Organise your own sweepstake and you too can be an Oscar winner
Watching the Academy Awards could send anyone to sleep, even if they're in the correct time zone. But organising your own sweepstake is one way to add some extra drama to proceedings on Sunday night.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Here are the rules and, FYI, Jesse Eisenberg hasn't a hope.
1. Photocopy this page for everyone in your office, home, five-a-side football team or gambling addiction support group. Alternatively, buy each participant a copy of The Independent.
2. Study the form. We've provided odds for 10 of the 24 categories, courtesy of bookmaker William Hill.
3. Ask your friends, family or co-workers to pick a winner in each category and place an agreed amount – £1, say, or a matchstick – into the pot.
3. Stay up late to watch the entire four-hour awards ceremony. Or just get up early to check independent.co.uk for a list of the winners.
4. The colleague, family member, amateur footballer or gambling addict who predicted the greatest number of correct Oscar-winners takes the pot of matchsticks. Good luck! (And remember what we said about Eisenberg. Snowball in hell.)
Best Picture
Black Swan 33/1
The Fighter 50/1
Inception 66/1
The Kids Are All Right 100/1
The King's Speech 1/6
127 Hours 100/1
The Social Network 7/2
Toy Story 3 100/1
True Grit 40/1
Winter's Bone 100/1
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) 20/1
David O. Russell (The Fighter) 40/1
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) 5/4
David Fincher (The Social Network) 4/7
Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit) 40/1
Best Actor
Javier Bardem (Biutiful) 50/1
Jeff Bridges (True Grit) 33/1
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) 20/1
Colin Firth (The King's Speech) 1/66
James Franco (127 Hours) 20/1
Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale (The Fighter) 1/6
John Hawkes (Winter's Bone) 66/1
Jeremy Renner (The Town) 66/1
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right) 66/1
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech) 7/2
Best Actress
Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right) 7/1
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole) 50/1
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) 25/1
Natalie Portman (Black Swan) 1/16
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine) 50/1
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (The Fighter) 20/1 (above)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech) 7/1
Melissa Leo (The Fighter) 2/5
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) 5/2
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom) 66/1
Best Adapted Screenplay
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours) 25/1
Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) 1/25 (below)
Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) 12/1
Joel and Ethan Coen (True Grit) 16/1
Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini (Winter's Bone) 25/1
Best Original Screenplay
Mike Leigh (Another Year) 40/1
Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson (The Fighter) 40/1
Christopher Nolan (Inception) 3/1
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg (The Kids Are All Right) 16/1
David Seidler (The King's Speech) 2/9
Best Animation
How to Train Your Dragon 12/1
The Illusionist 50/1
Toy Story 3 1/66
Best Foreign Language Film
Biutiful vens
Dogtooth 8/1
In a Better World 9/4
Incendies 3/1
Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) 16/1
Best Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2
Best Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit
Best Cinematography
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit
Best Costumes
Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King's Speech
The Tempest
True Grit
Best Documentary Feature
Exit through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land
Best Documentary Short
Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang
Best Film Editing
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Best Make-Up
Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman
Best Original Score
How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell)
Inception (Hans Zimmer)
The King's Speech (Alexandre Desplat)
127 Hours (A.R. Rahman)
The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)
Best Original Song
Country Strong ('Coming Home')
Tangled ('I See the Light')
127 Hours ('If I Rise')
Toy Story 3 ('We Belong Together')
Best Animated Short Film
Day & Night
The Gruffalo
Let's Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a journey diary)
Best Live Action Short Film
The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143
Best Sound Editing
Inception
Toy Story 3
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable
Best Sound Mixing
Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments