'The Singers' and 'Two People Exchanging Saliva' TIE for Best Live Action Short Film; Netizens ask 'Since when can you tie an Oscar'

In a rare moment at the 98th Academy Awards, the films 'The Singers' and 'Two People Exchanging Saliva', tied for the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.

The unusual tie quickly sparked reactions online. Many viewers were left surprised by the announcement, prompting them to take to social media to question how two films could win the same award. “A TIE????” one user wrote, while another asked, “Since when can u tie an oscar?”







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Netizens react to the Best Live Action Short Film tie

Others shared similar disbelief, posting messages such as, “I didn’t even know you could tie for an Oscar????” and “wdym a tie for an oscar for best short film... they can do tht?” Another user wrote, “Wait can someone tell me how the oscar for best short film can be a tie?!?”








Films that have tied at the Oscars

While the result shocked many viewers, as per reports, ties are allowed under Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rules if two nominees receive the exact same number of votes. Although rare, the Academy Awards have seen six official ties in their history. One of the earliest occurred in 1932 when Fredric March for 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' and Wallace Beery for 'The Champ' shared the Best Actor prize. At the time, March had technically received one more vote, but Academy rules then allowed a tie if nominees were within three votes of each other. Following that incident, the Academy reportedly amended its rules so that ties would only be recognised if nominees received an identical vote count.

The most famous tie in Oscars history came in 1969, when Katharine Hepburn won for 'The Lion in Winter' and Barbra Streisand also picked up the award for 'Funny Girl', both receiving 3,030 votes.

Other notable ties include the Best Documentary Feature award in 1987, which was shared by 'Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got' and 'Down and Out in America'; the Best Live-Action Short Film tie in 1995 between 'Trevor' and 'Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life'; and the Best Sound Editing tie in 2013 between 'Zero Dark Thirty' and 'Skyfall'.

Although a shocker, this tie now joins that exclusive list, of rare and memorable moments in Academy Awards history.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”