Oscars 2026: The 98th Academy Awards, aka the Oscars 2026, delivered a surprising moment that instantly became one of the most talked-about highlights of the night. During the Best Live Action Short Film presentation, actor and presenter Kumail Nanjiani revealed that the category had produced an extremely rare result. It was a tie.
As the audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles waited for the winner’s name, Nanjiani paused before delivering the unexpected announcement. “It’s a tie! I’m not joking! It’s actually a tie, so everyone calm down,” he told the crowd, prompting a mix of laughter and confusion inside the theatre.
It’s a tie for Best Live Action Short Film at the Oscars 2026
The actor then tried to ease the moment, adding, “Hang on, we’re gonna get through this,” before explaining that both winners would be announced one after the other and would each come on stage to receive their Oscars.
The unusual result meant that two films shared the Best Live Action Short Film prize. The award went jointly to The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva. Even the filmmakers themselves appeared surprised as they accepted their trophies, with some admitting they did not realise that ties were even possible at the Oscars.
Catch the moment
Kumail Nanjiani reacts to a tie at the #Oscars .
“The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva” win for ‘Best Live Action Short.’
pic.twitter.com/1DuAJ5fDFZ
— Starboy (@bigpr0m) March 16, 2026
Tied winners are exceptionally rare in the history of the Academy Awards. Since the ceremony began nearly a century ago, more than 2,000 Oscars have been handed out. Yet before this year, only six ties had ever occurred. The 2026 ceremony, therefore, marked the seventh such instance.
When did the first tie take place in the history of Oscars?
The first tie occurred in 1932, when Wallace Beery and Fredric March shared the Best Actor award for The Champ and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, respectively.
Here is the complete list of Oscar ties:
- 1932 (5th Academy Awards) – Best Actor: Fredric March for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Wallace Beery for The Champ.
- 1949 (22nd Academy Awards) – Best Documentary (Short Subject): A Chance to Live and So Much for So Little.
- 1968 (41st Academy Awards) – Best Actress: Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter and Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl.
- 1986 (59th Academy Awards) – Best Documentary (Feature): Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got and Down and Out in America.
- 1994 (67th Academy Awards) – Best Live Action Short Film: Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life and Trevor.
- 2012 (85th Academy Awards) – Best Sound Editing: Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty.
- 2026 (98th Academy Awards) – Best Live Action Short Film: The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva