Academy Award for Best Original Score

Academy Award for Best Original Score
Country	United States
Presented by	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Currently held by	Ennio Morricone The Hateful Eight (2015)
Website	oscars.org

The Academy Award for Best Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.

Superlatives

These are only for nominations in the Scoring categories. Nominations in other categories, such as the Original Song category, are not included.

Category	Name	Superlative
Most Awards	Alfred Newman	9 awards
Most Nominations	John Williams	45 nominations
Most Nominations without a win	Alex North	14 nominations

Only one composer has won two Scoring Oscars the same year: in 1973, Marvin Hamlisch won Original Dramatic Score for The Way We Were and Best Adaptation Score, for The Sting. Hamlisch also won Best Song that year for The Way We Were (song), making him the only composer to win three music Oscars in the same year.

Only one composer has won Oscars three years in a row: Roger Edens won for Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949) and Annie Get Your Gun (1950).

Eight composers have won Oscars two years in a row:

1. Ray Heindorf won for Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and This is the Army (1943).
2. Franz Waxman won for Sunset Boulevard (1950) and A Place in the Sun (1951).
3. Alfred Newman won for With a Song in My Heart (1952) and Call Me Madam (1953). He won again for Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) and The King and I (1956).
4. Adolph Deutsch won for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Oklahoma! (1955).
5. André Previn won for Gigi (1958) and 1959's Porgy and Bess (1959). He won again for Irma La Douce (1963) and My Fair Lady (1964).
6. Leonard Rosenman won for Barry Lyndon (1975) and Bound for Glory (1976).
7. Alan Menken won for Beauty and The Beast (1991) and Aladdin (1992).
8. Gustavo Santaolalla won for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Babel (2006).

Female nominees

Three women have won in the scoring categories. Two are composers: Rachel Portman, who won for Emma (1996), and Anne Dudley, who won for The Full Monty (1997); the third, is lyricist Marilyn Bergman, who won for Yentl (1983) in the Original Song Score category, sharing the award with co-lyricist Alan Bergman (her husband) and composer Michel Legrand.

The only female composers nominated for multiple Scoring Oscars are Rachel Portman, who was nominated for Emma (1996) (for which she won for Best Original Score), The Cider House Rules (1999) and Chocolat (2000); and Angela Morley, who was nominated twice in the Original Song Score category for The Little Prince (1974) and The Slipper and the Rose (1976).

Notable nominees

Dmitri Shostakovich and Duke Ellington were both nominated the same year but lost to arrangers of West Side Story.

Because much of the music in film is usually classical music, the scores of Midnight Express by Giorgio Moroder in 1979, Slumdog Millionaire by A. R. Rahman in 2009, The Social Network in 2011 by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and [Her (film)|Her]] by William Butler and Owen Pallett in 2014 are the only scores with electronic based music ever to be nominated, with the first three winning the award.

Noted nominated composers known for their music mostly outside of the film world include: Aaron Copland, Kurt Weill, Gian-Carlo Menotti, Philip Glass, John Corigliano, Peter Maxwell Davies, Randy Newman, Stephen Schwartz, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Artie Shaw, Trent Reznor, Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock.

Rock musicians and pop stars are most often nominated in the songwriting category. A handful that were nominated in the Scoring categories includes: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Prince, Pete Townshend, Rod McKuen, Isaac Hayes, Kris Kristofferson, Quincy Jones, Randy Newman, Anthony Newley, Paul Williams, Tom Waits, David Byrne, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Trent Reznor and Matthew Wilder.

Record producers George Martin (the Beatles) and Jerry Wexler (Atlantic Records) also received nominations in the Scoring categories.

At the age of 87, Ennio Morricone became the oldest winner in Oscar history for a competitive award.

Multiple nominations

The following is a list of composers nominated more than once and winning at least one Academy Award. The list is sorted by number of wins, with the number of total nominations listed in parentheses. These do not include nominations (or wins) in the Best Original Song category.

• 9: Alfred Newman (43)
• 5: John Williams (45)
• 4: Johnny Green (12)
• 4: André Previn (11)
• 4: John Barry (6)
• 4: Alan Menken (5)
• 3: Max Steiner (24)
• 3: Ray Heindorf (17)
• 3: Morris Stoloff (17)
• 3: Miklós Rózsa (16)
• 3: Dimitri Tiomkin (14)
• 3: Maurice Jarre (8)
• 3: Ken Darby (6)
• 3: Roger Edens (6)
• 3: Saul Chaplin (5)
• 3: Adolph Deutsch (5)
• 2: Franz Waxman (11)
• 2: Henry Mancini (7)
• 2: Lennie Hayton (6)

