'Star Wars,' 'Mad Max' and 'Martian' get Oscar nominations
The 2016 Oscars nominations shine a light on science-fiction.

The next Oscars ceremony looks to be an exciting one for geeks, with some of 2015's best sci-fi films nominated for major categories. Who could have imagined we'd actually see Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian as Best Picture contenders? Genre films typically get nominated for technical categories (things like sound mixing and editing), but over the past few years the Academy Awards has also become surprisingly inclusive for geekier fare.

You can take a look at the full Oscar nominations list here, but we've highlighted the sci-fi selections below.

Best Picture

• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Martian

Best Actor

• Matt Damon (The Martian)

Best Director

• George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Best Original Score

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Original Screenplay

• Alex Garland (Ex Machina)

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Drew Goddard (The Martian)

Best Production Design

• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Martian

Best Film Editing

• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Visual Effects

• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Ex Machina
• The Martian

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Sound Mixing

• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• The Martian

Best Sound Editing

• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• The Martian

Best Costume Design

• Mad Max: Fury Road

​Best Cinematography

• Mad Max: Fury Road