This hearty list of film awards contenders, organized here by the various Oscar categories, will surely evolve over the course of the season. We learn pretty much, oh…each and every year. As new competition hits the street (and as you, the readers, send in valuable information), names will be added to the collective. As films open and disappoint (as they typically do), names will be removed. The lesson in all of this? Things…change. But no matter the twists and turns of the season, we’ll keep this hopefully comprehensive database up-to-date as the year pushes forward.

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Best bets:
Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney, “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth, “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”

Also in play:
Viggo Mortensen, “The Road”
Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”

Dark horses:
Sharlto Copley, “District 9”
Matt Damon, “The Informant!”
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Nine”
Robert Downey Jr., “Sherlock Holmes”
Tobey Maguire, “Brothers”
Michael Stuhlbarg, “A Serious Man”

The rest of the field:
Nicolas Cage, “The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”
Robert De Niro, “Everybody’s Fine”
Ben Foster, “The Messenger”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “(500) Days of Summer”
Hal Holbrook, “That Evening Sun”
James McAvoy, “The Last Station”
John Malkovich, “Disgrace”
Clive Owen, “The Boys are Back”
Christopher Plummer, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
Sam Rockwell, “Moon”
Michael Sheen, “The Damned United”
Ben Wishaw, “Bright Star”
Sam Worthington, “Avatar”

Best bets:
Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci, “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds”

Also in play:
Matt Damon, “Invictus”
Christian McKay, “Me and Orson Welles”
Alfred Molina, “An Education”

Dark horses:
Alec Baldwin, “It’s Complicated”
Anthony Mackie, “The Hurt Locker”
Peter Sarsgaard, “An Education”

The rest of the field:
Robert Duvall, “Crazy Heart”
Robert Duvall, “The Road”
Brian Geraghty, “The Hurt Locker”
Paul Giamatti, “The Last Station”
Jake Gyllenhaal, “Brothers”
Richard Kind, “A Serious Man”
Stephen Lang, “Avatar”
Jude Law, “Sherlock Holmes”
Paul Schneider, “Bright Star”
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Road”
Stanley Tucci, “Julie & Julia”

Best bets:
Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia”

Also in play:
Emily Blunt, “The Young Victoria”
Saoirse Ronan, “The Lovely Bones”
Audrey Tautou, “Coco Before Chanel”

Dark horses:
Abbie Cornish, “Bright Star”
Mélanie Laurent, “Inglourious Basterds”
Zoe Saldana, “Avatar”
Meryl Streep, “It’s Complicated”

The rest of the field:
Shohreh Aghdashloo, “The Stoning of Soraya M.”
Marion Cotillard, “Nine”
Penélope Cruz, “Broken Embraces”
Zooey Deschanel, “(500) Days of Summer”
Charlotte Gainsbourg, “Antichrist”
Bryce Dallas Howard, “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond”
Michelle Monaghan, “Trucker”
Gwyneth Paltrow, “Two Lovers”
Robin Wright Penn, “The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee”
Michelle Pfeiffer, “Chéri”
Hilary Swank, “Amelia”
Tilda Swinton, “Julia”
Charlize Theron, “The Burning Plain”

Best bets:
Vera Farmiga, “Up in the Air”
Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Also in play:
Penélope Cruz, “Nine”
Diane Kruger, “Inglourious Basterds”
Julianne Moore, “A Single Man”

Dark horses:
Mariah Carey, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Marion Cotillard, “Nine”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “Crazy Heart”
Samantha Morton, “The Messenger”
Rosamund Pike, “An Education”
Emma Thompson, “An Education”

The rest of the field:
Kim Basinger, “The Burning Plain”
Kathy Bates, “Chéri”
Marion Cotillard, “Public Enemies”
Judi Dench, “Nine”
Sari Lennick, “A Serious Man”
Paula Patton, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Natalie Portman, “Brothers”
Susan Sarandon, “The Lovely Bones”
Imelda Staunton, “Taking Woodstock”
Charlize Theron, “The Road”
Sigourney Weaver, “Avatar”"
Rachel Weisz, “The Lovely Bones”

