Winner of the Oscar Contest 2022

Oscar Contest Winner 2 Shy of Perfect!

In a cinematic award season that has stymied professional movie critics around the globe, a 14-year-old Beaver County film fanatic has achieved the top score in our Oscar contest, missing only the categories of Animated Short and Documentary Short.

Breyden Stephenson of Patterson Township, an eighth-grade musical theater major at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, snagged the Theater’s Date Night Package.

Following the awards season since January, Stephenson tagged Belfast as his early favorite. But more recently, like so many professional critics, he vacillated between CODA and The Power of the Dog. Watching CODA with us on Saturday cemented his decision.

“CODA not being nominated for Best Director was throwing me off,” Stephenson said. But as a singer himself, he saw CODA as “more relatable.”

Patron Paul Camacho of Ohio Township, a past Oscar contest winner, received Honorable Mention passes, missing only one more category than Stephenson. Like Stephenson, Camacho initially favored Belfast, but he followed CODA’s awards trajectory and was convinced it would win. Best Actress was his next toughest category, but Camacho picked Jessica Chastain over Nicole Kidman.

And now he expects to use his pass this week to watch the excellence in craft illustrated in Oscar-sweeping Dune.

Congratulations to our winners, and thanks to all of our entrants!