• 2: Michel Legrand (6)
• 2: Irwin Kostal (5)
• 2: Marvin Hamlisch (4)
• 2: Leonard Rosenman (4)
• 2: Ralph Burns (3)
• 2: Howard Shore (3)
• 2: Gustavo Santaolalla (2)
• 1: Jerry Goldsmith (17)
• 1: Victor Young (17)
• 1: Herbert Stothart (11)
• 1: Elmer Bernstein (10)
• 1: Hans Zimmer (10)
• 1: Hugo Friedhofer (9)
• 1: Lionel Newman (9)
• 1: Georgie Stoll (9)
• 1: James Horner (8)
• 1: Alexandre Desplat (8)
• 1: Leigh Harline (7)
• 1: Charles Previn (7)

• 1: Paul Smith (7)
• 1: Dave Grusin (6)
• 1: Ennio Morricone (6) Also received an Academy Honorary Award.
• 1: Leslie Bricusse (5)
• 1: Georges Delerue (5)
• 1: Richard Hageman (5)
• 1: Bernard Herrmann (5)
• 1: Nelson Riddle (5)
• 1: Oliver Wallace (5)
• 1: Aaron Copland (4)
• 1: Leo F. Forbstein (4)
• 1: Richard M. Sherman (4)
• 1: Robert B. Sherman (4)
• 1: Louis Silvers (4)
• 1: Frank Churchill (3)
• 1: Ernest Gold (3)
• 1: Elliot Goldenthal (3)
• 1: Erich Wolfgang Korngold (3)

• 1: Bronislau Kaper (3)
• 1: Dario Marianelli (3)
• 1: Rachel Portman (3)
• 1: Stephen Schwartz (3)
• 1: Harry Sukman (3)
• 1: Gabriel Yared (3)
• 1: John Addison (2)
• 1: Luis Enríquez Bacalov (2)
• 1: Robert Russell Bennett (2)
• 1: Jay Blackton (2)
• 1: John Corigliano (2)
• 1: Michael Giacchino (2)
• 1: Michael Gore (2)
• 1: W. Franke Harling (2)
• 1: A. R. Rahman (2)
• 1: Heinz Roemheld (2)
• 1: Nino Rota (2)
• 1: Leo Shuken (2)

The following composers have been nominated for a Best Original Score Oscar more than once but have yet to garner one. The number of nominations is listed in parentheses. These do not include nominations (or wins) in the Best Original Song category.

Deceased:

• Alex North (14) Received an Academy Honorary Award.
• Roy Webb (7)
• Werner Janssen (6)
• Edward Ward (5)
• Frank Skinner (4)
• Frank De Vol (4)
• Louis Gruenberg (3)
• Marvin Hatley (3)
• Ernst Toch (3)
• Jack Nitzsche (2) Has won 1 Oscar Award for Original Song.
• Richard Robbins (2)
• Victor Schertzinger (2)
• Meredith Willson (2)

Living:

• Thomas Newman (12)
• Randy Newman (8) Has won 2 Oscars Awards for Original Song.
• James Newton Howard (6)
• Lalo Schifrin (5)
• Danny Elfman (4)
• George Fenton (4)
• Philip Glass (3)
• Alberto Iglesias (3)
• Quincy Jones (3) Has won the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, a special Academy Award.
• Marc Shaiman (3)
• Marco Beltrami (2)
• Patrick Doyle (2)
• David Hirschfelder (2)
• Jóhann Jóhannsson (2)

Winners and nominees

The following is the list of nominated composers organized by year, and listing both films and composers. The years shown in the following list of winners are the production years, thus a reference to 1967 means the Oscars presented in 1968 for films released in 1967.

Note: From 1934–1937, the head of the music department (rather than the actual composer or composers, in most cases) received the nominations or award.

Note: From 1937–1945, any studio was guaranteed a nomination just by submitting a qualified entry.

