Yes, it’s possible. Yes, it just happened.
By Belen Edwards on March 15, 2026
In a surprising turn of events at the 2026 Oscars, two films tied for the Best Live Action Short award: The Swimmers and Two People Exchanging Saliva. Although unexpected, this isn’t the first tie in Oscar history; it has occurred six times before.
The first tie was at the 5th Academy Awards in 1932 when Fredric March and Wallace Beery both took home Best Actor for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Champ, respectively. March had one more vote, but rules at the time allowed for anyone within three votes to also receive the award. These rules have since been changed to require an exact tie.
In 1949, A Chance to Live and So Much for So Little tied for Best Documentary (Short Subject) at the 22nd Academy Awards. In 1968, Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand tied for Best Actress. In 1986, documentaries Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got and Down and Out in America both won Best Documentary. In 1994, Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life and Trevor tied for Best Live Action Shorts. The last tie before 2026 was at the 85th Academy Awards in 2012, with Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty tying for Best Sound Editing.
With The Swimmers and Two People Exchanging Saliva joining this exclusive club, host Conan O’Brien jokingly commented that it “ruined 22 million Oscar pools.”
Mashable’s covering all things Oscars 2026, from Academy Awards live updates to red carpet style and the wildest moments from the show. Check back at Mashable.com throughout the night for winners announcements and more.
Topics: Film, Oscars