The 98th Academy Awards delivered a surprising and historic moment when the Best Live-Action Short Film category ended in a rare tie — something that has happened only a handful of times in the Oscars’ nearly 100-year history.

Actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani, who presented the award, stunned the audience when he opened the envelope and announced, “It’s a tie! I’m not joking! It’s actually a tie.”

For a few seconds, the audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles appeared confused, unsure whether such a result was even possible.

Two films share the honour

The award was shared by the short films “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva.” Both winning teams appeared surprised when they walked onto the stage to accept their Oscars.

Several members of the teams reportedly admitted that they were unaware that the Academy Awards could result in tied winners.

Nanjiani lightened the unexpected moment by explaining that he would announce one winner first, allow them to come on stage, and then invite the second team to receive the award.

One of the rarest moments in Oscars history

The tie marks only the seventh instance in the history of the Academy Awards that two winners have shared an Oscar in the same category.

Since the Oscars began nearly a century ago, more than 2,000 awards have been presented, making tied results extremely rare.

The very first tie happened in 1932, when actors Wallace Beery (The Champ) and Fredric March (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) shared the Best Actor award.

Other rare ties have occurred in documentary categories over the decades, including the 1950 Best Documentary Short Subject and the 1987 Best Documentary Feature.

One of the most memorable ties in Oscars history occurred in 1969, when Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter) and Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl) shared the Best Actress award.

More recently, the 2013 Oscars saw another tie when Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty jointly won the Best Sound Editing category.

With the 2026 ceremony now joining this exclusive list, the unexpected result has already become one of the most talked-about moments of the night