List of Generation Z Academy Award winners and nominees

This article is a list of the filmmakers, actors, actresses, and others born from 1997 to 2012, colloquially known as Generation Z (shortened for Gen Z or Zoomers), to be nominated or win an Academy Award starting in the early 2010s.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Madison in 2024

Main article: Academy Award for Best Actress

Year	Name	Born	Film	Status	Notes
2012 (85th)	Quvenzhané Wallis	August 28, 2003	Beasts of the Southern Wild	Nominated	Wallis is the first person born in 21st century to be nominated for an Oscar in any category. [1] [2] [a]
2024 (97th)	Mikey Madison	March 25, 1999	Anora	Won	Madison is the first person of Gen Z to win in any acting category. [3]

Best Original Song

Main article: Academy Award for Best Original Song

H.E.R. in 2022

O'Connell in 2025

Eilish in 2019

Year	Name	Born	Film	Status	Notes
2020 (93rd)	H.E.R.	June 27, 1997	Judas and the Black Messiah	Won	H.E.R. is the first (and so far, only) Black and Filipino-American woman of Gen Z to win Best Original Song. [4]
2021 (94th)	Finneas O'Connell Billie Eilish	July 30, 1997 December 18, 2001	No Time to Die	Won	O'Connell and Eilish are the first siblings of Gen Z to be nominated and win an Academy Award; Eilish became the first person born in the 21st century to win in any category. [5]
2023 (96th)			Barbie	Won	O'Connell and Eilish are the first siblings of Gen Z to win more than once; Eilish became the first person born in 21st century to win more than once as well as the youngest two-time winner in Academy Awards history. [5]

Best Visual Effects

Main article: Academy Award for Best Visual Effects

Year	Name	Born	Film	Status	Notes
2023 (96th)	Tatsuji Nojima	October 13, 1998	Godzilla Minus One	Won	Nojima is the first person of Gen Z (and remains the youngest) to win Best Visual Effects, and the first non-American of Gen Z for a non-English-language film to win. [6] [7] [8]

See also

• List of Academy Award records
• List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of Millennial Academy Award winners and nominees

Notes

1. While remains as the only person born in the 21st century to be nominated for an acting Oscar, Wallis holds the additional distinction of being the youngest living Oscar nominee by present age, as of 2024.

References

1. Blakely, Rhys (January 10, 2013). "Youngest v oldest actress vie for Oscar as Lincoln leads the pack". The Times . Retrieved 2013-01-10.
2. Walker, Tim (January 10, 2013). "Quvenzhané Wallis v Emmanuelle Riva: Best actress Oscar contested by oldest and youngest ever nominees". The Independent . Retrieved 2013-01-10.
3. Galuppo, Mia (March 2, 2025). "'Anora' Star Mikey Madison Wins Best Actress in Oscars Upset". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 22, 2025.
4. Howat, Daniel (2024-03-14). "Every Oscar Winner Born In The 1990s". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
5. Grein, Paul (March 10, 2024). "Billie Eilish's 'Barbie' Ballad Becomes 10th Song to Win Both Oscar & Top Songwriting Grammy: Full List". Billboard . Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
6. Hilary, Lewis. "2024 Oscar Nominations (Updating Live)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
7. "The 96th Academy Awards (2024) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Retrieved March 2, 2024.
8. Lang, Brent; Moreau, Jordan (March 10, 2024). "'Oppenheimer' Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director: Full Winners List". Variety . Retrieved March 24, 2024.