Best bets:
“Coraline” (Focus Features)
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox)
“The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Up” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Also in play:
“9” (Focus Features)
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” (Sony Pictures Entertainment)
“Monsters vs. Aliens” (Paramount Pictures)
“Ponyo” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Dark horses:
“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” (20th Century Fox)
“Mary and Max” (IFC Films)
“The Secret of Kells” (Empire Film Group)

The rest of the field:
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” (20th Century Fox)
“Astro Boy” (Summit Entertainment)
“Battle for Terra” (Roadside Attractions)
“A Christmas Carol” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“The Dolphin: Story of a Dreamer” (20th Century Fox)
“The Missing Lynx: Paws on the Run” (unknown)
“Planet 51” (Sony Pictures Entertainment)
“Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“A Town Called Panic” (Zeitgeist Films)

Best bets:
“District 9” (Philip Ivey; Guy Potgieter)
“Inglourious Basterds” (David Wasco; Sandy Reynolds-Wasco)

Also in play:
“Avatar” (Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg)
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Stuart Craig; Stephanie McMillan)
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Dave Warren, Terry Gilliam, Anastasia Masaro; Caroline Smith, Shane Vieau)
“Public Enemies” (Nathan Crowley; Rosemary Brandenburg)
“A Serious Man” (Jess Gonchor; Nancy Haigh)
“Sherlock Holmes” (Sarah Greenwood; Katie Spencer)

Dark horses:
“Julie & Julia” (Mark Ricker; Susan Bode)
“The Lovely Bones” (Naomi Shohan; George DeTitta Jr., Meg Evreist)
“Nine” (John Myhre, Gordon Sim)
“A Single Man” (Dan Bishop; Amy Wells)
“Star Trek” (Scott Chambliss; Karen Manthey)
“The Young Victoria” (Patrice Vermette; Maggie Gray)

The rest of the field:
“Amelia” (Stephanie Carroll; Gordon Sim)
“Bright Star” (Janet Patterson; Charlotte Watts)
“Chéri” (Alan MacDonald; Judy Farr, Véronique Melery)
“The Hurt Locker” (Karl Júlíusson; Amin Charif El Masri)
“Invictus” (James J. Murakami; Gary Fettis)
“Land of the Lost” (Bo Welch; Lauri Gaffin)
“The Last Station” (Knut Loewe, Patrizia von Brandenstein; Mark Rosinski, Heike Wolf)
“The Road” (Chris Kennedy; Robert Greenfield)
“Terminator Salvation” (Martin Laing; Victor J. Zolfo)
“Watchmen” (Alex McDowell; Jim Erickson)
“Where the Wild Things Are” (K.K. Barrett; Simon McCutcheon)

Best bets:
“The Hurt Locker” (Barry Ackroyd)
“Inglourious Basterds” (Robert Richardson)

Also in play:
“Avatar” (Mauro Fiore)
“Nine” (Dion Beebe)
“The Road” (Javier Aguirresarobe)
“The White Ribbon” (Christian Berger)

Dark horses:
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Bruno Delbonnel)
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Andrew Dunn)
“Public Enemies” (Dante Spinotti)
“A Serious Man” (Roger Deakins)

The rest of the field:
“Amelia” (Stuart Dryburgh)
“Bright Star” (Greig Fraser)
“The Lovely Bones” (Andrew Lesnie)
“Sherlock Holmes” (Philippe Rousselot)
“Tetro” (Mihai Malaimare Jr.)
“Watchmen” (Larry Fong)
“Where the Wild Things Are” (Lance Acord)
“The Young Victoria” (Hagen Bogdanski)

Best bets:
“Coco Before Chanel” (Catherine Leterrier)
“The Young Victoria” (Sandy Powell)

Also in play:
“Bright Star” (Janet Patterson)
“An Education” (Odile Dicks-Mireaux)
“Julie & Julia” (Ann Roth)
“Nine” (Colleen Atwood)
“Public Enemies” (Colleen Atwood)
“Sherlock Holmes” (Jenny Beavan)

