SUMMARY
- A rare Oscars tie occurred in the Live Action Short Film category at the 2026 Academy Awards.
- Both The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva received equal votes from Academy members.
- It is the seventh documented tie in Oscars history, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
LOS ANGELES — A rare Oscars tie stunned audiences Sunday night at the Academy Awards when two films shared the Live Action Short Film honor, marking only the seventh tie in the history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Presenter Kumail Nanjiani revealed the unexpected result while opening the envelope, announcing that The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva both won the category during the ceremony in Los Angeles.
The outcome ended years without a tie at the Oscars and highlighted one of the awards’ most unusual traditions.
The unexpected Oscars tie created a rare moment of suspense during Hollywood’s most watched awards ceremony.
Nanjiani initially appeared surprised while reading the envelope before confirming that both films had received identical vote totals from Academy voters.
“I’m not joking. It’s actually a tie,” Nanjiani told the audience before explaining that each winning team would deliver acceptance speeches in sequence.
Host Conan O’Brien later joked that the outcome would disrupt prediction markets and awards polls tracking the ceremony.
Ties at the Oscars are uncommon but historically significant. The first occurred at the 5th Academy Awards when Frederic March and Wallace Beery shared the Best Actor honor.
Academy rules at the time treated a vote margin of fewer than three ballots as a tie, a policy later revised.
Other notable ties include the Best Actress result at the 41st Academy Awards when Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand both won. Documentary categories have also produced tied results.
Historic Oscar Ties
| Year | Category | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Best Actor | Frederic March, Wallace Beery |
| 1942 | Documentary Short | A Chance to Live, So Much for So Little |
| 1969 | Best Actress | Katharine Hepburn, Barbra Streisand |
| 1987 | Documentary Feature | Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got, Down and Out in America |
| 1995 | Live Action Short Film | Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life, Trevor |
| 2013 | Sound Editing | Skyfall, Zero Dark Thirty |
| 2026 | Live Action Short Film | The Singers, Two People Exchanging Saliva |
A spokesperson for the Academy said tied outcomes occur when final vote totals are identical after ballots are counted and verified.
Film historian Thomas Doherty, professor at Brandeis University, said ties reflect the Academy’s diverse voting body. “When you have thousands of voters across disciplines, occasionally consensus splits perfectly,” Doherty said.
The Oscars tie does not require additional voting or rule changes, according to Academy procedures. Both films retain full winner status and receive identical recognition.
The rare Oscars tie added an unusual chapter to Academy Awards history, underscoring how even one of entertainment’s most established institutions can still produce unexpected results on Hollywood’s biggest night.
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