Gabourey Sidibe up for Oscar

Feb 2, 2010, 14:55 GMT

01/12/2010 - Gabourey Sidibe - 2010 National Board of Review Awards Gala - Arrivals - Cipriani\'s - New York City, NY, USA © Janet Mayer / PR Photos

Hollywood newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is to battle it out with Oscar veteran Meryl Streep for the Best Actress Academy Award.

The 26-year-old actress is up against Sandra Bullock and Carey Mulligan - both of whom are nominated for their first Academy Award - Dame Helen Mirren and Meryl for the Best Actress in a Leading Role accolade.

Gabourey was virtually unheard of before she played the role of troubled teenager Claireece 'Precious' Jones in the movie 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire' opposite Mariah Carey.

Meryl, 60, has now earned a total of 16 Oscar nominations throughout her career and she has so far won two Academy Awards.

Morgan Freeman's portrayal of former South African President Nelson Mandela in 'Invictus' has landed him a nomination in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category.

He will be fighting Colin Firth, Jeff Bridges, George Clooney and Jeremy Renner for the honour.

Leading the way with the most nominations is 3-D sci-fi adventure 'Avatar' with nine nods, including Best Picture, Best Cinematography and Best Music (Original Score), and 'The Hurt Locker', which also up for nine prizes.

This year sees the Best Picture category feature ten nominations instead of the usual five, with animated movie 'Up' and 'An Education' among the contenders.

The Best Actress in a Supporting Role category features Penelope Cruz for 'Nine' and Mo'Nique for 'Precious...' alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.

Matt Damon, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Plummer, Stanley Tucci and Christoph Waltz are all nominated for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role group.

Among the surprise nominations is 'Star Trek', which could potentially earn four awards, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects and Best Make-up.

The 82nd Academy Awards take place at Los Angeles' Kodak Theatre on March 2 and will be hosted Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

The 82nd Academy Awards full list of nominees:

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Jeff Bridges - 'Crazy Heart'

George Clooney - 'Up in the Air'

Colin Firth - 'A Single Man'

Morgan Freeman - 'Invictus'

Jeremy Renner - 'The Hurt Locker'

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Matt Damon - 'Invictus'

Woody Harrelson - 'The Messenger'

Christopher Plummer - 'The Last Station'

Stanley Tucci - 'The Lovely Bones'

Christoph Waltz - 'Inglourious Basterds'

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

Sandra Bullock - 'The Blind Side'

Helen Mirren - 'The Last Station'

Carey Mulligan - 'An Education'

Gabourey Sidibe - 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire'

Meryl Streep - 'Julie and Julia'

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Penelope Cruz - 'Nine'

Vera Farmiga - 'Up in the Air'

Maggie Gyllenhaal - 'Crazy Heart'

Anna Kendrick - 'Up in the Air'

Mo'Nique - 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire'

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:

'Coraline'

'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

'The Princess and the Frog'

'The Secret of Kells'

'Up'

Achievement in Art Direction:

'Avatar'

'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'

'Nine'

'Sherlock Holmes'

'The Young Victoria'

Achievement in Cinematography:

'Avatar'

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'The White Ribbon'

Achievement in Costume Design:

'Bright Star'

'Coco before Chanel'

'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'

'Nine'

'The Young Victoria'

Achievement in Directing:

'Avatar' - James Cameron

'The Hurt Locker' - Kathryn Bigelow

'Inglourious Basterds' - Quentin Tarantino

'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire' - Lee Daniels

'Up in the Air' - Jason Reitman

Best Documentary Feature:

'Burma VJ'

'The Cove'

'Food, Inc.'

'The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers'

'Which Way Home'

Best Documentary Short Subject:

'China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan, Province'

'The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner'

'The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant',

'Music by Prudence'

'Rabbit a la Berlin'

Achievement in Film Editing:

'Avatar'

'District 9'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire'

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year:

'Ajami' - Israel

'El Secreto de Sus Ojos' - Argentina

'The Milk of Sorrow' - Peru

'Un Prophete' - France

'The White Ribbon'- Germany

Achievement in Make-up:

'Il Divo'

'Star Trek'

'The Young Victoria'

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score):

'Avatar'

'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Sherlock Holmes'

'Up'

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song):

'Almost There' from 'The Princess and the Frog'

'Down in New Orleans' from 'The Princess and the Frog'

'Loin de Paname' from 'Paris 36'

'Take It All' from 'Nine'

'The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)' from 'Crazy Heart'

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

'Avatar'

'The Blind Side'

'District 9'

'An Education'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire'

'A Serious Man'

'Up'

'Up in the Air'

Best Animated Short Film:

'French Roast'

'Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty'

'The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)'

'Logorama'

'A Matter of Loaf and Death'

Best Live Action Short Film:

'The Door'

'Instead of Abracadabra'

'Kavi'

'Miracle Fish'

'The New Tenants'

Achievement in Sound Editing:

'Avatar'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'Star Trek'

'Up'

Achievement in Sound Mixing:

'Avatar'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'Star Trek'

'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'

Achievement in Visual Effects:

'Avatar'

'District 9'

'Star Trek'

Adapted Screenplay:

'District 9'

'An Education'

'In the Loop'

'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire'

'Up in the Air'

Original Screenplay:

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglourious Basterds'

'The Messenger'

'A Serious Man'

'Up'