The award season is well underway, as the Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, February 1, and the Oscars are approaching on Sunday, March 15. Students at Northside have voiced their opinions about which popular films and music artists deserve the awards.
Since 1929, the Oscars, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, have focused on various achievements in filmmaking, often reflecting the standards of the film industry at a given time. Similarly, the Grammy Awards – which celebrated its 68th anniversary when it aired on February 1 – have praised outstanding achievement in the music industry, spanning across a wide variety of genres.
Both award shows play a major role in shaping cultural conversations around the entertainment industry. Public opinion offers insight into how cultural tastes may differ from industry recognition.
The Hoofbeat recently conducted a survey of the Northside student body about opinions and predictions for the 2026 Grammys and Oscars.
Oscars Opinions
A film being nominated for or winning an Oscar says a lot about who we are today. The process of winning an Oscar begins with members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first nominating films for each category and then voting to decide the respective winners. According to the Academy, the votes are cast to recognize the film most positively received by audiences.
Film Studies teacher in the English department, Mr. Alan Hennagir, states, “Popular films are a good mirror of society.” He adds that the films that win the awards of the year often allow us to ask, “Why are they resonating?” Additionally, younger audiences tend to gravitate toward similar films. Mr. Hennagir explains, “it’s interesting and fun to watch films that everyone else is watching and talking about.”
Northside students generally shared the same opinions about the three main Oscar categories: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor/Actress.
56.4% of the students surveyed hoped Sinners would win Best Picture, and 51.3% hoped Ryan Coogler (Sinners) would win Best Director. Junior Regan Gould shared, “I really enjoyed the movie Sinners,” and that “it should win an Oscar for sure.” Additionally, 61.5% of the students surveyed hoped Marty Supreme’s Timotheé Chalamet would win Best Actor. Junior Olivia McCarthy is a big fan of Timotheé Chalamet and shared “[he] should win Best Actor for his role.”
Grammys Opinions
In contrast to the Oscars, the Grammy Awards’ nominations are decided by the most popular and highest-streamed songs from artists of the year, according to the Recording Academy.
In the survey of the Northside student body, most students had differing opinions on who they hoped would win Record or Song of the Year, varying from Bad Bunny and Bruno Mars to Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Freshman Joann Kolaparan shared that she enjoyed both Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish and that she would be happy if either won Song Of The Year.
Many Northside students hoped to see Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA win Album of the Year, as 43.6% of students surveyed said they hoped it would win.
As the awards themselves approach, the contrast between the Northside student body’s opinions and official results will continue to reflect the difference between popular taste and industry recognition. Regardless of the final winners, our perspectives as the emerging generation will remain an important part of understanding how entertainment is more than the movies we watch and music we listen to – it is a reflection of who we are today.
The 2026 Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, February 1st, airing on CBS. The 98th Academy Awards (Oscars) are scheduled for Sunday, March 15th, airing on ABC.
