This year's contenders for the 88th Academy Awards, Visual Effects Award look pretty promising. 
20 is the maximum number allowed for the VFX shortlist, under a new Academy rule.

From the list, it looks like next year's Oscars will be a tough match. Films like 'Jurassic World', 'Mad Max: Fury Road' and 'Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron' feels like a sure-in for the nominations voting, while 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' is probably a frontrunner, though we have not caught the movie. 

Last year's winner for the VFX category went to 'Interstellar'.



The films are listed below in alphabetical order:
    “Ant-Man”
    “Avengers: Age of Ultron”
    “Bridge of Spies”
    “Chappie”
    “Everest”
    “Ex Machina”
    “Furious Seven”
    “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2”
    “In the Heart of the Sea”
    “Jupiter Ascending”
    “Jurassic World”
    “Mad Max: Fury Road”
    “The Martian”
    “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”
    “The Revenant”
    “Spectre”
    “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
    “Terminator Genisys”
    “Tomorrowland”
    “The Walk”

The Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the preliminary shortlist.  This year, in the Visual Effects category, the number of eligible films initially shortlisted for further consideration was increased to a maximum of 20 titles. The number of films that will be shortlisted for nominations voting remains at 10, which will be announced later this month.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.



Which film are you rooting for and what are your predictions?