Diversity Rankings of 2025 Oscar Nominees

Mediaversity’s Guide to the 97th Academy Awards, Best Picture

Written by Li Lai

All years: 2025 / 2024 / 2023 / 2022 / 2021 / 2020 / 2019

The 97th Academy Awards come at a sobering time this year. Between the destructive LA fires delaying nominee announcements (twice), mass layoffs, and assaults on human rights gleefully perpetrated by the new administration, it feels like a strange time to pontificate about movies. But with diversity initiatives under attack, this is the exact moment for us to hold fast to our values, as Mediaversity Reviews continues to advocate for inclusion in entertainment.

That’s why our reviews look different than most: Diversity is the main thing we evaluate films on. Our grades reflect not just technical merit but gender parity and racial diversity, too. Representation of LGBTQ communities, people with disabilities, minority religions, adults over 50, and diverse body shapes are also factored in. (You can learn more about how we grade here.)

As we head into Oscar weekend, I’m taking the longer view when it comes to progress. There will always be work to be done, and it’s crucial that we stay focused and motivated. We’ve been celebrating inclusive films and calling out exclusionary ones since 2016, and we aren’t about to stop now.

Without further ado …

Best Picture Nominees by Mediaversity Grade

Click the image to read the full diversity review.

Wicked (A-), I’m Still Here (B)

Nickel Boys (B+), Anora (B-), Dune: Part Two (B-)

Conclave (C+), The Brutalist (C+)

The Substance (C+), A Complete Unknown (C-), Emilia Pérez (F)

Best Picture Nominees by Mediaversity Score

A complete ring = a perfect diversity score.

Out of a possible 5 points: Wicked (4.6), I’m Still Here (4.3), Nickel Boys (3.8), Anora (3.7), Dune: Part Two (3.5), Conclave (3.4), The Brutalist (3.4), The Substance (3.3), A Complete Unknown (2.8), Emilia Pérez (1.7)

Curious how this compares to past years? Click to see our Best Picture nominee diversity rankings for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019!

Mediaversity Reviews grades TV & films on gender, race, LGBTQ, disability, and more. Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, and Facebook to join the conversation!