Dark horses:
“Avatar” (Mayes C. Rubeo, Deborah Lynn Scott)
“Bruno” (Jason Alper)
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Monique Prudhomme)
“Inglourious Basterds” (Anna B. Sheppard)
“Julie & Julia” (Ann Roth)
“Public Enemies” (Colleen Atwood)
“A Single Man” (Arianne Phillips)
“Star Trek” (Michael Kaplan)

The rest of the field:
“Amelia” (Kasia Walicka-Maimone)
“Chéri” (Consolata Boyle)
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Jany Temime)
“Invictus” (Deborah Hopper)
“The Last Station” (Monika Jacobs)
“The Lovely Bones” (Nancy Steiner)
“The Road” (Margot Wilson)
“A Serious Man” (Mary Zophres)
“Watchmen” (Michael Wilkinson)
“Where the Wild Things Are” (Casey Storm)

Best bets:
James Cameron, “Avatar”
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”
Lee Daniels, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”

Also in play:
Neill Blomkamp, “District 9”
Lone Scherfig, “An Education”

Dark horses:
Clint Eastwood, “Invictus”
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen “A Serious Man”
J.J. Abrams, “Star Trek”
Michael Haneke, “The White Ribbon”

The rest of the field:
Lars Von Trier, “Antichrist”
Jane Campion, “Bright Star”
Jim Sheridan, “Brothers”
Nora Ephron, “Julie & Julia”
Peter Jackson, “The Lovely Bones”
Rob Marshall, “Nine”
John Hillcoat, “The Road”
Tom Ford, “A Single Man”

Best bets:
“The Cove” (Roadside Attractions)
“Food, Inc.” (Magnolia Pictures)

Also in play:
“The Beaches of Agnes” (Cine-Tamaris)
“Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country” (Magic Hour Films)
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” (Kovno Communications)
“Mugabe and the White African” (Arturi Films Limited)
“Valentino: The Last Emperor” (Vitagraph)

Dark horses:
“Every Little Step” (Endgame Entertainment)
“Facing Ali” (Network Films, Inc.)
“Garbage Dreams” (Iskander Films, Inc.)
“Under Our Skin” (Open Eye Pictures)

The rest of the field:
“Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders” (Red Floor Pictures, LLC)
“Sergio” (Passion Pictures and Silverbridge Productions)
“Soundtrack for a Revolution” (Freedom Song Productions)
“Which Way Home” (Mr. Mudd)

Best bets:
“Avatar” (John Refoua, Stephen E. Rivkin)
“District 9” (Julian Clarke)
“The Hurt Locker” (Chris Innis, Bob Murawski)
“Up in the Air” (Dana E. Glauberman)

Also in play:
“(500) Days of Summer” (Alan Edward Bell)
“Inglourious Basterds” (Sally Menke)
“Julie & Julia” (Richard Marks)
“Star Trek” (Maryann Brandon, Mary Jo Markey)

Dark horses:
“The Hangover” (Debra Neil-Fisher)
“It’s Complicated” (Joe Hutshing, David Moritz)
“Nine” (Claire Simpson, Wyatt Smith)
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Joe Klotz)
“A Serious Man” (Roderick Jaynes)

The rest of the field:
“Brothers” (Jay Cassidy)
“Invictus” (Joel Cox, Gary Roach)
“The Lovely Bones” (Jabez Olssen)
“Public Enemies” (Jeffrey Ford, Paul Rubell)
“The Road” (Jon Gregory)
“Sherlock Holmes” (James Herbert)
“Watchmen” (William Hoy)

Best bets:
“The Secret in Their Eyes” (Argentina)
“The White Ribbon” (Germany)

Also in play:
“Ajami” (Israel)
“A Prophet” (France)
“Winter in Wartime” (Netherlands)

Dark horses:
“Samson & Delilah” (Australia)
“The Milk of Sorrow” (Peru)

The rest of the field:
“Kelin” (Kazakhstan)
“The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner” (Bulgaria)

Check out the full list of submitted titles here.

