Three months after they won an Oscar for best original song for cowriting “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters, EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick were invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The songwriters were among 529 artists and executives who received invitations.
Sara Bareilles, whose film credits include Come See Me in the Good Light and Battle of the Sexes, was also invited, as were numerous well-known actors, including Teyana Taylor, Jacob Elordi, Josh Gad, Julia Garner, Simu Liu, Tig Notaro, Josh O’Connor, Jenna Ortega, Anthony Ramos, Bill Skarsgård and Jenny Slate.
This year, there are 95 Oscar nominees, including 21 winners, and three Scientific and Technical Award recipients among the invitees.
Josh Safdie, who directed, cowrote and coproduced Marty Supreme, was invited to join the academy by three branches: directors, film editors and writers. Per academy custom, he must select one branch upon accepting membership. The same is true of eight other individuals who were invited to join by two branches.
The academy’s membership process for its 19 branches and one membership classification is conducted by sponsorship, not application. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the academy’s membership in 2026.
Academy Award nominees are automatically considered for membership in the year in which they are nominated and do not require sponsors.
Branch executive committees review candidates, and their recommendations are reviewed by the membership committee and presented to the Board of Governors for final approval.
Membership selection is based on professional qualifications, with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority. Of the 2026 invited class, 42% are women, 56% belong to underrepresented communities and 53% are from 60 countries and territories outside the United States.
If all 2026 invitees accept academy membership, the total members (including Emeritus) will be 11,319. The number of voting members will be 10,338, taking it over 10,000 for the first time.
With the addition of the 2026 new member class, the academy would be 36% women, 25% from underrepresented communities and 22% international.
Demographic information is provided by the candidate when possible or projected through publicly available research and will be confirmed by members upon acceptance.
The focus on globalization was seen in a brief joint statement issued by Academy CEO Bill Kramer and academy president Lynette Howell Taylor. “We are delighted to invite this remarkable group of film artists and professionals from around the world to join the Academy,” they wrote. “Through their commitment to filmmaking, this year’s exceptionally talented class has made significant contributions to our global movie industry.”
Here are the 2026 invitees to join the academy from the two branches of greatest interest to the music community — the music branch and the actors branch.
Music Branch
Sara Bareilles – Come See Me in the Good Light, Battle of the Sexes
Vishal Bhardwaj – Crazxy, Gustaakh Ishq
Suad Bushnaq – Yunan, Hobal
Arturo Cardelús – Dragonkeeper, Black Beach
Angela Rose Claverie – Silent Night, The Nun 2
EJAE – KPop Demon Hunters
Karim Sebastian Elias – Cutting through Rocks, Of Fathers and Sons
James Fauntleroy – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Dolemite Is My Name
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe – Seeds, Candyman
Haim Mazar – Self-Help, Desperation Road
Denise Okimoto – Dead Man’s Wire, First They Killed My Father
Felipe Pacheco – Sinners, Oppenheimer
Laetitia Pansanel-Garric – Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake, Hola Frida
Nicolas Rabæus – Hello Betty, Thunder
Hania Rani – Sentimental Value, The Summer Book
Ryan Romeyn Rubin – F1, Dune
Batu Sener – Atatürk 1881-1919, Better Man
Glenn Evan Slater – Spellbound, Tangled
Mark Sonnenblick – KPop Demon Hunters, Spirited
Daniel Waldman – Knives Out, Joker
DeVaughn Watts – The Wild Robot, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Oren Yaacoby – KPop Demon Hunters, Spirited
Ben Zales – Freakier Friday, Ballerina
Actors Branch
Mathieu Amalric – The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jon Bernthal – King Richard, Ford v Ferrari
Raúl Briones – La Cocina, A Cop Movie
Kenneth Choi – Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Wolf of Wall Street
Jemaine Clement – Avatar: The Way of Water, What We Do in the Shadows
Paddy Considine – The Death of Stalin, In America
David Dastmalchian – Oppenheimer, Dune
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù – My Father’s Shadow, His House
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein, Saltburn
Veronica Ferres – The Comedian, Schtonk!
Stephen Fry – Love & Friendship, Gosford Park
Josh Gad – Marshall, Frozen
Julia Garner – Weapons, The Assistant
Mia Goth – Frankenstein, Pearl
Wood Harris – One Battle after Another, Remember the Titans
Suzy Eddie Izzard – Victoria & Abdul, Ocean’s Twelve
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value, Women in Oversized Men’s Shirts
Simu Liu – Barbie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Scoot McNairy – A Complete Unknown, Argo
Tig Notaro – Am I OK?, Instant Family
Josh O’Connor – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Challengers
Jenna Ortega – Death of a Unicorn, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Daniella Pineda – The Accountant 2, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Lily Rabe – The Tender Bar, Miss Stevens
Anthony Ramos – A House of Dynamite, In the Heights
Miguel Sandoval – Tortilla Heaven, Clear and Present Danger
Bill Skarsgård – Dead Man’s Wire, Nosferatu
Jenny Slate – Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Obvious Child
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another, A Thousand and One