1930s

Year	Winner Composer	Nominees
1934	One Night of Love  – Columbia Studio Music Department, Louis Silvers, head of department (Thematic Music by Victor Schertzinger and Gus Kahn)	The Gay Divorcee RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Max Steiner, head of department (Score by Kenneth Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein) The Lost Patrol – RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Max Steiner, head of department (Score by Max Steiner) 1935 MUSIC (Scoring): The Informer – RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Max Steiner, head of department (Score by Max Steiner)	(Write-in candidate) Captain Blood – Warner Bros.-First National Studio Music Department, Leo F. Forbstein, head of department (Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold) Mutiny on the Bounty – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Music Department, Nat W. Finston, head of department (Score by Herbert Stothart) Peter Ibbetson – Paramount Studio Music Department, Irvin Talbot, head of department (Score by Ernst Toch) 1936 MUSIC (Scoring): Anthony Adverse – Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Leo F. Forbstein, head of department (Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold)	The Charge of the Light Brigade – Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Leo F. Forbstein, head of department (Score by Max Steiner) The Garden of Allah – Selznick International Pictures Music Department, Max Steiner, head of department (Score by Max Steiner) The General Died at Dawn – Paramount Studio Music Department, Boris Morros, head of department (Score by Werner Janssen) Winterset – RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Nathaniel Shilkret, head of department (Score by Nathaniel Shilkret) 1937 MUSIC (Scoring): One Hundred Men and a Girl – Universal Studio Music Department, Charles Previn, head of department (no composer credit)	The Hurricane – Samuel Goldwyn Studio Music Department, Alfred Newman, head of department (Score by Alfred Newman) In Old Chicago – 20th Century-Fox Studio Music Department, Louis Silvers, head of department (no composer credit) The Life of Emile Zola – Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Leo F. Forbstein, head of department (Score by Max Steiner) Lost Horizon – Columbia Studio Music Department, Morris Stoloff, head of department (Score by Dimitri Tiomkin) Make a Wish – Principal Productions, Hugo Riesenfeld, musical director (Score by Hugo Riesenfeld) Maytime – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Music Department, Nat W. Finston, head of department (Score by Herbert Stothart) Portia on Trial – Republic Studio Music Department, Alberto Colombo, head of department (Score by Alberto Colombo) The Prisoner of Zenda – Selznick International Pictures Music Department, Alfred Newman, musical director (Score by Alfred Newman) Quality Street – RKO Radio Studio Music Department, Roy Webb, musical director (Score by Roy Webb) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Walt Disney Studio Music Department, Leigh Harline, head of department (Score by Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline and Paul Smith) Something to Sing About – Grand National Studio Music Department, C. Bakaleinikoff, musical director (Score by Victor Schertzinger) Souls at Sea – Paramount Studio Music Department, Boris Morros, head of department (Score by W. Franke Harling and Milan Roder) Way Out West – Hal Roach Studio Music Department, Marvin Hatley, head of department (Score by Marvin Hatley) 1938 MUSIC (Original Score): The Adventures of Robin Hood – Erich Wolfgang Korngold	Army Girl – Victor Young Block-Heads – Marvin Hatley Blockade – Werner Janssen Breaking the Ice – Victor Young The Cowboy and the Lady – Alfred Newman If I Were King – Richard Hageman Marie Antoinette – Herbert Stothart Pacific Liner – Russell Bennett (early alternate billing for Robert Russell Bennett) Suez – Louis Silvers The Young in Heart – Franz Waxman MUSIC (Scoring): Alexander's Ragtime Band – Alfred Newman	Carefree – Victor Baravalle Girls' School – Morris Stoloff and Gregory Stone The Goldwyn Follies – Alfred Newman Jezebel – Max Steiner Mad About Music – Charles Previn and Frank Skinner Storm Over Bengal – Cy Feuer Sweethearts – Herbert Stothart There Goes My Heart – Marvin Hatley Tropic Holiday – Boris Morros The Young in Heart – Franz Waxman 1939 MUSIC (Original Score): The Wizard of Oz – Herbert Stothart	Dark Victory – Max Steiner Eternally Yours – Werner Janssen Golden Boy – Victor Young Gone with the Wind – Max Steiner Gulliver's Travels – Victor Young The Man in the Iron Mask – Lud Gluskin, Lucien Moraweck Man of Conquest – Victor Young Nurse Edith Cavell – Anthony Collins Of Mice and Men – Aaron Copland The Rains Came – Alfred Newman Wuthering Heights – Alfred Newman The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Alfred Newman MUSIC (Scoring): Stagecoach – Richard Hageman, W. Franke Harling, John Leipold, Leo Shuken	The Great Victor Herbert – Phil Boutelje and Arthur Lange Of Mice and Men – Aaron Copland Babes in Arms – Roger Edens and George E. Stoll She Married a Cop – Cy Feuer Intermezzo – Lou Forbes The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex – Erich Wolfgang Korngold The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Alfred Newman They Shall Have Music – Alfred Newman First Love – Charles Previn Swanee River – Louis Silvers Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – Dimitri Tiomkin Way Down South – Victor Young

