Oscars 2026: New Zealander Kate Hawley wins for work on Frankenstein, Wētā FX win for Avatar
Monday, 16 March 2026
New Zealander Kate Hawley has won the Oscar for Best Costume Design for her work on Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, while Wellington-headquartered digital visual effects and computer animation company Wētā FX has won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
Accepting the Best Costume Design award on Monday (NZT) at a ceremony at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, from actor Anne Hathaway and former editor-in-chief of Vogue Dame Anna Wintour, Hawley said: “On behalf of myself and the amazing team that I work with ‒ the artisans, the alchemists, the dream-weavers ‒ we’re so grateful to the Academy for recognising our craft.”
She continued: “…And Guillermo [del Toro] ‒ I’m not going to cry ‒ thank you for the vision and for taking us on your journey, it’s been a great privilege to be a part of it; all our nominations are your nominations, we share this with you, a big shout out to our fantastic cast.
“And my family who have put up with a lot of shit.”
Hawley’s father, Tim Hawley, told The Post he was very proud of his daughter for her achievements. “She's worked very hard to get to this level.”
The designer had been exposed to costuming and design from an early age, he said, through Tim’s role as an opera singer for two decades.
Renowned for her work in fantasy and sci-fi films, it was Hawley’s first Oscar nomination and win. Her other film credits include Pacific Rim (2013), Crimson Peak (2015), and Suicide Squad (2016). She also worked on Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, The Lovely Bones (2009), and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power television series (2022).
Hawley grew up in Wellington and in February also won the Best Costume Design BAFTA for Frankenstein.
Avatar: Fire and Ash, a film chiefly created in New Zealand, was also a nominee in the Best Costume Design category, for Los Angeles-based Deborah L Scott, who previously won the Costume Design Oscar for Titanic (1997).
Frankenstein, an American Gothic science fiction drama based on the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley, also won the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, for Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, and Cliona Furey. It stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Creature, with Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz in supporting roles.
Wētā FX wins Best Visual Effects
Also at the ceremony, Miramar-based Wētā FX claimed the Best Visual Effects award for James Cameron’s science fiction epic Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Representing more than 1200 Wētā FX crew who contributed to the film, honourees Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett said in a statement: “We are overwhelmed with gratitude and deeply honoured … To be recognised by the Academy is something we never take lightly. This award represents years of passion, risk, collaboration, and an unwavering belief in what cinema can achieve when artistry and technology move together in service of story.”
The trio continued: “Hundreds of artists, engineers, technicians, and production partners poured their hearts into every frame. This honour belongs to all of them.”
Wētā FX has worked with Cameron and his company Lightstorm Entertainment for the last 20 years.
The trio said they were grateful to Lightstorm and the Walt Disney Company for their trust, steadfast support, and belief in ambitious filmmaking, which they said “gives us the courage to push boundaries and explore new creative ground”.
“We also want to acknowledge the extraordinary film community of New Zealand. The talent, generosity, and collaborative spirit here are unlike anywhere else. It is a privilege to create alongside such dedicated and innovative people, and to bring world-class filmmaking to the global stage from this remarkable corner of the world,” they said.
It was Letteri’s sixth Oscar win, and Saindon and Barrett’s second, with all three having received an award for Avatar: The Way of Water in 2023.
Wētā FX also won the Special Visual Effects BAFTA for Avatar: Fire and Ash in London last month.