Predicting the nominees for Best Original Song at the Oscars is made more difficult by the three-stage process. In years past, many seemingly sure-fire contenders were deemed to be ineligible. Even those ditties that clear this hurdle then have to pass muster with the nearly 400 members members of the music branch of the academy. In recent years, upwards of 75 songs have been in the running. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscar predictions for Best Original Song.)
To be even eligible for consideration, a tune must meet these criteria:
It must be an original song with words and music, both of which were original and written specifically for the film;
It must be the result of a creative interaction between the filmmaker(s) and the songwriter(s) who have been engaged to work directly on the film; and
There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody used in the body of the movie or as the first music cue in the end credits.
The academy asks branch members to view clips from the films that include the performances of the original songs and then rank their favorites using preferential voting. Starting with the 2019 Oscars, the academy released a shortlist of 15 contenders. We’ll get this year’s roster of semi-finalists on February 9, 2021.
A second round of voting by the members of the music branch, again using preferential voting, will cut these 15 down to the final five nominees. These will be announced, along with the final contenders in all of the other competitive categories on March 15, 2021. The entire voting membership of the academy will then vote for the winners, which will be revealed during the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony on April 25, 2021.
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
UPDATED: February 10, 2021
Leading Contenders
“Fight For You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros.)
Written by H.E.R., Dernst ‘D’Mile’ Emile II, Tiara Thomas
“lo Si (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead” (Netflix)
Written by Diane Warren
“See What You’ve Done” from “Belly of the Beast” (Independent Lens)
Written by Mary J. Blige, Darhyl Camper, Jr., Denisia Andrews, Brittany Coney
“Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)
Written by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth
“Turntables” from “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Studios)
Written by Janelle Monáe, Nathaniel Irvin III, George “George 2.0.” A. Peters II
DISCUSS All the Oscar contenders with Hollywood insiders in our notorious forums
Strong Contenders
“Free” from “The One and Only Ivan” (Disney Plus)
Written by Diane Warren
“Hear My Voice” from “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
Written by Daniel Pemberton, Celeste
“Loyal Brave True” from “Mulan” (Disney Plus)
Written by Jamie Hartman, Harry Gregson-Williams, Rosi Golan, Billy Crabtree
“Never Break” from “Giving Voice” (Netflix)
Written by John Legend, Nasri Atweh, Benjamin Hudson McIldowie, Greg Wells
“Wuhan Flu” from “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)
Written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Erran Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s newsletter with experts’ latest predictions
Possible Contenders
“Green” from “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios)
Written by Abraham Marder
“Husavik” from “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” (Netflix)
Written by Atli Örvarsson, Fat Max Gsus, Rickard Göransson, Savan Kotecha
“Make It Work” from “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” (Netflix)
Written by Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan, Michael Diskint, John Legend
“Rain Song” from “Minari” (A24)
Written by Emile Mosseri
“Show Me Your Soul” from “Mr. Soul!”
Written by Robert Glasper
We will be updating our Oscar predictions for each competitive category often in the days to come so be sure to bookmark this page and keep checking back as the race heats up.
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Picture: Updated – February 8, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Director: Updated – February 2, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Actor: Updated – February 3, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Actress: Updated – February 2, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actor: Updated – February 4, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actress: Updated – February 4, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Adapted Screenplay: Updated – February 6, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Screenplay: Updated – February 6, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Cinematography: Updated – January 22, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Costume Design: Updated – January 22, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Film Editing: Updated – January 24, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Makeup & Hairstyling: Updated – January 24, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Score: Updated – February 10, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Original Song: Updated – February 10, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Production Design: Updated – January 22, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Sound: Updated – January 22, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Visual Effects: Updated – January 24, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Animated Feature: Updated – January 27, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best Documentary Feature: Updated – February 9, 2021
2021 Oscar Predictions: Best International Feature: Updated – February 9, 2021
PREDICT the 2021 Oscar nominations through March 15
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
