Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Bella Ramsey
Liane Hentscher/HBO
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Commentary (Updated June 16, 2025): The race for outstanding lead actress in a drama series is intense, with 75 viable contenders competing for only five available slots.
Bella Ramsey, with the potential to secure her second Emmy nomination, is on the brink of making history. In 2023, she became the fourth-youngest drama actress nominee of all time, a feat achieved by only a few, including Melissa Sue Anderson, Claire Danes, and Kristy McNichol. The current record for the youngest winner in the category was set in 2020 by 24-year-old Zendaya for “Euphoria,” who took the title from the previous year’s winner, Jodie Comer (26, for “Killing Eve”). If nominated, Ramsey would also make history as the first openly nonbinary performer recognized in this category. They came out as nonbinary in 2023. (Emma Corrin, who portrayed Princess Diana in Season 4 of “The Crown” in 2020, came out as queer and nonbinary the following year and updated their pronouns to they/them on Instagram.)
Other ingénues in contention include Lovie Simone for “Forever” and Sophie Nélisse for “Yellowjackets,” who is submitted alongside her twice-nominated co-star, Melanie Lynskey.
And then there’s Kathy Bates, who has returned to network television with her charming work in “Matlock,” delivering a masterclass that has already earned her a Critics Choice statuette. A titan of stage and screen, she’s poised to make Emmy history this year. If she receives a nom, she will become the oldest nominee ever in the lead drama actress category — at the age of 77. Born June 28, 1948, she would be just two weeks past her birthday when the 2025 Emmy nominations are announced on July 17. Should her name be called — as many believe she’s the current frontrunner in the category — she would surpass the record held by Angela Lansbury, who was 70 when she received her final nomination in 1996 for “Murder, She Wrote.”
The Emmys eligibility period ends May 31. Nomination voting runs from June 12 to June 23, with official nominations set to be announced on July 15.
(The list of predicted nominees and contenders is incomplete and will be updated every Thursday throughout the TV Awards season.)
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And the Predicted Contenders Are:
Image Credit: Dan Doperalski !function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}}))}();
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More Information (Lead Actress Drama)
2024 category winner: Anna Sawai, “Shogun” (FX) — Season 1
Christopher Polk!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}}))}();
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About the Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, commonly known as the Emmys, are awarded by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Established in 1949, these celebrate outstanding achievements in American primetime television. The Emmys are categorized into three divisions: the Primetime Emmy Awards for performance and production excellence; the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, recognizing achievements in artistry and craftsmanship; and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards, which honor significant engineering and technological advancements. The eligibility period typically extends from June 1 to May 31 each year. The Television Academy hosts the Emmys and has over 20,000 members across 30 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors, artisans and executives.
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