On episode 322 of the AwardsWatch podcast, Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson is joined by Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Mark Johnson, aka The Awards Alchemist, to give their predictions for the upcoming Critics Choice Awards taking place on January 4, 2026.

Recording the day after Christmas, the trio give a short version of their holiday experience (wine, so much wine) and then jump right into predicting who they think will be the winners of the 31st Critics Choice Association Awards, as well as reveal what some of our own votes were, including some races that feel very close. With Critics Choice happening a full week before the Golden Globes, will the group rely on being Oscar predictors or tastemakers as the first televised org of the season?

While it feels like it's a head to head fight between One Battle After Another and Sinners in many categories--all of which is great for Warner Bros--some categories could be the beginning of a season-long coronation, like Amy Madigan vs Teyana Taylor in Best Supporting Actress and Jessie Buckley vs Rose Byrne in Best Actress. Best Actor could be a threeway race between Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael B. Jordan, although we're seeing Chalamet triumph here.

This podcast runs 1h26m. We'll be back soon with a Best of 2025 wrap-up. Till then, let's get into it.

You can listen to The AwardsWatch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more.

Music: "Modern Fashion" from AShamaleuvmusic (intro), "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).