This past weekend was a marathon for the Oscar race as four major precursors were handed out showcasing how divisive this awards competition is looking to be.

The New York Film Critics Online, Los Angeles Film Critics, Boston Society of Film Critics and Boston Film Critics Online all handed out their annual awards and showed some consensus in the Best Picture category but in the acting categories there was a mix of winners.

Best Picture

After winning the Best Picture at the Gothams, "Spotlight" continued to have a strong showing as it won the LA Film Critics, Boston Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Online. The film came into the weekend with high hopes especially after having underwhelmed with the New York Film Critics. This weekend's three wins now put "Spotlight" as the front-runner to win the Best Picture.

However, "Spotlight" still has a big challenger and that seems to be "Mad Max: Fury Road." After having won at the National Board of Review, it seemed like the win would be a fluke. Except the Boston Film Critics Online named it the Best Picture of the year, and the film also won a number of awards throughout the day in directing, cinematography and editing categories. Coming into awards season "Mad Max: Fury Road" was a question mark but now seems to be a real contender in the big picture category.

Best Director

This category continues to be a mystery. George Miller took home the award with the LA Film Critics and the Boston Film Critics Online, only showing the strength of "Mad Max: Fury Road." Additionally, the win continues the trend of awarding directors for their technological and visual effects-driven films such as "Gravity" and "Life of Pi."

Todd Haynes won at the Boston Society of Film Critics for his work on "Carol" and with this win the film seems to to be yet another strong player in the race.

Meanwhile, Tom McCarthy won his first directing award for "Spotlight" at the New York Film Critics Online. However, the directing has not been a prominent figure in the race in this category, and there is a possibility the directing and picture awards will be split.

Best Actor

Coming into the critics' race it seems like Leonardo DiCaprio was the front-runner for the award. However, it seems like critics are split on the category. DiCaprio did win his first award for "The Revenant" with the Boston Society of Film Critics. However, he split the award with Paul Dano for "Love & Mercy." Dano also won at the New York Film Critics Online and it raises his wins total to three.

Dano won at the Gothams, but Roadside Attractions is campaigning him for Best Supporting Actor. His two wins this weekend are raising his profile and most likely his supporting bid could happen.

The prize also saw two other actors take home major prizes. Michael Fassbender won at the LA Film Critics for his role in "Steve Jobs." After losing steam because the film flopped, Fassbender's win definitely raises the film's profile and his possibilities of a nomination for the Oscar.

Finally, Michael B. Jordan surprised most pundits winning the Boston Film Critics Online for his role in "Creed." While the actor is not seen as a major player for the Oscars, if he continues to win awards he could easily be a serious contender.

Best Actress

The Best Actress category continued to be divisive and also showed how competitive this category is this year. Charlotte Rampling was the big winner of the weekend as she won at the LA Film Critics and Boston Society of Film Critics. The actress has been a question mark since the beginning of awards race because IFC is distributing the film and that company does not have as much traction with the Academy. However, Rampling has been gaining traction ever since winning at the Berlin Film Festival and garnering key nominations at the European and British Independent Film Awards.

Front-runner Brie Larson won for her role in "Room" at the New York Film Critics Online. However, the actress' performance is not gaining the traction that most pundits and critics expected.

Saoirse Ronan won her second award for her role in "Brooklyn." The 21-year-old actress took home the award at the Boston Film Critics Online and solidified her position as a front-runner for the Oscars.

Best Supporting Actor

In yet another wildcard category, Mark Rylance won two awards at the New York Film Critics Online and the Boston Society of Film Critics. The actor has become a favorite in the race for his role in "Bridge of Spies" and could be the second actor to win an Oscar for a Steven Spielberg film, a shocking statistic when one considers the auteur's track record; more shocking is the fact that no actor had won an Oscar for a performance in a Spielberg film until Daniel Day-Lewis pulled off the feat in 2012.

Michael Shannon surprised at the LA Film Critics for his role in "99 Homes." The film, which flopped at the box office, has been under the radar but this win could really help Shannon return to the conversation.

Meanwhile Sylvester Stallone picked up another key win for his role in "Creed." The actor won at the Boston Film Critics Online and continued to show strength as a potential Oscar front-runner.

Best Supporting Actress

Kristen Stewart continued to get support as she won yet another two critics prizes. The actress won at the Boston Film Critics Online and the Boston Society of Film Critics. This is the third win for the actress and if she continues to win this could be a boost for an Oscar nomination. Last year Marion Cotillard entered the Oscar race under the radar but after winning multiple critics awards, she eventually obtained an Oscar nomination. If Stewart continues to win with the critics the Academy may follow suit.

Alicia Vikander also surprised in this category as she won for her role in "Ex Machina" and not "The Danish Girl." The actress has had a great year as she had four films, but she could eventually split her vote with so many films.

Finally Rooney Mara took home her first Supporting Actress award at the New York Film Critics Online for her work in "Carol." The actress is technically a co-lead in the film, and that is causing a huge issue in the awards voting. If she continues to gain traction in this category, she could make the case for Best Supporting Actress.

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