Oscars 2026 Shock: First Major Tie in Over a Decade, Historic 7th Overall!

For the first time in over a decade, the Oscars experienced a tie in one of its award categories.

Recall the memorable 2017 Oscars error when La La Land was incorrectly declared the winner of Best Picture instead of the actual winner, Moonlight. Though such mistakes are memorable, an actual tie in Oscar voting is quite uncommon. The previous instance was in 2013 when Zero Dark Thirty, featuring Jessica Chastain, and the James Bond movie Skyfall shared the Best Sound Editing award.

The 2026 Oscars saw another rare tie, this time in the Best Live Action Short Film category. Both The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva were awarded, marking only the seventh tie in the Academy’s history and the first in thirteen years. During the event, actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani humorously noted that the tie extended the duration of the category’s segment, as it allowed both winning teams to give their acceptance speeches. Other nominees included Butcher’s Stain, A Friend of Dorothy, and Jane Austen’s Period Drama.

In the Oscars press room, filmmakers Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt from The Singers described the moment of their win as “incredible.”

Jack Piatt: For me, that was incredible. Having gotten to know all the other filmmakers in our category made it really special. I actually wish it could have been a five-way tie, to be honest.

Sam A. Davis: At the luncheon, I had a private word with Natalie and Alex, and their cast, saying that if we didn’t win, I hoped it would be to them, because their film was truly remarkable. None of us could have anticipated this outcome, and we certainly didn’t foresee a tie.

For Alexandre Singh and Natalie Mutita of Two People Exchanging Saliva, winning was like “a dream,” especially to be recognized alongside a film they admired for its distinct beauty.

Natalie Mutita: Honestly, it’s such a dream. We admired so many of the nominated films. When someone on Reddit asked if we’d be happy sharing the award, we immediately said, “Heck yeah,” thrilled to share it with a film that’s equally beautiful yet completely different.

Alexandre Singh: We’re a bit of Oscars buffs ourselves, so we had speculated about this possibility, but never really imagined it happening.

The first Oscars tie dates back to 1932, only three years after the awards began in 1929. The tie was between Wallace Beery and Fredric March for their roles in The Champ and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde respectively. Although March had one more vote than Beery, the rules at that time allowed for a tie if the second place finisher was within three votes of the winner. Over the years, these rules have evolved so that only an identical vote count can result in a tie, as was the case this year between The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva.

Subsequent ties include one in 1950 between A Chance to Live and So Much for So Little for Best Documentary Short, and in 1969, Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand both won Best Actress for their roles in The Lion in Winter and Funny Girl. The only other ties before 2013 occurred in 1987 for Best Documentary Feature between Artie Shaw: Time is All You’ve Got and Down and Out in America, and in 1995 between Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life and Trevor for Best Live Action Short Film.

The recent tie in the Best Live Action Short category at the Oscars not only highlighted an often-overlooked category but also brought significant attention to both winning films, potentially increasing public interest in these works.