Historic Oscars tie: Two films win Best Live-Action Short
What's the story
In a historic moment at the 98th Academy Awards, two films tied for Best Live Action Short Film. The Singers, directed by Sam A Davis and produced by Jack Piatt, and Two People Exchanging Saliva by Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata were announced as joint winners on Monday (IST). This rare occurrence has only happened six times before in Oscar history!
Presentation
Kumail Nanjiani joked about the lengthy acceptance speeches
Kumail Nanjiani, who presented the award, confirmed the tie by saying, "It's a tie. I'm not joking. It's actually a tie." He then announced each winner separately, resulting in two acceptance speeches. "Ironic that the short-film Oscar is going to take twice as long," he quipped between the speeches. This was Piatt's first Oscar win and nomination, and Davis's first win and second nomination.
Acceptance speeches
'Art can change people's souls,' Singh said
Musteata, while accepting the award for Two People Exchanging Saliva, said, "We are so happy to be sharing this Oscar with 'The Singers.' We love all of our fellow nominees." Singh added that art can "change people's souls" and emphasized the importance of creativity in society. His statement drew laughter from the audience as it seemed to mock Timothee Chalamet's recent comments about ballet and opera.
Historical ties
A look at previous ties in Oscar history
The tie at the 2026 Oscars marks the seventh such occurrence in the 98-year history of the Academy Awards. The first tie happened in 1932 between Fredric March and Wallace Beery for Best Actor. In 1968, Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand tied for Best Actress. The last tie before this was in 2012, when Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty were both honored for sound editing.