Thus far, the awards season contenders for 2016 have included a number of clear and obvious frontrunners, with the heavyhearted drama Manchester by the Sea directed by Kenneth Lonergan and the throwback movie musical La La Land directed by Damien Chazelle already garnering a lot of attention - especially considering the fact that the National Board of Review has already named Lonergan's latest production as being the best film of the year. In addition the full list of Golden Globes nominees and the Critics' Choice Awards winners, several judges have also seen fit to recognize the indie darling Moonlight, so the competition leading up to the 2017 Oscars ceremony is all set to be a close race.

From the performances given by the likes of Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams in Manchester by the Sea, to Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone's stirring musical numbers in La La Land, the Screen Actors Guild undoubtedly had quite the task ahead of them when they went about the selecting the very best performances of the year to recognize in turn. Now the full list of 2016 SAG nominees has been announced, too.

The nominations for the 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood by Sophia Bush and Common. Manchester by the Sea led the pack with a grand total of four separate nominations, including ensemble cast, Affleck for best actor, Williams for supporting actress, and Lucas Hedges for supporting actor. Behind that were Denzel Washington's Fences and Moonlight at three nominations a piece - with Washington in direct competition with Affleck and Gosling for best actor.

See the full list of nominees below:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

• Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea
• Andrew Garfield - Hacksaw Ridge
• Ryan Gosling - La La Land
• Viggo Mortensen - Captain Fantastic
• Denzel Washington - Fences

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

• Amy Adams - Arrival
• Emily Blunt - The Girl on the Train
• Natalie Portman - Jackie
• Emma Stone - La La Land
• Meryl Streep - Florence Foster Jenkins

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

• Mahershala Ali - Moonlight
• Jeff Bridges - Hell or High Water
• Hugh Grant - Florence Foster Jenkins
• Lucas Hedges - Manchester by the Sea
• Dev Patel - Lion

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

• Viola Davis - Fences
• Naomie Harris - Moonlight
• Nicole Kidman - Lion
• Octavia Spencer - Hidden Figures
• Michelle Williams - Manchester by the Sea

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

• Captain Fantastic
• Fences
• Hidden Figures
• Manchester by the Sea
• Moonlight

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• Riz Ahmed - The Night Of
• Sterling K. Brown - The People v. O.J. Simpson
• Bryan Cranston - All the Way
• John Turturro - The Night Of
• Courtney B. Vance - The People v. O.J. Simpson

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• Bryce Dallas Howard - Black Mirror
• Felicity Huffman - American Crime
• Audra McDonald - Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
• Sarah Paulson - The People v. O.J. Simpson
• Kerry Washington - Confirmation

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

• Sterling K. Brown - This Is Us
• Peter Dinklage - Game of Thrones
• John Lithgow - The Crown
• Rami Malek - Mr. Robot
• Kevin Spacey - House of Cards

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

• Millie Bobby Brown - Stranger Things
• Claire Foy - The Crown
• Thandie Newton - Westworld
• Winona Ryder - Stranger Things
• Robin Wright -House of Cards

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

• Anthony Anderson - Black-ish
• Tituss Burgess - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
• Ty Burrell - Modern Family
• William H. Macy - Shameless
• Jeffrey Tambor -Transparent

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

• Uzo Aduba - Orange is the New Black
• Jane Fonda - Grace and Frankie
• Ellie Kemper - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep
• Lily Tomlin - Grace and Frankie

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

• The Crown
• Downton Abbey
• Game of Thrones
• Stranger Things
• Westworld

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

• The Big Bang Theory
• Black-ish
• Modern Family
• Orange is the New Black
• Veep

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series

• Game of Thrones
• Marvel’s Daredevil
• Marvel’s Luke Cage
• The Walking Dead
• Westworld

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

• Captain America: Civil War
• Doctor Strange
• Hacksaw Ridge
• Jason Bourne
• Nocturnal Animals

Given the impressive list of films that came out this year, it was almost certainly going to be a packed roster of performances for the Screen Actors Guild to consider. Affleck and Washington definitely look like frontrunners for this years' competition,  although it might be wise to not rule out Hacksaw Ridge lead actor Andrew Garfield just yet.

Only time will tell which performers will go home with the top prizes at the 2016 Screen Actors' Guild Awards', even if general viewers might have their own respective opinions on the matter of who should win each nomination. Manchester by the Sea might be the most widely-recognized movie, but Moonlight and La La Land are probably its most clear competition.

Source: The Screen Actors Guild