Oscars 2026: The 2026 Academy Awards, held at the iconic Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday night, delivered one of the most surprising moments of the ceremony — a rare tie.
The unusual result occurred in the Best Live-Action Short Film category, where two films — The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva — were declared joint winners. Ties are extremely uncommon at the Oscars, and this marked only the seventh time in the history of the Academy Awards that two winners shared the same honour.
The announcement itself became one of the memorable moments of the night. Comedian Kumail Nanjiani, who presented the award, opened the envelope and paused before saying, “It’s a tie. I’m not joking. It’s actually a tie. So everyone, calm down, we’re going to get through this.”
He then invited the winners to the stage one by one. First up was The Singers, directed by Sam A. Davis and produced by Jack Piatt. The second winner was Two People Exchanging Saliva, directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh.
Reacting to the unexpected moment, Davis said during his speech, “A tie. Wow. I didn’t know that was a thing. A tie, but we’re happy to be up here.” Musteata echoed the sentiment, adding that she was “so happy to be sharing this Oscar with The Singers.”
Nanjiani also lightened the moment with a joke between the speeches, saying, “Ironic that the short film Oscar is going to take twice as long.”
Rare Ties In Oscar History
While the Academy Awards have been held for nearly a century, ties have occurred only a few times.
One of the most talked-about moments happened in 1969, when two legendary performers shared the Best Actress award — Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter and Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl. Their exact vote count resulted in one of the most famous ties in Oscar history.
Another tie occurred during the 2013 Academy Awards in the Best Sound Editing category. Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty were both declared winners. Presenter Mark Wahlberg, who announced the result alongside the animated character Ted, famously said, “We have a tie. No BS. We have a tie.”
Earlier, in 1995, the Best Live-Action Short Film category also ended with two winners: Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life, directed by Peter Capaldi, and Trevor, directed by Peggy Rajski and Randy Stone.
In 1987, the Best Documentary Feature category produced a tie between Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got and Down and Out in America. The award was presented by Oprah Winfrey, who reacted with visible surprise when she realised the result was a tie.
Other rare instances include the 1949 Academy Awards, when A Chance to Live and So Much for So Little shared the award for Best Documentary Short Subject.
An unusual case occurred earlier at the 1931–32 Academy Awards when Fredric March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and Wallace Beery (The Champ) were both named Best Actor. However, the Academy later clarified that this wasn’t technically a “true tie.” March had received one more vote than Beery, but rules at the time allowed achievements within three votes of the winner to share the award.
Why Oscar Ties Are So Rare
Under the Academy’s current rules, a tie can happen only when nominees receive exactly the same number of votes. Given the thousands of Academy members voting each year, such exact matches are extremely uncommon.
That’s what makes moments like the Oscars 2026 tie particularly memorable — adding another unusual chapter to the long history of Hollywood’s biggest awards night.
