The most coveted award at the Oscars is Best Picture and the 2015 award may have the closest finish in years.

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There are eight nominees for Best Picture at this year's Oscars, all of them vying for that top category of the night. While some contenders are a lot more likely to win than others, each of them has a shot at taking home the biggest award in the movie industry.

The 2015 nominees for Best Picture are:

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American Sniper

Birdman

Boyhood

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

Selma

The Theory of Everything

Whiplash

Some of these contenders can be ruled out, more or less, but only one will emerge as the Academy's choice for Best Picture of the year.

Here is Enstars' ranking of how likely each film is of winning Best Picture, from least to most likely.

8. Selma

It was apparent on Oscar nominations morning that Academy voters just did not respond to Selma in a way that people were predicting. With only one other nomination in Best Song, the civil rights drama likely got in by the skin of its teeth. While the #OscarSoWhite controversy has plagued the Academy in the weeks after the announcement, it doesn't seem likely that the film will be able to garner enough support to overcome more clearly beloved films.

7. The Theory of Everything

The Theory of Everything, based on the lives of Stephen and Jane Wilde Hawking, made it into a few other categories, such as Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Adapted Screenplay and Score, but they did not score any other nominations from tech categories. The film is sentimental and easy to love but it probably does not have as much passion as other nominees in this category.

6. Whiplash

Whiplash really broke out as a major contender on Oscar nomination morning. The indie drama about a ruthless jazz instructor pushing a young student to greatness has come a long way and it actually landed in many categories, from Supporting Actor to Editing and Sound Mixing. There will be a subsection of the Academy that goes for the film but it is still probably too "small" to win the big prize.

5. The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game is a movie that would seem primed for Oscar glory, from its setting of World War II to its story about a misunderstood genius striving for greatness (plus the British factor). It scored eight nominations in total, including Lead Actor, Supporting Actress and Director, which is a significant haul. Leading up to this point, though, it has mostly lost everything at other award shows and while it still has a chance of winning, it doesn't seem strong enough.

4. American Sniper

Simply put, American Sniper is far and away the populist pick in Best Picture. The war film has grossed more at the box office than all the other nominees combined and has entered the cultural zeitgeist. There is no real precedent for the success of the film considering it wasn't nominated at practically any other award show. For this reason, there is a real chance that it could pull of a surprise upset in Best Picture. However, it does lack the all-important Best Director nomination and some of the more liberal voters may be turned off by it.

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Co-leading the nomination total with Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a technical marvel that is already predicted to win multiple categories at the Oscars. The colorful film has a lot of passion behind it and it is difficult to find people who absolutely hate it. It has won a lot of awards leading up to the Oscars, but not as much as the two frontrunners. Do not be surprised, though, if they are too divisive, allowing The Grand Budapest Hotel to sneak in and surprise.

2. Birdman

Birdman is the type of late-breaking frontrunner that often signals Best Picture. The movie industry satire is very timely in its commentary on superhero movies and the value of art versus commerce. The film has clearly resonated with the industry, having won the SAG, the PGA and the DGA awards, often considered the biggest indicators of a Best Picture win. It is very likely that Birdman will take home the top prize despite this second place ranking. But is its cynical message and quirky sensibility a bit too out-of-step with a more traditional Academy?

1. Boyhood

Ultimately, Boyhood feels like the most likely winner for Best Picture, if only by a hair. The small indie film, which was filmed over the course of 12 years, has had a stellar run up to the Oscars, with wins at the Golden Globes, the BAFTA and numerous critics organizations. There is a certain warmness to it that allows viewers both young and old to relate to it. It has not been wholly embraced by the industry up to this point, but in an Academy of over 6,000 members, Boyhood feels more like a consensus film than Birdman does. However, it is a very close call with either film having about the same likelihood of being announced on Sunday.

It should make for exciting television since Best Picture is always the last award announced, allowing a certain amount of suspense to build up over the course of the evening.

The 2015 Academy Awards air live on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT on ABC.

Tags: Oscars Oscars 2015 Birdman Boyhood American Sniper The Grand Budapest Hotel The Theory of Everything selma Whiplash The Imitation Game