Trailblazer Ruth E. Carter is at it again. With her fifth Oscar nomination for costume design on Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, Carter is now the most-nominated Black woman in Oscar history across all categories.
Before this year, Carter and actress Viola Davis had been tied with four nominations each. Carter now joins Spike Lee and Morgan Freeman as the third most-nominated Black creatives in Academy Awards history, behind Denzel Washington, who leads with nine nominations, and Quincy Jones, who follows with seven.
Carter’s Oscar noms for costume design span decades and include Malcolm X (1992), Amistad (1997), Black Panther (2018), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and now Sinners. Her work is also showcased in iconic films such as Roots, Coming to America, Selma, Crooklyn, School Daze, BAPS, and more.
In 2019, Carter became the first Black person to win an Academy Award for costume design for her work on Black Panther. She made history again in 2022 by winning for Wakanda Forever, becoming the first—and still only—Black woman to win multiple Oscars in the category.
For the 2026 Costume Design Award, Carter is nominated alongside Deborah L. Scott (Avatar: Fire and Ash), Kate Hawley (Frankenstein), Malgosia Turzanska (Hamnet), and Miyako Bellizzi (Marty Supreme).
Sinners had a historic showing, earning a record-breaking 16 nominations. These include acting nods for Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku, as well as noms for cinematography, Best Picture and more.
The film also marks several milestones for director Ryan Coogler. He becomes the second Black filmmaker—after Jordan Peele for Get Out in 2017—to receive nominations in the same year for producing, directing and original screenplay. Coogler is also the seventh Black director to be nominated for Best Director.
Producer Zinzi Coogler made history as well, becoming the first Filipina producer and the third Black woman nominated for Best Picture. Ryan and Zinzi Coogler are the first Black couple to be nominated together in the Best Picture category.
Since 1929, when Hollywood began recognizing excellence in cinematic achievements, more than 3,100 Oscar statuettes have been awarded. According to Variety, only 20 of those have gone to Black women—approximately 0.6 percent of all Oscars awarded.
The Oscars airs live on March 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and Hulu.