The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva tie for Best Live-Action Short

The Oscars are known for one-time moments, and the 2026 ceremony was no different. The night featured early shutouts for Ryan Coogler's Sinners and the inaugural Achievement in Casting award, won by Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another. A surprising result came in the Best Live-Action Short category, where The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva earned the same number of votes and each received the Oscar.

Ties have happened only rarely in Academy history. Past instances include the 1932 Best Actor tie between Frederic March and Wallace Beery; the 1950 Best Documentary Short winners A Chance to Live and So Much for So Little; the 1969 Best Actress tie between Katherine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand; the 1987 Best Documentary (Feature) winners Artie Shaw: Time is All You've Got and Down and Out in America; the 1995 Best Live-Action Short winners Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life and Trevor; and the 2013 Sound Editing tie between Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall.

oscars, 2026 oscars, live action, the singers, exchanging saliva, ryan coogler, sinners, cassandra kulukundis, casting award, academy tie