Leonardo DiCaprio Winning The Oscar Was Legit The Only Good Thing About 2016

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He was the focus of countless memes over the years, as he tried to achieve what no-one thought was possible.

He went against many different candidates on his way to the top, but ultimately took out the title in 2016.

I'm of course talking about Leonardo DiCaprio's first (and hopefully not final) Oscar win for Best Actor.

How many people have forgotten about that, I wonder? With all the dead celebrities and KKK-supported president elects, it isn't surprising that the small amount of good and justice in the world this year was overshadowed.

Alas, my favourite moment of 2016 was pretty much the entirety of February, starting with watching The Revenant and ending with Leo getting his Oscar.

To begin the story, we must go back to when I first saw The Revenant. It was a hot summer day, and I had planned to see the movie with some friends when a thunderstorm hit the town and caused a two-hour blackout. Now this wasn't optimal for going to the cinema due to the fact that they couldn't actually project anything, but luckily power came back an hour before it started.

So, my friends and I went to see the film. I enjoyed it, but watching my squeamish friend's reaction to the more intense parts (and sneaking fried noodles into the theatre) made a good movie experience great.

It was later that month that the 88th Academy Awards took place, daytime on a Monday in Australia. It was the start of the second week of university and as I managed to get Mondays free on my timetable, I could just sit back and keep up with the influx of memes flowing in.

When DiCaprio was announced as the Best Actor, mixed emotions hit hard. On one hand, Leonardo had finally gotten recognition for his amazing performance and career. On the other, I and many others could no longer say we "had the same number of Oscars as Leonardo DiCaprio". A fair trade, in my opinion.

But was Leo's unprecedented win a gleaming star in the black hole of what was 2016? Or the harbinger of more unpredictable events? I would go with the former, as the feeling of joyous triumph shared with so many others was unparalleled and the grand finale to my favourite "moment" of 2016. But no one will really know.

Congratulations to Madeleine for winning this writing challenge, answering: My Favourite Moment of 2016. Madeleine wins a $50 Westfield gift card for her submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!

Photo: YouTube (Oscars)