The 2026 Golden Globe Awards have officially wrapped, closing a night that reminded us why awards season still holds meaning – not only for the red carpets, but for the stories being told.
Held in Beverly Hills, the ceremony brought together film and television projects that have shaped conversations over the past year, both on and off screen. While several titles entered the evening as clear critical favorites, the final winners revealed an industry increasingly willing to reward bold storytelling, strong authorial voices, and emotional risk.
On the film side, One Battle After Another led the night in nominations, further cementing Paul Thomas Anderson’s influence on contemporary cinema. Yet it was Hamnet that ultimately took home Best Motion Picture – Drama, signaling a clear appreciation for intimate, literary-driven narratives. In the musical or comedy category, One Battle After Another returned to the spotlight, striking a balance between ambition and accessibility that resonated strongly with voters.
Television continued its powerful run, with Adolescence confirming itself as one of the defining series of the year, while The White Lotus once again demonstrated its ability to evolve without losing its sharp, satirical edge.
Music played a central role in shaping this year’s cinematic identity. In the Best Original Song category, film soundtracks emerged as true narrative forces rather than simple accompaniments. “Golden,” from KPop Demon Hunters, claimed the award, standing out for its cultural impact and global appeal. In the score category, Ludwig Göransson’s win for Sinners marked another milestone in a career that continues to redefine the emotional language of contemporary film.
Across directing, acting, and writing categories, the Globes painted a clear picture: performances rooted in vulnerability, scripts that trusted silence as much as dialogue, and directors willing to challenge conventional structure were consistently rewarded. From Jessie Buckley’s restrained and devastating performance in Hamnet to Wagner Moura’s commanding turn in The Secret Agent, the acting awards favored complexity over spectacle.
For storytellers, screenwriters, and filmmakers, this year’s Golden Globes offered something more valuable than trends – a reminder that risk still has a place in mainstream recognition.
ScriptTellers Voice — Why this matters for writers
Awards do not define the value of a story.
But they do reveal what the industry is listening to.
This year’s Golden Globes sent a quiet yet unmistakable message to writers: intimacy matters. Stories driven by inner conflict, moral ambiguity, and emotional restraint found their way to the center of the conversation. Hamnet, Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent, and One Battle After Another share a fundamental trait – they trust character over spectacle.
What emerges is not a dominant genre or formula, but a shared courage in tone. These films resist over-explanation. They allow space for silence, contradiction, and unresolved questions to exist on screen – a powerful signal for anyone writing today.
For screenwriters, this is a reminder that voice still counts. Structure can bend. A script does not need to shout to be heard – it needs to be honest, specific, and emotionally precise.
At ScriptTellers, we believe stories resonate when they are written from the inside out. The 2026 Golden Globes did not reward safety.
They rewarded authorship. And that is worth paying attention to.
🏆 Golden Globe Awards 2026 — Full Winners List
Best Motion Picture – Drama
WINNER: Hamnet (Focus Features)
Frankenstein (Netflix)
It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
The Secret Agent (Neon)
Sentimental Value (Neon)
Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
WINNER: One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Bugonia (Focus Features)
Marty Supreme (A24)
No Other Choice (Neon)
Nouvelle Vague (Netflix)
Best Motion Picture – Animated
WINNER: KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Arco (Neon)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle (Aniplex / Crunchyroll / Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Elio (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain (GKIDS)
Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
WINNER: Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Avatar: Fire and Ash (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
F1 (Apple Original Films)
KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)
Weapons (Warner Bros. Pictures / New Line Cinema)
Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
WINNER: Jessie Buckley — Hamnet
Jennifer Lawrence — Die My Love
Renate Reinsve — Sentimental Value
Julia Roberts — After The Hunt
Tessa Thompson — Hedda
Eva Victor — Sorry, Baby
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
WINNER: Wagner Moura — The Secret Agent
Joel Edgerton — Train Dreams
Oscar Isaac — Frankenstein
Dwayne Johnson — The Smashing Machine
Michael B. Jordan — Sinners
Jeremy Allen White — Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
WINNER: Rose Byrne — If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Cynthia Erivo — Wicked: For Good
Kate Hudson — Song Sung Blue
Chase Infiniti — One Battle After Another
Amanda Seyfried — The Testament Of Ann Lee
Emma Stone — Bugonia
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
WINNER: Timothée Chalamet — Marty Supreme
George Clooney — Jay Kelly
Leonardo DiCaprio — One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke — Blue Moon
Lee Byung-Hun — No Other Choice
Jesse Plemons — Bugonia
Best Supporting Female Actor – Motion Picture
WINNER: Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another
Emily Blunt — The Smashing Machine
Elle Fanning — Sentimental Value
Ariana Grande — Wicked: For Good
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas — Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan — Weapons
Best Supporting Male Actor – Motion Picture
WINNER: Stellan Skarsgård — Sentimental Value
Benicio Del Toro — One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi — Frankenstein
Paul Mescal — Hamnet
Sean Penn — One Battle After Another
Adam Sandler — Jay Kelly
Best Director – Motion Picture
WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler — Sinners
Guillermo Del Toro — Frankenstein
Jafar Panahi — It Was Just an Accident
Joachim Trier — Sentimental Value
Chloé Zhao — Hamnet
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
WINNER: Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie — Marty Supreme
Ryan Coogler — Sinners
Jafar Panahi — It Was Just an Accident
Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier — Sentimental Value
Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell — Hamnet
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
WINNER: Ludwig Göransson — Sinners
Alexandre Desplat — Frankenstein
Jonny Greenwood — One Battle After Another
Kangding Ray — Sirāt
Max Richter — Hamnet
Hans Zimmer — F1
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
WINNER: “Golden” — KPop Demon Hunters
“Dream As One” — Avatar: Fire and Ash
“I Lied to You” — Sinners
“No Place Like Home” — Wicked: For Good
“The Girl In The Bubble” — Wicked: For Good
“Train Dreams” — Train Dreams
Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language
WINNER: The Secret Agent (Brazil)
It Was Just an Accident (France)
No Other Choice (South Korea)
Sentimental Value (Norway)
Sirāt (Spain)
The Voice Of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)
