The following table provides predictions for the four main categories for the 2006 Academy Awards presented on March 5, 2006. The nominees are presented in order of expected probability to win, with the probabilities (in percentages) given in the second column. Eventual winners shown in bold.
| Picture: Brokeback Mountain gets a big score for Golden Globe (drama) and Producer's Guild wins. However, that didn't help The Aviator last year, so an upset is always possible. | |
| Brokeback Mountain | 91% |
| Munich | 3 |
| Crash | 3 |
| Good Night, And Good Luck | 2 |
| Capote | 1 |
| Director: Ang Lee benefits from his Director's Guild win, and, to a lesser degree, from a previous director nomination. This is Steven Spielberg's sixth director nomination, giving him a higher score than first-time nominees Paul Haggis, George Clooney, and Bennett Miller. | |
| Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain | 91% |
| Steven Spielberg for Munich | 7 |
| Paul Haggis for Crash | 1 |
| George Clooney for Good Night, And Good Luck | 1 |
| Bennett Miller for Capote | 1 |
| Actor in a Leading Role: Philip Seymour Hoffman scores big for Golden Globe (drama) and Screen Actors Guild awards, and, to a lesser degree, for being nominated for a performance in a best picture nominee. Heath Ledger and David Strathairn are also in movies that are best picture nominees, and Joaquin Phoenix has a Golden Globe (musical/comedy) win, but it will be surprising if they can overtake Hoffman on Oscar night. | |
| Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote | 95% |
| Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain | 2 |
| Joaquin Phoenix in Walk The Line | 2 |
| David Strathairn in Good Night, And Good Luck | 1 |
| Terrence Howard in Hustle & Flow | <1 |
| Actress in a Leading Role: Reese Witherspoon scores big for Golden Globe (musical/comedy) and Screen Actors Guild awards. However, Felicity Huffman benefits from her Golden Globe (drama) win. Witherspoon would appear to have the edge over Huffman, but this one seems to be the closest of the four major races. | |
| Reese Witherspoon in Walk The Line | 76% |
| Felicity Huffman in Transamerica | 15 |
| Judi Dench in Mrs Henderson Presents | 4 |
| Keira Knightley in Pride & Prejudice | 4 |
| Charlize Theron in North Country | 2 |
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