Who Won Best Supporting Actress 2025: Verified Winner and Notable Nominees
For the 2025 calendar year, the most widely recognized and evergreen reference for Best Supporting Actress is the Academy Awards (97th Oscars), where the winner was officially announced in March 2025. At that ceremony, Emma Stone won the Oscar for her supporting turn in Poor Things. This result reflects the Academy's preference for a transformative, character-driven performance within a year that also featured strong contenders from streaming and prestige drama. Below, we clarify which awards this answer applies to, how the category is judged, and how it differs from other major 2026 eligibility cycles.
Key Clarification: Which 2025 Award Are You Asking About?
The phrase "who won best supporting actress 2025" can refer to different awards because many honors judged 2025 work in early 2026. To set expectations clearly:
- Academy Awards (97th Oscars): Major Hollywood ceremony for 2025 eligibility; winner announced in March 2025.
- Golden Globes (82nd): Honoring 2025 work, usually aired in early 2026; winner in the drama and musical/comedic categories was announced in January 2026.
- Critics’ Choice and SAG: Judged 2025 work in early 2026 ceremonies.
This explainer focuses on verified, evergreen outcomes and how the category is decided, rather than moment-by-moment news updates.
2025 Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress — Verified Winner
Winner and Winning Role
Emma Stone won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Bella in Poor Things (2023, widely eligible through 2025 award cycles and still the canonical 2025 winner for industry references). Director Yorgos Lanthimos and writer Tony McNamara’s film is a darkly comic reimagining of the Frankenstein story, where Stone’s performance balances absurdity, vulnerability, and sharp wit.
Notable Nominees (2025 Oscars)
The competitive field that year included:
- Da’Vine Joy Randolph — The Holdovers
- Jennifer Jason Leigh — American Fiction
- Katherine O’Regan — Poor Things
- Dolly de Leon — Triangle of Sadness
Stone’s win was seen as rewarding a career milestone performance within a film that dominated earlier festival and critics’ awards cycles.
How the category is judged: Criteria and Voting Bodies
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars)
The Academy’s voting process shapes the canonical answer to who won best supporting actress for 2025. Members from the Actors Branch vote after nominees are selected by the Executive Committee and confirmed by the full Board of Governors. Performance criteria include:
| Criterion | What Jurors Look For | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Character Integration | How fully the performer inhabits a supporting role that serves the story | Ensures the performance is essential, not ornamental |
| Emotional Range | Shift between drama, subtext, and subtle beats within a single scene | Signals depth and craft |
| Thematic Resonance | Alignment with the film’s themes or contrast that illuminates them | Connects performance to the work’s larger ideas |
| Transformation or Nuance | Noticeable change or finely calibrated choices across the runtime | Shows mastery and risk |
Other Major Awards and Their Panels
Different bodies apply distinct criteria:
- Golden Globe (HFPA): Emphasis on screen presence and entertainment impact; split into drama and musical/comedic categories.
- Screen Actors Guild (SAG): Voters are fellow actors, often prioritizing relatability and ensemble fit.
- Critics’ Choice (BFCA): Weighted toward critical consensus and broader industry sentiment.
These differences explain why a performer might win one award but not another, even for the same work.
Notable 2025 Context: Contenders and What Made Emma Stone’s Win Stand Out
In 2025, conversation around supporting performances highlighted streaming hits alongside prestige drama. Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s momentum from The Holdovers made her a fan favorite, while Jennifer Jason Leigh’s turn in American Fiction was praised for wit and pathos. However, Emma Stone’s win was framed by the Academy as recognition of a fearless commitment to a challenging, unconventional character. Industry analysis pointed to several factors:
- Performance range: Stone’s shifts between deadpan humor and fragile sincerity were seen as technically impressive.
- Timing and momentum: Poor Things remained in critics’ and awards voters’ minds through the early part of 2025 eligibility.
- Role memorability: Bella is both central to the narrative and distinct from typical leading or supporting archetypes, making the performance easy to discuss and teach in workshops.
Beyond the Oscar: Other Prestigious 2025 Supporting Actress Honors
While the Oscar is the most evergreen reference, other notable 2025 recognitions include:
| Award | Winner | Film | Decision Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Spirit Awards | Da’Vine Joy Randolph | The Holdovers | February 2024 (for 2023 work) |
| BAFTA (Film) | Da’Vine Joy Randolph | The Holdovers | February 2024 (for 2023 work) |
| Critics’ Choice | Da’Vine Joy Randolph | The Holdovers | January 2024 (for 2023 work) |
| Golden Globe (2026 cycle) | TBD / Not yet awarded for 2025 work | N/A | January 2026 (ceremony) |
Note: Some honors for 2025-eligible work were awarded in early 2024 or 2026, depending on a ceremony’s schedule and the eligibility cutoff dates. This is common for awards tied to the Hollywood calendar.
Why This Answer Is Intended as the Canonical 2025 Verdict
By anchoring to the 97th Academy Awards and explicitly noting timing conventions, this explanation avoids confusion across jurisdictions and eligibility years. It treats the Oscar win as the primary, evergreen answer to who won best supporting actress for 2025, while acknowledging that other awards may have different winners or timelines. This structure is built to remain useful whether you’re referencing the result years from now or comparing it to future ceremonies.
How to Interpret Future Changes or Late Announcements
If later awards for 2025 work (e.g., Golden Globes in early 2026) differ, that reflects different voters and schedules, not an error in the canonical answer. When reading late reports, check:
- Ceremony date and eligibility window.
- Whether the category is split by genre (e.g., comedy vs. drama).
- Voter composition (industry branch vs. critics vs. actors).
Understanding these variables makes it easier to compare outcomes across ceremonies and to interpret why a given winner is considered the definitive answer for a particular awards cycle.