Announcing their nominees a day ahead of their awards, D.C. has the quickest turnaround of all of the critics organizations that have nominations. Being so centrally located, it’s probably easier to get everyone to cast votes for the winners, though the internet makes it even more simple (if everyone’s already seen the nominees).

With its screenwriting nomination, Lincoln edged ahead of Les Misérables for most nominations. This is the bets showing Les Mis has had at the precursors to date, but that can also be said for The Master, which had been struggling through the precursors. Both films were expected to be competitors earlier in the year, but this is the first time they’ve actually shown that. Of course, when the winners are announced, the outlook could continue to look bleak, but at this point, it’s still an open race…unless you’re Lincoln or Zero Dark Thirty, both of which have already proven stalwart.

Nomination Tallies

(9) Lincoln
(8) Les Misérables
(7) The Master
(6) Zero Dark Thirty
(5) Argo
(4) Moonrise Kingdom
(3) Silver Linings Playbook

The Nominations

Best Film

Argo
Lincoln
Les Misérables
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Animated Feature

Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

Best Director

Ben Affleck – Argo
Paul Thomas Anderson – The Master
Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty
Tom Hooper – Les Misérables
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln

Best Actor

Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
John Hawkes – The Sessions
Hugh Jackman – Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Denzel Washington – Flight

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard – Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren – Hitchcock
Emmanuelle Riva – Amour

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin – Argo
Javier Bardem – Skyfall
Leonardo DiCaprio – Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams – The Master
Samantha Barks – Les Misérables
Sally Field – Lincoln
Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables
Helen Hunt – The Sessions

Best Original Screenplay

Django Unchained
Looper
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Adapted Screenplay

Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Silver Linings Playbook

Best Score

Beasts of the Southern Wild
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Lincoln
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom

Best Cinematography

Life of Pi
The Master
Les Misérables
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Art Direction

Anna Karenina
Cloud Atlas
Lincoln
Les Misérables
Moonrise Kingdom

Best Foreign Language Film

Amour
The Intouchables
I Wish
A Royal Affair
Rust and Bone

Best Documentary

Bully
The Imposter
The Invisible War
The Queen of Versailles
Searching for Sugar Man

Best Ensemble

Argo
Lincoln
Les Misérables
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Data

Year Founded: 2002
First Awards: 2002 (11)