1940s

• 1940
  • MUSIC (Original Score): Pinocchio – Leigh Harline and Paul J. Smith, composers; Ned Washington, lyricist
    • Arizona – Victor Young
    • The Dark Command – Victor Young
    • The Fight for Life – Louis Gruenberg
    • The Great Dictator – Meredith Willson
    • The House of the Seven Gables – Frank Skinner
    • The Howards of Virginia – Richard Hageman
    • The Letter – Max Steiner
    • The Long Voyage Home – Richard Hageman
    • The Mark of Zorro – Alfred Newman
    • My Favorite Wife – Roy Webb
    • North West Mounted Police – Victor Young
    • One Million B.C. – Werner Heymann
    • Our Town – Aaron Copland
    • Rebecca – Franz Waxman
    • The Thief of Bagdad – Miklós Rózsa
    • Waterloo Bridge – Herbert Stothart
  • MUSIC (Scoring): Tin Pan Alley – Alfred Newman
    • Arise, My Love – Victor Young
    • Hit Parade of 1941 – Cy Feuer
    • Irene – Anthony Collins
    • Our Town – Aaron Copland
    • The Sea Hawk – Erich Wolfgang Korngold
    • Second Chorus – Artie Shaw
    • Spring Parade – Charles Previn
    • Strike Up the Band – Roger Edens, Georgie Stoll
• 1941
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic Picture): All That Money Can Buy – Bernard Herrmann
    • Back Street – Frank Skinner
    • Ball of Fire – Alfred Newman
    • Cheers for Miss Bishop – Edward Ward
    • Citizen Kane – Bernard Herrmann
    • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Franz Waxman
    • Hold Back the Dawn – Victor Young
    • How Green Was My Valley – Alfred Newman
    • King of the Zombies – Edward J. Kay
    • Ladies in Retirement – Morris Stoloff, Ernst Toch
    • The Little Foxes – Meredith Willson
    • Lydia – Miklós Rózsa
    • Mercy Island – Cy Feuer, Walter Scharf
    • Sergeant York – Max Steiner
    • So Ends Our Night – Louis Gruenberg
    • Sundown – Miklós Rózsa
    • Suspicion – Franz Waxman
    • Tanks a Million – Edward Ward
    • That Uncertain Feeling – Werner Heymann
    • This Woman Is Mine – Richard Hageman
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Dumbo – Frank Churchill, Oliver Wallace
    • All-American Co-Ed – Edward Ward
    • Birth of the Blues – Robert Emmett Dolan
    • Buck Privates – Charles Previn
    • The Chocolate Soldier – Herbert Stothart, Bronislau Kaper
    • Ice-Capades – Cy Feuer
    • The Strawberry Blonde – Heinz Roemheld
    • Sun Valley Serenade – Emil Newman
    • Sunny – Anthony Collins
    • You'll Never Get Rich – Morris Stoloff
• 1942
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Now, Voyager – Max Steiner
    • Arabian Nights – Frank Skinner
    • Bambi – Frank Churchill (posthumous nomination), Edward Plumb
    • The Black Swan – Alfred Newman
    • The Corsican Brothers – Dimitri Tiomkin
    • Flying Tigers – Victor Young
    • The Gold Rush – Max Terr
    • I Married a Witch – Roy Webb
    • Joan of Paris – Roy Webb
    • Jungle Book – Miklós Rózsa
    • Klondike Fury – Edward J. Kay
    • The Pride of the Yankees – Leigh Harline
    • Random Harvest – Herbert Stothart
    • The Shanghai Gesture – Richard Hageman
    • Silver Queen – Victor Young
    • Take a Letter, Darling – Victor Young
    • The Talk of the Town – Friedrich Hollaender, Morris Stoloff
    • To Be or Not to Be – Werner Heymann
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Yankee Doodle Dandy – Ray Heindorf, Heinz Roemheld
    • Flying with Music – Edward Ward
    • For Me and My Gal – Roger Edens, Georgie Stoll
    • Holiday Inn – Robert Emmett Dolan
    • It Started with Eve – Hans Salter, Charles Previn
    • Johnny Doughboy – Walter Scharf
    • My Gal Sal – Alfred Newman
    • You Were Never Lovelier – Leigh Harline
• 1943
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The Song of Bernadette – Alfred Newman
    • The Amazing Mrs. Holliday – Frank Skinner, Hans J. Salter
    • Casablanca – Max Steiner
    • Commandos Strike at Dawn – Morris Stoloff, Louis Gruenberg
    • The Fallen Sparrow – Roy Webb, C. Bakaleinikoff
    • For Whom the Bell Tolls – Victor Young
    • Hangmen Also Die – Hanns Eisler
    • Hi Diddle Diddle – Phil Boutelje
    • In Old Oklahoma – Walter Scharf
    • Johnny Come Lately – Leigh Harline
    • The Kansan – Gerard Carbonara
    • Lady of Burlesque – Arthur Lange
    • Madame Curie – Herbert Stothart
    • The Moon and Sixpence – Dimitri Tiomkin
    • The North Star – Aaron Copland
    • Victory Through Air Power – Edward H. Plumb, Paul J. Smith, Oliver Wallace
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): This Is the Army – Ray Heindorf
    • Coney Island – Alfred Newman
    • Hit Parade of 1943 – Walter Scharf
    • Phantom of the Opera – Edward Ward
    • Saludos Amigos – Charles Wolcott, Edward H. Plumb, Paul Smith
    • The Sky's the Limit – Leigh Harline
    • Something to Shout About – Morris Stoloff
    • Stage Door Canteen – Frederic E. Rich
    • Star Spangled Rhythm – Robert Emmett Dolan
    • Thousands Cheer – Herbert Stothart
• 1944
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Since You Went Away – Max Steiner