Best bets:
“District 9”
“Star Trek”

Also in play:
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
“The Road”

Dark horses:
“Il Divo”
“The Young Victoria”

The rest of the field:
“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”

Best bets:
“Avatar” (James Horner)
“Up” (Michael Giacchino)

Also in play:
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” (Alexandre Desplat)
“The Informant!” (Marvin Hamlisch)
“Sherlock Holmes” (Hans Zimmer)
“A Single Man” (Abel Korezniowski)
“Star Trek” (Michael Giacchino)

Dark horses:
“Brothers” (Thomas Newman)
“Coco Before Chanel” (Alexandre Desplat)
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Jeff Danna, Mychael Danna)
“Public Enemies” (Elliot Goldenthal)
“The Road” (Nick Cave, Warren Ellis)
“A Serious Man” (Carter Burwell)

The rest of the field:
“Amelia” (Gabriel Yared)
“Bright Star” (Mark Bradshaw)
“Chéri” (Alexandre Desplat)
“A Christmas Carol” (Alan Silvestri)
“Invictus” (Clint Easwood, Kyle Eastwood)
“The Lovely Bones” (Brian Eno)
“The Young Victoria” (Ilan Eshkeri)

Best bets:
“The Weary Kind” from “Crazy Heart”
“Cinema Italiano” from “Nine”
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog”

Also in play:
“You’ve Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger” from “An Education”
“I See You” from “Avatar”
“Somebody Else” from “Crazy Heart”
“(I Want To) Come Home” from “Everybody’s Fine”
“Take It All” from “Nine”
“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog”

Dark horses:
“Winter” from “Brothers”
“God Bless Us Everyone” from “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
“Stu’s Song” from “The Hangover”
“Ma Belle Evangeline” from “The Princess and the Frog”
“Never Knew I Needed” from “The Princess and the Frog”
“All is Love” from “Where the Wild Things Are”

The rest of the field:
“When You Find Me” from “Adam”
“Impossible Fantasy” from “Adventures of Power”
“New Jersey Nights” from “Adventures of Power”
“Brothers in Arms” from “Brothers at War”
“Dove of Peace” from “Bruno”
“Raining Sunshine” from “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”
“Na Na” from “Couples Retreat”
“Other Father Song” from “Coraline”
“New York Is Where I Live” from “Did You Hear about the Morgans?”
“Being Bad” from “Duplicity”
“Smoke Without Fire” from “An Education”
“Petey’s Song” from “Fantastic Mr. Fox”
“Blanco” from “Fast & Furious”
“Back to Tennessee” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie”
“Butterfly Fly Away” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie”
“Don’t Walk Away” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie”
“Hoedown Throwdown” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie”
“You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie”
“Forget Me” from “I Love You, Beth Cooper”
“We Are the Children of the World” from “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
“We Love Violence” from “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
“Trust Me” from “The Informant!”
“Colorblind” from “Invictus”
“Invictus 9,000 Days” from “Invictus”
“Fly Farm Blues” from “It Might Get Loud”
“Through the Trees” from “Jennifer’s Body”
“If You’re Wondering” from “The Lightkeepers”
“Running Out of Empty (Make Ourselves at Home)” from “Lymelife”
“AyAyAyAy” from “The Maid”
“Almost Over You” from “My One and Only”
“My One and Only” from “My One and Only”
“Un Bouquet des Violettes” from “New York, I Love You”
“You’ve Been a Friend to Me” from “Old Dogs”
“The Word Is Love” from “Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!”
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36”
“One Day” from “Post Grad”
“Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” from “Ponyo”
“Here” from “Shrink”
“No Time for Love” from “Simon & Malou”
“Innocent Child” from “Skin”
“Let Freedom Reign” from “Skin”
“New Divide” from “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
“Possibility” from “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”
“Depression Era” from “That Evening Sun”
“Legendary” from “Tyson”
“Hideaway” from “Where the Wild Things Are”
“Only You” from “The Young Victoria”
“I Bring What I Love” from “Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love”

Best bets:
“Avatar” (20th Century Fox)
“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)
“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate Films)
“Up in the Air” (Paramount Pictures)

