With Toy Story 5 owning the box office and the song featured in it, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” topping Billboard‘s Hot 100 for the second week in a row, Taylor Swift is sitting pretty for Oscar consideration come early next year.
But with 2026 not even halfway over yet, there’s still a lot of the year to go before Swift can start clearing out space on her mantle. Plus, there have also been a good number of songs from films released in the first half of the year that could make the race tighter than Swift may be hoping.
Here’s a look at the songs we already know will be in the running for Best Original Song at next year’s Academy Awards.
“Save the Day” from Hoppers
Toy Story 5 isn’t even the only Pixar movie from 2026 that’s likely to have a Best Original Song contender. Unlike Swift, SZA does have a previous nomination in the category — for her contributions to “All the Stars” on the Black Panther soundtrack.
“Shape of a Woman” from The Devil Wears Prada 2
Lady Gaga, a previous winner in the category, contributed three songs to the soundtrack for The Devil Wears Prada 2, but only two are eligible because of their placement within the film. Of “Runway” and “Shade of a Woman,” the latter seems like the more obvious nominee.
“How to Write a Song Without You” from Power Ballad
Once director John Carney may not have been nominated for that movie’s winning song, “Falling Slowly,” but he has had a hand in the music of his films ever since. (The blanking of Sing Street is still painful to consider.) His latest movie, the well received Power Ballad with Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas, featured a number of original songs, most notably “How to Write a Song Without You.”
“Along the Way” from Moana
Ten years after losing Best Original Song for “How Far I’ll Go,” Lin-Manuel Miranda and performer Auli’i Cravalho are running it back for a new song in the live-action Moana. New material addition to Disney remakes have fared so well — usually thanks to a shoe-horned feeling — but Miranda is a two-time nominee, who seems poised for an eventual win to complete his EGOT.
Something from The Debut
Just today, A24 debuted the trailer for Jesse Eisenberg‘s local theater dramedy The Debut, and the preview ended with a music and lyrics credit for the actor-turned-director. Considering that Eisenberg is already an Academy-approved filmmaker, original songs from his next effort will at least get serious consideration.
“TK Song” by Diane Warren
Look, Warren is currently on a nine-year nomination streak. We might not know the name of the movie, but there’s a song coming. And probably a nod, too.