    • Address Unknown – Morris Stoloff, Ernst Toch
    • The Adventures of Mark Twain – Max Steiner
    • The Bridge of San Luis Rey – Dimitri Tiomkin
    • Casanova Brown – Arthur Lange
    • Christmas Holiday – H. J. Salter
    • Double Indemnity – Miklós Rózsa
    • The Fighting Seabees – Walter Scharf, Roy Webb
    • The Hairy Ape – Edward Paul, Michel Michelet
    • It Happened Tomorrow – Robert Stolz
    • Jack London – Frederic Efrem Rich
    • Kismet – Herbert Stothart
    • None but the Lonely Heart – Hanns Eisler, C. Bakaleinikoff
    • The Princess and the Pirate – David Rose
    • Summer Storm – Karl Hajos
    • Three Russian Girls – Franke Harling
    • Up in Mabel's Room – Edward Paul
    • Voice in the Wind – Michel Michelet
    • Wilson – Alfred Newman
    • The Woman of the Town – Miklós Rózsa
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Cover Girl – Morris Stoloff, Carmen Dragon
    • Brazil – Walter Scharf
    • Higher and Higher – C. Bakaleinikoff
    • Hollywood Canteen – Ray Heindorf
    • Irish Eyes Are Smiling – Alfred Newman
    • Knickerbocker Holiday – Werner R. Heymann, Kurt Weill
    • Lady in the Dark – Robert Emmett Dolan
    • Lady, Let's Dance – Edward J. Kay
    • Meet Me in St. Louis – Georgie Stoll
    • The Merry Monahans – H. J. Salter
    • Minstrel Man – Ferde Grofe, Leo Erdody
    • Sensations of 1945 – Mahlon Merrick
    • Song of the Open Road – Charles Previn
    • Up in Arms – Ray Heindorf, Louis Forbes
• 1945
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Spellbound – Miklós Rózsa
    • The Bells of St. Mary's – Robert Emmett Dolan
    • Brewster's Millions – Lou Forbes
    • Captain Kidd – Werner Janssen
    • The Enchanted Cottage – Roy Webb
    • Flame of Barbary Coast – Morton Scott, R. Dale Butts
    • G. I. Honeymoon – Edward J. Kay
    • The Story of G.I. Joe – Louis Applebaum, Ann Ronell
    • Guest in the House – Werner Janssen
    • Guest Wife – Daniele Amfitheatrof
    • The Keys of the Kingdom – Alfred Newman
    • The Lost Weekend – Miklós Rózsa
    • Love Letters – Victor Young
    • The Man Who Walked Alone – Karl Hajos
    • Objective, Burma! – Franz Waxman
    • Paris Underground – Alexandre Tansman
    • A Song to Remember – Miklós Rózsa, Morris Stoloff
    • The Southerner – Werner Janssen
    • This Love of Ours – H. J. Salter
    • The Valley of Decision – Herbert Stothart
    • The Woman in the Window – Arthur Lange, Hugo Friedhofer
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Anchors Aweigh – Georgie Stoll
    • Belle of the Yukon – Arthur Lange
    • Can't Help Singing – Jerome Kern (posthumous nomination), H. J. Salter
    • Hitchhike to Happiness – Morton Scott
    • Incendiary Blonde – Robert Emmett Dolan
    • Rhapsody in Blue – Ray Heindorf, Max Steiner
    • State Fair – Alfred Newman, Charles Henderson
    • Sunbonnet Sue – Edward J. Kay
    • The Three Caballeros – Charles Wolcott, Edward Plumb, Paul J. Smith
    • Tonight and Every Night – Marlin Skiles, Morris Stoloff
    • Why Girls Leave Home – Walter Greene
    • Wonder Man – Ray Heindorf, Lou Forbes
• 1946
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The Best Years of Our Lives – Hugo Friedhofer
    • Anna and the King of Siam – Bernard Herrmann
    • Henry V – William Walton
    • Humoresque – Franz Waxman
    • The Killers – Miklós Rózsa
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): The Jolson Story – Morris Stoloff
    • Blue Skies – Robert Emmett Dolan
    • Centennial Summer – Alfred Newman
    • The Harvey Girls – Lennie Hayton
    • Night and Day – Ray Heindorf, Max Steiner
• 1947
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): A Double Life – Miklós Rózsa
    • The Bishop's Wife – Hugo Friedhofer
    • Captain from Castile – Alfred Newman
    • Forever Amber – David Raksin
    • Life with Father – Max Steiner
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Mother Wore Tights – Alfred Newman
    • Fiesta – Johnny Green
    • My Wild Irish Rose – Ray Heindorf, Max Steiner
    • Road to Rio – Robert Emmett Dolan
    • Song of the South – Daniele Amfitheatrof, Paul J. Smith, Charles Wolcott
• 1948
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The Red Shoes – Brian Easdale
    • Hamlet – William Walton
    • Joan of Arc – Hugo Friedhofer
    • Johnny Belinda – Max Steiner
    • The Snake Pit – Alfred Newman
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Easter Parade – Johnny Green, Roger Edens
    • The Emperor Waltz – Victor Young
    • The Pirate – Lennie Hayton
    • Romance on the High Seas – Ray Heindorf
    • When My Baby Smiles at Me – Alfred Newman
• 1949
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The Heiress – Aaron Copland
    • Beyond the Forest – Max Steiner
    • Champion – Dimitri Tiomkin
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): On the Town – Roger Edens, Lennie Hayton
    • Jolson Sings Again – Morris Stoloff, George Duning
    • Look for the Silver Lining – Ray Heindorf