Also in play:
“District 9” (Sony Pictures)
“An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Invictus” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Up” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Dark horses:
“(500) Days of Summer” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
“Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
“Julie & Julia” (Sony Pictures)
“The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Pictures)
“A Serious Man” (Focus Features)
“Star Trek” (Paramount Pictures)

The rest of the field:
“Bright Star” (Apparition)
“Brothers” (Lionsgate)
“It’s Complicated” (Universal Pictures)
“The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“The Lovely Bones” (Paramount Pictures)
“Nine” (The Weinstein Company)
“Public Enemies” (Universal Pictures)
“The Road” (The Weinstein Company)
“A Single Man” (The Weinstein Company)

Best bets:
“Avatar”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Star Trek”
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”

Also in play:
“2012”
“District 9”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Up”

Dark horses:
“9”
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”
“Push”
“Watchmen”

The rest of the field:
“Drag Me to Hell”
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
“Land of the Lost”
“Monsters vs. Aliens”
“Public Enemies”
“The Road”
“Sherlock Holmes”
“The Taking of Pelham 123”
“Terminator Salvation”
“Where the Wild Things Are”
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”

Best bets:
“Avatar”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Star Trek”
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”

Also in play:
“2012”
“District 9”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Up”

Dark horses:
“9”
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”
“The Lovely Bones”
“Nine”

The rest of the field:
“Drag Me to Hell”
“Fame”
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
“Invictus”
“Monsters vs. Aliens”
“Public Enemies”
“The Road”
“Sherlock Holmes”
“The Taking of Pelham 123”
“Terminator Salvation”
“Watchmen”
“Where the Wild Things Are”
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”

Best bets:
“Avatar”
“District 9”
“Star Trek”

Also in play:
“2012”
“Sherlock Holmes”
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
“Where the Wild Things Are”

Dark horses:
“Coraline”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
“Terminator Salvation”

The rest of the field:
“Angels & Demons”
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”
“G-Force”
“A Christmas Carol”
“Watchmen”

Best bets:
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Geoffrey Fletcher)
“Up in the Air” (Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner)

Also in play:
“An Education” (Nick Hornby)
“Crazy Heart” (Scott Cooper)
“District 9” (Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell)
“Julie & Julia” (Nora Ephron)
“In the Loop” (Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armondo Iannucci, Ian Martin, Tony Roche)

Dark horses:
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” (Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach)
“Invictus” (Anthony Peckham)
“Star Trek” (Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci)
“Where the Wild Things Are” (David Eggars, Spike Jonze)

The rest of the field:
“The Blind Side” (John Lee Hancock)
“Bright Star” (Jane Campion)
“Brothers” (David Benioff)
“Chéri” (Christopher Hampton)
“Coraline” (Henry Selick)
“The Informant!” (Scott Z. Burns)
“The Last Station” (Michael Hoffman)
“The Lovely Bones” (Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh)
“Nine” (Anthony Minghella, Michael Tolkin)
“Public Enemies” (Ronan Bennett, Ann Biderman, Michael Mann)
“The Road” (Joe Penhall)
“A Single Man” (Tom Ford)

Best bets:
“The Hurt Locker” (Mark Boal)
“A Serious Man” (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen)
“Up” (Bob Peterson)

Also in play:
“(500) Days of Summer” (Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber)
“Avatar” (James Cameron)
“Inglourious Basterds” (Quentin Tarantino)
“The Hangover” (Jon Lucas, Scott Moore)

Dark horses:
“It’s Complicated” (Nancy Meyers)
“The Messenger” (Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman)
“The White Ribbon” (Michael Haneke)

The rest of the field:
“Broken Embraces” (Pedro Almodóvar)
“The Burning Plain” (Guillermo Arriaga)
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown)
“Julia” (Michael Collins, Camille Natta, Aude Py, Erick Zonca)
“Pirate Radio” (Richard Curtis)
“Whatever Works” (Woody Allen)
“The Young Victoria” (Julian Fellowes)

Did we miss anything?