As ever, the conversations surrounding these titles have proven almost as influential as the films themselves. Comeback and consolidation narratives dominate the discourse, with campaigns foregrounding longevity, reinvention and overdue recognition, while the socially resonant films have been positioned as essential viewing. In a season shaped by post-strike recalibration and audience fatigue, this year’s campaigns have leaned heavily on reassurance, celebrating cinemas resilience, relevance and ability to endure.Â
When overdue recognition is discussed, many point to Timothée Chalamet – an actor who, at just 30 years old, already boasts four Oscar nominations and a firmly established filmography. This year Chalamet stars in Marty Supreme, a performance that has been impossible to ignore, thanks in no small part to the campaign surrounding it. Rather than relying solely on the traditional route, Chalamet has effectively run his own campaign, collaborating with British rapper lookalike EsDeeKid, staging viral skits and even standing on top of the Las Vegas Sphere. The message has been unmistakable: Chalamet wants the Oscar. Whilst the strategy is unapologetically overt, it has proven effective, positioning him as an early frontrunner and underlining the power of a carefully constructed, and visible, awards campaign.Â
A more restrained, but no less strategic approach can be seen in the campaign surrounding Hamnet, which has positioned itself as one of the season’s most emotionally resonant contenders. Framed around intimacy, grief and quiet devastation, the film’s campaign leant heavily into its literary prestige, allowing its lead performances to do the talking. At the centre of this is Jessie Buckley, whose work has been referred to as the film’s emotional anchor. Long respected for her versatility and range, Buckley has emerged as a serious contender for the 2026 season. A campaign shaped less by spectacle but more by accumulation, building the narrative of artistic credibility and overdue recognition through carefully chosen festival appearances, interviews and critical advocacy. In contrast to the louder campaigns, Hamnet demonstrates that quiet consistency can be just as important when executing a successful campaign.
The contrast is sharpened further by the campaigns surrounding Sinners and One Battle After Another, two films that have approached the season from opposite ends of the visibility spectrum. Sinners has been positioned as a cultural reckoning and a champion of original storytelling. The campaign for Sinners stemmed from word-of-mouth, with glowing reviews from press and creators, the film gained rapid momentum. Followed by a campaign focusing on special screenings, interviews and critical endorsements with a sustained emphasis on the film’s thematic weight – the film was positioned as essential viewing rather than a late-breaking contender. Its strong presence in the awards season conversation demonstrates the importance of relevance and consistency in a campaign.
By comparison, One Battle After Another has leant heavily on auteur authority. Paul Thomas Anderson’s reputation, alongside its all-star cast, has been central to the film’s awards positioning. The campaign has favoured selective exposure and critical reverence over saturation, allowing the film to settle into the role of a ‘consensus’ contender shaped by shared trust in its creator.
Ultimately, awards season is a masterclass in sold success. Beyond performances or artistry, it’s the marketing – the carefully crafted narratives, strategic visibility, and sustained attention — that can turn a contender into a winner, proving that in modern awards culture, perception is often as powerful as merit.