1950s

• 1950
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Sunset Boulevard – Franz Waxman
    • All About Eve – Alfred Newman
    • The Flame and the Arrow – Max Steiner
    • No Sad Songs for Me – George Duning
    • Samson and Delilah – Victor Young
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Annie Get Your Gun – Adolph Deutsch, Roger Edens
    • Cinderella – Oliver Wallace, Paul Smith
    • I'll Get By – Lionel Newman
    • Three Little Words – André Previn
    • The West Point Story – Ray Heindorf
• 1951
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): A Place in the Sun – Franz Waxman
    • David and Bathsheba – Alfred Newman
    • Death of a Salesman – Alex North
    • Quo Vadis – Miklós Rózsa
    • A Streetcar Named Desire – Alex North
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): An American in Paris – Johnny Green, Saul Chaplin
    • Alice in Wonderland – Oliver Wallace
    • The Great Caruso – Peter Herman Adler, Johnny Green
    • On the Riviera – Alfred Newman
    • Show Boat – Adolph Deutsch, Conrad Salinger
• 1952
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): High Noon – Dimitri Tiomkin
    • Ivanhoe – Miklós Rózsa
    • The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima – Max Steiner
    • The Thief – Herschel Burke Gilbert
    • Viva Zapata! – Alex North
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): With a Song in My Heart – Alfred Newman
    • Hans Christian Andersen – Walter Scharf
    • The Jazz Singer – Ray Heindorf, Max Steiner
    • The Medium – Gian-Carlo Menotti
    • Singin' in the Rain – Lennie Hayton
• 1953
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Lili – Bronislau Kaper
    • Above and Beyond – Hugo Friedhofer
    • From Here to Eternity – Morris Stoloff, George Duning
    • Julius Caesar – Miklós Rózsa
    • This is Cinerama – Louis Forbes
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Call Me Madam – Alfred Newman
    • The Band Wagon – Adolph Deutsch
    • Calamity Jane – Ray Heindorf
    • The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T – Friedrich Hollaender, Morris Stoloff
    • Kiss Me Kate – André Previn, Saul Chaplin
• 1954
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The High and the Mighty – Dimitri Tiomkin
    • The Caine Mutiny – Max Steiner
    • Genevieve – Larry Adler (Front: Muir Mathieson)
    • On the Waterfront – Leonard Bernstein
    • The Silver Chalice – Franz Waxman
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – Adolph Deutsch, Saul Chaplin
    • Carmen Jones – Herschel Burke Gilbert
    • The Glenn Miller Story – Joseph Gershenson, Henry Mancini
    • A Star Is Born – Ray Heindorf
    • There's No Business Like Show Business – Alfred Newman, Lionel Newman
• 1955
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing – Alfred Newman
    • Battle Cry – Max Steiner
    • The Man with the Golden Arm – Elmer Bernstein
    • Picnic – George Duning
    • The Rose Tattoo – Alex North
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Oklahoma! – Robert Russell Bennett, Jay Blackton, Adolph Deutsch
    • Daddy Long Legs – Alfred Newman
    • Guys and Dolls – Jay Blackton, Cyril J. Mockridge
    • It's Always Fair Weather – André Previn
    • Love Me or Leave Me – Percy Faith, George Stoll
• 1956
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Around the World in 80 Days – Victor Young (posthumous award)
    • Anastasia – Alfred Newman
    • Between Heaven and Hell – Hugo Friedhofer
    • Giant – Dimitri Tiomkin
    • The Rainmaker – Alex North
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): The King and I – Alfred Newman, Ken Darby
    • The Best Things in Life Are Free – Lionel Newman
    • The Eddy Duchin Story – Morris Stoloff, George Duning
    • High Society – Johnny Green, Saul Chaplin
    • Meet Me in Las Vegas – George Stoll, Johnny Green
• 1957
  • MUSIC (Score): The Bridge on the River Kwai – Malcolm Arnold
    • An Affair to Remember – Hugo Friedhofer
    • Boy on a Dolphin – Hugo Friedhofer
    • Perri – Paul Smith
    • Raintree County – Johnny Green
• 1958
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): The Old Man and the Sea – Dimitri Tiomkin
    • The Big Country – Jerome Moross
    • Separate Tables – David Raksin
    • White Wilderness – Oliver Wallace
    • The Young Lions – Hugo Friedhofer
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Gigi – André Previn
    • The Bolshoi Ballet – Yuri Faier, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
    • Damn Yankees – Ray Heindorf
    • Mardi Gras – Lionel Newman
    • South Pacific – Alfred Newman, Ken Darby
• 1959
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Ben-Hur – Miklós Rózsa
    • The Diary of Anne Frank – Alfred Newman
    • The Nun's Story – Franz Waxman
    • On the Beach – Ernest Gold
    • Pillow Talk – Frank DeVol
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Porgy and Bess – André Previn, Ken Darby
    • The Five Pennies – Leith Stevens
    • Li'l Abner – Nelson Riddle, Joseph J. Lilley
    • Say One for Me – Lionel Newman
    • Sleeping Beauty – George Bruns

