The nominations for the 87th Academy Awards have been unveiled, and in just a few short weeks we will find out who the big winners of the 2015 Oscars are.

‘Birdman’ and ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ lead pack this year with nine nods each, while ‘The Imitation Game’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch follows closely with eight nominations.

‘American Sniper’ and ‘Boyhood’ received six nods, while ‘Foxcatcher,’ ‘Interstellar,’ ‘The Theory of Everything,’ and ‘Whiplash’ each received five nominations.

Jazz commentators have levied criticism at ‘Whiplash,’ much of it valid. However, there’s no denying that it represents a cinematic masterpiece that was bound to do well in the nominations, helped along by a fall release date, widespread critical acclaim, and hard lobbying for accolades by the film’s executive producers.

Fresh off a Golden Globe win last week, J. K. Simmons is also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ‘Whiplash.’

However, even seasoned critics are having difficulty predicting who will walk away with the Oscars this season. With an unusually strong batch of nominees in almost every category, this really could be anyone’s race.

Speaking of race, that is certainly something worth highlighting this year. As racial tensions continue run high after the media spent much of the year highlighting racism within police forces across the country, it seems that we’ve taken another step backwards as all 25 acting nominees white – This is just the second time this has happened in almost 20 years.

Many were surprised to see ‘Selma,’ Ava DuVernay’s chronicle of the ’60s civil rights movement, only receive nominations for Best Picture and Best Song; while the actors and director of the critically acclaimed film were completely shut out of the nominations despite hope that DuVernay would become the first ever black woman to be nominated for best director.

The Clark Terry documentary ‘Keep On Keepin’ On’ was also notably absent from the nominations, despite receiving widespread critical acclaim and picking up awards at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Waimea Ocean Film Festival, and many others.

‘Star Trek’ actor Chris Pine, ‘Star Trek’ director J.J. Abrams, ‘Gravity’ director Alfonso Cuarón, and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the nominees at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills earlier this morning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1G_C6ygtRA

The Academy Awards will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, and air live on February 22 on ABC at 7pm eastern/4pm pacific.

Check out the full list of nominees below:

Best Picture

American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Who won last year? – 12 Years a Slave

Best Director

Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman)
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher)
Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game)

Who won last year? Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)

Best Actor

Steve Carell (Foxcatcher)
Bradley Cooper (American Sniper)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)
Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

Who won last year? – Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night)
Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

Who won last year? – Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Duvall (The Judge)
Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)
Edward Norton (Birdman)
Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)
J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Who won last year? – Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Laura Dern (Wild)
Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)
Emma Stone (Birdman)
Meryl Streep (Into the Woods)

Who won last year? Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave)

Best Original Screenplay

Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler

Who won last year? – Her, Spike Jonze

Best Adapted Screenplay

American Sniper
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Who won last year? – 12 Years a Slave

Best Original Score

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Alexandre Desplat)
The Imitation Game (Alexandre Desplat)
Interstellar (Hans Zimmer)
Mr. Turner (Gary Yershon)
The Theory of Everything (Jóhann Jóhannsson)

Who won last year? – Gravity (Steven Price)

Best Original Song

“Everything Is Awesome” by Shawn Patterson (The Lego Movie)
“Glory” by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn (Selma)
“Grateful” by Diane Warren (Beyond the Lights)
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” by Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond (Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me)
“Lost Stars” by Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois (Begin Again)

Who won last year? – “Let It Go” (Frozen)

Best Animated Film

Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Who won last year? – Frozen

Best Cinematography

Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ida
Mr. Turner
Unbroken

Who won last year? – Gravity

Best Costume Design

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr. Turner

Who won last year? – The Great Gatsby

Best Documentary Feature

CitizenFour
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga

Who won last year? – 20 Feet from Stardom

Best Documentary Short Subject

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper (La Parka)
White Earth

Who won last year? – The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life

Best Film Editing

American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash

Who won last year? – Gravity

Best Foreign Language Film

Ida (Poland)
Leviathan (Russia)
Tangerines (Estonia)
Timbuktu (Mauritania)
Wild Tales (Argentina)

Who won last year? – The Great Beauty (Italy)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy

Who won last year? – Dallas Buyers Club

Best Production Design

The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner

Who won last year? – The Great Gatsby

Best Animated Short Film

The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life

Who won last year? – Mr. Hublot

Best Live Action Short Film

Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parveneh
The Phone Call

Who won last year? – Helium

Best Sound Editing

American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken

Who won last year? – Gravity

Best Sound Mixing

American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash

Who won last year? – Gravity

Best Visual Effects

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past

Who won last year? – Gravity