Oscars 2013: Best Actress Category Too Close to Call

Jennifer Lawrence is the frontrunner but critics say it's a tight race.

ByABC News
February 21, 2013, 1:16 PM

Feb. 22, 2013— -- While critics are already calling Daniel Day-Lewis the winner in the Best Actor category of Sunday's Oscars, the race for Best Actress is much tighter.

The category includes two-time Academy Award nominees Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence and Naomi Watts, 85-year-old Emmanuelle Riva and 9-year-old Quvenzahne Wallis, who are both up for their first Oscar.

"It's such a slam dunk for Daniel," Thom Geier, a senior editor for Entertainment Weekly, told ABCNews.com. "There are a lot of other races that are a lot more competitive. I think best actress could be a surprise… So I think if there is any huge upsets in a major category, [best actress] is the one to watch."

With the exception of Watts, each of the actresses have already snagged a trophy this awards season. Chastain scored the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama as well as the Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress for her role in "Zero Dark Thirty."

Want to learn about some of the best moments in Oscar's history? Click below. Otherwise, read on for more about this year's Best Actress award.

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