1960s

• 1960
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Exodus – Ernest Gold
    • The Alamo – Dimitri Tiomkin
    • Elmer Gantry – André Previn
    • The Magnificent Seven – Elmer Bernstein
    • Spartacus – Alex North
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Song without End (The Story of Franz Liszt) – Morris Stoloff, Harry Sukman
    • Bells Are Ringing – André Previn
    • Can-Can – Nelson Riddle
    • Let's Make Love – Lionel Newman, Earle H. Hagen
    • Pepe – Johnny Green
• 1961
  • MUSIC (Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Breakfast at Tiffany's – Henry Mancini
    • El Cid – Miklós Rózsa
    • Fanny – Morris Stoloff, Harry Sukman
    • The Guns of Navarone – Dimitri Tiomkin
    • Summer and Smoke – Elmer Bernstein
  • MUSIC (Scoring of a Musical Picture): West Side Story – Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin, Irwin Kostal
    • Babes in Toyland – George Bruns
    • Flower Drum Song – Alfred Newman, Ken Darby
    • Khovanshchina – Dimitri Shostakovich
    • Paris Blues – Duke Ellington
• 1962
  • MUSIC (Substantially Original Score): Lawrence of Arabia – Maurice Jarre
    • Freud – Jerry Goldsmith
    • Mutiny on the Bounty – Bronislau Kaper
    • Taras Bulba – Franz Waxman
    • To Kill a Mockingbird – Elmer Bernstein
  • MUSIC (Scoring of Music-adaptation or treatment): The Music Man – Ray Heindorf
    • Billy Rose's Jumbo – George Stoll
    • Gigot – Michel Magne
    • Gypsy – Frank Perkins
    • The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm – Leigh Harline
• 1963
  • MUSIC (Substantially Original Score): Tom Jones – John Addison
    • Cleopatra – Alex North
    • 55 Days at Peking – Dimitri Tiomkin
    • How the West Was Won – Alfred Newman, Ken Darby
    • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World – Ernest Gold
  • MUSIC (Scoring of Music-adaptation or treatment): Irma la Douce – André Previn
    • Bye Bye Birdie – Johnny Green
    • A New Kind of Love – Leith Stevens
    • Sundays and Cybele – Maurice Jarre
    • The Sword in the Stone – George Bruns
• 1964
  • MUSIC (Substantially Original Score): Mary Poppins – Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
    • Becket – Laurence Rosenthal
    • The Fall of the Roman Empire – Dimitri Tiomkin
    • Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte – Frank DeVol
    • The Pink Panther – Henry Mancini
  • MUSIC (Scoring of Music-adaptation or treatment): My Fair Lady – André Previn
    • A Hard Day's Night – George Martin
    • Mary Poppins – Irwin Kostal
    • Robin and the 7 Hoods – Nelson Riddle
    • The Unsinkable Molly Brown – Robert Armbruster, Leo Arnaud, Jack Elliott, Jack Hayes, Calvin Jackson, Leo Shuken
• 1965
  • MUSIC (Substantially Original Score): Doctor Zhivago – Maurice Jarre
    • The Agony and the Ecstasy – Alex North
    • The Greatest Story Ever Told – Alfred Newman
    • A Patch of Blue – Jerry Goldsmith
    • The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – Michel Legrand, Jacques Demy
  • MUSIC (Scoring of Music-adaptation or treatment): The Sound of Music – Irwin Kostal
    • Cat Ballou – DeVol
    • The Pleasure Seekers – Lionel Newman, Alexander Courage
    • A Thousand Clowns – Don Walker
    • The Umbrellas of Cherbourg – Michel Legrand
