The 98th Academy Awards delivered a night of historic wins, political moments and an unexpected tie, as Hollywood’s biggest stars gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate the best in film.

For Ireland, the ceremony marked a major milestone.

Jessie Buckley made history by becoming the first Irish performer to win the Best Actress Oscar, taking the prize for her acclaimed performance in Hamnet. Her victory quickly became one of the defining moments of the evening, dominating social media discussion alongside the continuing Oscar drought of Leonardo DiCaprio, who once again missed out on a win.

Irish success on the night did not stop there. Ireland had secured no less than 10 nominations total.

Dubliner Richard Baneham also added to Ireland’s Oscar tally after Avatar: Fire and Ash won Best Visual Effects, marking another triumph for one of the country’s most celebrated behind-the-scenes talents.

Retirement Plan, directed by John Kelly and voiced by Domhnall Gleeson, was nominated for Best Animated Short Film. Despite a strong showing, the Oscar went to The Girl Who Cried Pearls.

The biggest overall winner of the night was One Battle After Another, which led the field with six awards. The film claimed the top honour of Best Picture, while Paul Thomas Anderson took home Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film’s success continued with Sean Penn winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a military zealot.

Penn, however, was notably absent from the ceremony. According to reports, the 65-year-old actor had travelled to Europe and planned to visit Ukraine instead of attending the awards. Presenter Kieran Culkin referenced the absence during the broadcast, joking: “Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening, or didn’t want to, so I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf.” It marked Penn’s sixth nomination and third Oscar win.

@varietymagazine Sean Penn becomes fourth male actor to win three #Oscars ♬ original sound - Variety

Elsewhere, Michael B. Jordan secured the Best Actor award for his performance in Sinners, while Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for Weapons, as this year’s honours were spread across a mix of major studio productions, independent films and international titles.

The ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, featured a lively tone throughout the night. O’Brien repeatedly targeted Timothée Chalamet with playful jabs, a running gag that proved popular with the audience.

@culted Bro actually doesn’t gaf 😭 #timotheechalamet #timothéechalamet #timotheechalametedit #oscars #fyp ♬ original sound - CULTED

Meanwhile, Matt Berry was widely praised for his role as the ceremony’s announcer, delivering his distinctive voiceover introductions throughout the evening.

One of the most emotional moments came during a tribute to veteran filmmaker Rob Reiner, which featured appearances from Billy Crystal and several of Reiner’s close collaborators, drawing an emotional response from the audience.

But one of the most surprising moments came during the Best Live Action Short Film category, which produced the first Oscar tie in 13 years. Presenter Kumail Nanjiani appeared momentarily stunned when he opened the envelope before telling the audience: “It’s a tie. I’m not joking. It’s actually a tie. So everyone calm down. We’re gonna get through this. Focus up.”

The joint winners were The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva, prompting cheers and confusion in equal measure inside the theatre. Nanjiani later joked that the result might upset many Oscar prediction contests, while O’Brien added: “I just want to say congratulations to both winners — you just ruined 22 million Oscar pools.”

Meanwhile, the animated hit KPop Demon Hunters also emerged as one of the night’s standout success stories. The film won Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song for the track Golden, marking the first time a K-pop song has won the category at the Oscars.

The film has already been a major global hit, becoming Netflix’s most-watched film with more than 500 million views, and its success at the awards was celebrated widely in South Korea as a milestone moment for the country’s growing influence in global pop culture.

@entertainmenttonight EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI belted their hit “Golden” from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ just before the anthem won Best Original Song at the #Oscars! #kpopdemonhunters #golden #ejae ♬ original sound - Entertainment Tonight

Among the other winners on the night were Frankenstein, which picked up multiple technical awards including Production Design, Costume Design and Makeup and Hairstyling, while F1 won Best Sound.

In the documentary categories, Mr Nobody against Putin won Best Documentary Feature, while All the Empty Rooms took the Best Documentary Short Film prize.

Norway’s Sentimental Value won Best International Feature Film, while The Girl Who Cried Pearls was named Best Animated Short Film.

With historic Irish success, major Hollywood victories, an unusual tie adding extra drama and strong political statements, the 2026 Academy Awards delivered a memorable night that combined celebration, surprise and a few headline-grabbing moments along the way.