If award season is your favourite time of year, you’re in luck. We’re five days into 2026, and we’ve already been blessed with a red carpet, thanks to the Critics Choice Awards.
The 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards celebrates the best of both film and television and is hosted at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. It serves as a pretty good indicator of how the race for the Oscars is shaping up, as critics share their picks for the year’s best television and cinema, as well as break-out stars.
This year, Ryan Coogler‘s Sinners is leading the nominations with a massive 17, including best picture, director, actor (Michael B. Jordan), and supporting actress (Wunmi Mosaku). Paul Thomas Anderson’s comedic thriller One Battle After Another comes in at second place with 14 nominations, and Frankenstein and Hamnet each secured 11.
However, there’s one award that’s up for grabs for anyone, including those who aren’t nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award — and that’s best dressed. And in our fashion-enthused eyes, that’s the most important award.
Let’s get into critiquing, shall we?
The 2026 Critic’s Choice Awards red carpet: all the best (and worst) looks coming to you live!
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande is still clearly in her Glinda era, and I absolutely love it. I can’t get over how ethereal this dress is?! She looks like the Mother of the elves or faeries or something mystical and fresh out of a fantasy film. And her soft glam with the pale pink eyeshadow and nude lip suits her gown perfectly. This is my favourite look of the night by far.
Noah Schnapp
Noah Schnapp really decided to lean into the Stranger Things theme off the back of the season finale. This suit is reminiscent the red thunder in The Upside Down, the bloodshed, and all the eeriness that we grew to love from the show.
Paul W. Downs and Megan Stalter
The Critic’s Choice Awards isn’t a cosplay event, but that’s exactly what Paul W. Downs and Megan Stalter have done. The pair dressed up in an identical outfit to Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet‘s Chrome Hearts get up at the Los Angeles Marty Supreme premiere. I don’t love the fit, but I respect the commitment to the bit.
Elle Fanning
Look, a gold glittery dress isn’t anything original. But she looks great!
Mia Goth
Although this dress is super simple, there’s something about the two-tones ivory and white that’s giving absolutely everything it needs to. She looks so poised and elegant.
McKenna Grace
The people want McKenna Grace to be cast as Rapunzel in the live-action Tangled, and she is absolutely giving the princessy vibes that her fans are asking of her. Although if I look at it for toooo long, it kinda looks like she’s thrown on a plain black singlet underneath.
Chase Infiniti
This shade of yellow is heavenly on Chase Infiniti. And the draping?! Divine! She looks like a vision in this ensemble — it’s among my favourite looks of the night.
Odessa A’zion
As a curly girl myself, it makes me so happy to see natural curls on the red carpet! Odessa looks like a goddess in her silver ensemble, and the cut outs are literal perfection.
Nicole Beharie
Nicole Beharie looks like a real life mermaid. And her waist? Snatched!!
Amanda Seyfried
IDK if Amanda Seyfried was trying to look scary due to her role as the menacing mother/employer in her latest film, The Housemaid, but there’s something about the slick back pony and front-on stance that’s creeping me out. As for the dress? It’s doing absolutely nothing for me, sorry.
Chase Sui
Look, the dress is boring as hell, but Chase Sui does still score some points because the colour on her is absolutely divine. She looks radiant! I just wish there was a bit more going on.
Wunmi Mosaku
Wunmi Mosaku looks like an ethereal water fairy. Usually I’m not a fan of an ombre/gradient, but this looks incredible. I love that everything matches, even down to the blue pumps. Tens across the board!
Jackie Tohn
Out of all the colours on the rainbow, why on earth would Jackie Tohn‘s stylist settle on this horrid yellow? The only mustard shade I wanna see is on my Bunnings snag. Poor Jackie looks very washed out… and also like she can’t move in that dress.
Ego Nwodim
Ego Nwodim is an absolute showstopper. There’s always someone on the red carpet who looks like the red dress dancing lady emoji, but Ego does it with pizzazz. The ruching fanning out from the bow is gorgeous, too.
Hannah Einbinder
I’ve never seen a puffy sleeve I didn’t like, and Hannah Einbinder‘s exaggerated puff is no exception. Make it bigger, I say!
Paul Mescal
At first, I found Paul Mescal‘s outfit boring. After all, how many men have we seen in a plain black tux? If we took a shot for every one, we’d all well and truly be dead by now. However, when I looked closer, I noticed the oversized lapels and the high satin waistband. While it’s nothing groundbreaking, it’s a nice touch.
Rose Byrne
Aussie actress and Platonic star Rose Byrne ate up the red (black) carpet in her half mesh ensemble. The drop waist leading into a poofy, voluminous skirt is simple, but executed perfectly. She looks gorgeous!
Kaley Cuoco
More women in suits, please and thank you! Kayley Cuoco ate up the Critics Choice Award carpet in a black power suit. I love the minimal accessories, with the silver chain as the statement — it’s the perfect finishing touch.
Meghann Fahy
I feel like the black glittery dress is the female-equivalent as a man in a plain black suit: boring. Meghann Fahy looks absolutely beautiful, but I wish she wore something original. Even a unique silhouette would’ve made it more interesting. We’ve seen this a million times before, and we’ll see it a million times again. I adore the hair and makeup, though.
Erin Lim
This dress looks kinda like Erin Lim wrapped some tinsel from her Christmas tree around her dress to make her outfit more interesting and called it a day. It’s still boring AF, but hey, I’ll take it over a plain black dress.
We’ll be updating this as the celebs roll into the red carpet, so keep checking in.
Image credit: Getty Images.
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