Scott Kernen is a film critic, filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes contributor whose lifelong obsession with movies began when Toy Story became the very first film he ever watched—prompting his actual first spoken words, "To infinity and beyond!"
At just 24 years old, Scott has already carved out a big space in film journalism. He breaks down the Academy Awards race every week in his "NextGen Oscarwatcher" column for Awards Daily and co-hosts the weekly movie podcast Frontrunners & Challengers. His fresh perspective and dedicated awards coverage earned him a spot in the official press pool for the 2026 Oscars. While he loves keeping score on the Oscar race, Scott covers all genres of film, from massive blockbusters to indie darlings.
Scott graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a bachelor's degree in Filmmaking and a concentration in Directing. For his senior thesis, he wrote, produced, and directed the short film Anything You Want, which features a starring role from Bill Murray.
You can follow his latest award predictions and film takes on Twitter @scott_kernen and read his work at awardsdaily.com.
