The ballots for the Academy Awards are finally in. Who will win? These question and more will be answered when the Oscars air this weekend, closing out Awards Season. This Sunday, Feb. 22, the winners will be revealed. With months of campaigning behind the them, all they can do now is hope for the best.

The Weinstein Company

The cards sure have shifted for several of the major players since the Academy announced the nominations back in January. The four major acting categories have played out pretty much as planned. Recent surprises include The Imitation Game picking up major awards at the Writers Guild and Birdman sweeping the Directors Guild and Producers Guild. Here are some predictions for the major awards of what could happen come Oscar night.

Best Supporting Actress

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

Mason/Ellar Over The Years Via: http://nprfreshair.tumblr.com/

Come Oscar night Arquette should walk away with the Award. Arquette has already won the Golden Globe and the SAG Award for her twelve-year commitment in Boyhood. All of these actresses truly had terrific performances. Arquette had the most compelling performance playing Mason and Samantha’s mother. Arquette delivered a raw, emotional, and engaging performance and she is my pick for the award.

Best Supporting Actor

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

via: Sony Picture Classic/ http://flowintothecity.tumblr.com/

If anyone but J.K Simmons walked away with this one, it would probably be the biggest surprise of the night. Simmons has walked away with pretty much every award he was nominated for this season. His role as a tenacious, overbearing, and headstrong jazz conductor is sure to win him the award on Sunday night.

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

Moore in Still Alice via: Sony Pictures Classic

Julianne Moore has been nominated four previous times for an Oscar and has won zero of them. Sunday night that will all change. Moore had a dramatic onscreen transformation as a professor with early on-set Alzheimer’s. I guess the fifth time will be the charm.

Best Actor

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

Focus Features via: http://xoxoeddie.tumblr.com/

Now, here are where things start to get heated. My prediction is for Redmayne to walk away with the award. However, Keaton has been gaining major ground for his comeback performance in Birdman. The Academy also has a history of giving the award to older actors, therefore leaving Redmayne in the dust. Bradley Cooper could also be the surprise of the night in this category. American Sniper is the highest grossing Oscar film this season. Cooper also holds three consecutive nominations and this could finally be his time. Still, I’m putting my money on Redmayne and his stunning transforming playing Stephan Hawking.

Best Director 

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

Fox Searchlight Pictures via: http://foxsearchlightpictures.tumblr.com/tagged/Birdman

Hot off of its win at the DGA’s, Iñárritu seems to be a shoe-in for this award. Linklater is also a huge player in this category for what he pulled off. Both films are super original and one of a kind. I’m picking Linklater on this one.

Best Picture

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

Fox Searchlight Pictures via: http://foxsearchlightpictures.tumblr.com/tagged/Birdman

Back in January, I would have put money on Boyhood to win Best Picture. Since then, Birdman has caught up in the rankings by walking away with the main award at the SAG’s, the Producers Guild, and the Directors Guild. The majority of past winners from the DGA’s have gone on to win the Best Picture at the Oscars. While I am still not sold on this whole Birdman thing, I do have to admit it had the best acting performances this season. As a whole however, I thought Boyhood was a one of a kind story that the Oscars should honor. If I were voting I would pick Boyhood. However, for sake of predicting the winner, I am going to have to pick Birdman.

The winners of the 87th Academy Awards will be announced on Sunday, Feb. 22. Click here for full coverage on awards season and good luck to all the nominees!