Awards season has officially begun! Check out this year’s Academy Award nominations and my predictions for who will win:

Best Picture
( ) “Amour”
( ) “Life of Pi”
( ) “Argo”
(x) “Lincoln”
( ) “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
( ) “Silver Linings Playbook”
( ) “Django Unchained”
( ) “Zero Dark Thirty”
( ) “Les Miserables”

All of these movies are fantastic, but “Lincoln” is likely to take the cake. From when it was released, it was generating Oscar buzz and was getting marvelous reviews. Lead actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field were praised for their rich storytelling and method acting.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
( ) Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook”
( ) Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”
(x) Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”
( ) Denzel Washington, “Flight”
( ) Hugh Jackman, “Les Miserables”

Already a two-time Oscar winner, Daniel Day-Lewis is pretty much a lock for this one. His performance in “Lincoln” was described as “brilliant” and “magic”. Day-Lewis also already won a Golden Globe award for his acting in “Lincoln”.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
( ) Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”
( ) Quevenzhane Wallis, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
( ) Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”
( ) Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”
(x) Emanuelle Riva, “Amour”

“Amour” may look like one of those movies that you would fall asleep in, but Emanuelle Riva has a good chance of nabbing this award. Riva is 85 years old, making her the oldest nominee for this category. The National Society of Film Critics already chose Riva as Best Actress for this movie. Although, I would also like to see 9-year old Quevenzhane Wallis win just for the fun of it.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
( ) Alan Arkin, “Argo”
( ) Robert De Niro, “Silver Linings Playbook”
( ) Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master”
( ) Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”
(x) Christopher Waltz, “Django Unchained”

Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” was well praised, but Christopher Waltz was credited as the one who stole the show. Many thought it would be Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn for an Oscar, but Waltz’s unique delivery of his role as a German dentist-turned bounty hunter has put him as a top pick for this award.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
( ) Amy Adams, “The Master”
( ) Sally Field, “Lincoln”
(x) Anne Hathaway, “Les Miserables”
( ) Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”
( ) Jacki Weaver, “Silver Linings Playbook”

Anne Hathaway’s raw vocals and performance has her being compared to Broadway actors in the same role, making her a front-runner for Best Supporting Actress. She already picked up a Golden Globe for this category, making her a definite potential winner.

Best Animated Feature Film
(x) “Brave”
( ) “Frankenweenie”
( ) “ParaNorman
( ) “The Pirates! Band of Misfits”
( ) “Wreck-it Ralph”

After 2011’s Cars 2 failure, Pixar bounced back with “Brave”, their first fairy tale. “Brave” got positive reviews, complementing the addition of a female heroine. In the past, the Academy has shown a liking towards Pixar films, having won 6 awards in this category.

To see the full list of nominees click here and make sure to watch the 2013 Academy Awards on February 24th to see if these predictions come true!