The 98th Academy Awards saw a rare tie in the Best Live Action Short Film category, with two projects taking home the prize.
Sam A. Davis and Jack Peat were the first winners recognized for their short film, “The Singers.” The second award went to Alexander Singh and Natalie Musteata for the French-language drama, “Two People Exchanging Saliva.”
“The Spot,” “Dorothy’s Friend,” and “A Jane Austen Historical Drama” were also nominated for the award. This marks only the seventh time in nearly a century of the prestigious film awards that a tie has occurred.
It’s a tie! THE SINGERS and TWO PEOPLE EXCHANGING SALIVA both win the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/sspwxUKtbj
“There’s a tie. I’m not kidding. Seriously,” actor Kumail Nanjiani announced as he presented the award on March 16, 2026.
Past Ties at the Oscars
⇒ 1932 – Best Actor
Fredric March (“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”) and Wallace Beery (“The Champ”) were jointly awarded the honor. However, the Academy noted that March actually received one more vote. The rules at the time stipulated that if the second-place nominee was within three votes of the winner, both would be declared recipients. The rules have since been changed, and today the award is only shared in the event of an exact tie.
⇒ 1950 – Best Documentary Short Film
“Chance for Life” and “So Much for So Little” were both named winners.
⇒ 1969 – Best Actress
Katharine Hepburn (“The Lion in Winter”) and Barbra Streisand (“Funny Girl”) shared the award.
⇒ 1987 – Best Documentary Feature
“Artie Shaw: Time Is All You Have” and “The Homeless Family” won together.
⇒ 1995 – Best Live Action Short Film
“Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Trevor” split the award.
⇒ 2013 – Best Sound Editing/Best Sound Mixing
“Zero Dark Thirty” and “Skyfall” jointly won in the category.
Editor: Tsvetina Petkova