• 1966
  • MUSIC (Original Music Score): Born Free – John Barry
    • The Bible: In the Beginning – Toshiro Mayuzumi
    • Hawaii – Elmer Bernstein
    • The Sand Pebbles – Jerry Goldsmith
    • Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Alex North
  • MUSIC (Scoring of Music-adaptation or treatment): A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum – Ken Thorne
    • The Gospel According to St. Matthew – Luis Enrique Bacalov
    • Return of the Seven – Elmer Bernstein
    • The Singing Nun – Harry Sukman
    • Stop the World – I Want to Get Off – Al Ham
• 1967
  • MUSIC (Original Music Score): Thoroughly Modern Millie – Elmer Bernstein
    • Cool Hand Luke – Lalo Schifrin
    • Doctor Dolittle – Leslie Bricusse
    • Far from the Madding Crowd – Richard Rodney Bennett
    • In Cold Blood – Quincy Jones
  • MUSIC (Scoring of Music-adaptation or treatment): Camelot – Alfred Newman, Ken Darby
    • Doctor Dolittle – Lionel Newman, Alexander Courage
    • Guess Who's Coming to Dinner – DeVol
    • Thoroughly Modern Millie – André Previn, Joseph Gershenson
    • Valley of the Dolls – John Williams
• 1968
  • MUSIC (Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical)): The Lion in Winter – John Barry
    • The Fox – Lalo Schifrin
    • Planet of the Apes – Jerry Goldsmith
    • The Shoes of the Fisherman – Alex North
    • The Thomas Crown Affair – Michel Legrand
  • MUSIC (Score of a Musical Picture-original or adaptation): Oliver! – Adaptation score by Johnny Green
    • Finian's Rainbow – Adaptation score by Ray Heindorf
    • Funny Girl – Adaptation score by Walter Scharf
    • Star! – Adaptation score by Lennie Hayton
    • The Young Girls of Rochefort – Music and adaptation score by Michel Legrand; lyrics by Jacques Demy
• 1969
  • MUSIC (Original Score for a Motion Picture (not a Musical)): Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – Burt Bacharach
    • Anne of the Thousand Days – Georges Delerue
    • The Reivers – John Williams
    • The Secret of Santa Vittoria – Ernest Gold
    • The Wild Bunch – Jerry Fielding
  • MUSIC (Score of a Musical Picture-original or adaptation): Hello, Dolly! – Adaptation score by Lennie Hayton and Lionel Newman
    • Goodbye, Mr. Chips – Music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse; adaptation score by John Williams
    • Paint Your Wagon – Adaptation score by Nelson Riddle
    • Sweet Charity – Adaptation score by Cy Coleman
    • They Shoot Horses, Don't They? – Adaptation score by John Green and Albert Woodbury

1970s

• 1970
  • Original Score: Love Story – Francis Lai
    • Airport – Alfred Newman (posthumous nomination)
    • Cromwell – Frank Cordell
    • Patton – Jerry Goldsmith
    • I Girasoli – Henry Mancini
  • Original Song Score: Let It Be – Music and lyrics by The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr)
    • The Baby Maker – music by Fred Karlin; lyrics by Tylwyth Kymry
    • A Boy Named Charlie Brown – music by Rod McKuen, John Scott Trotter; lyrics by Rod McKuen, Bill Meléndez; Al Shean; adaptation score by Vince Guaraldi
    • Darling Lili – Music by Henry Mancini; lyrics by Johnny Mercer
    • Scrooge – music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse; arranged/adapted by Ian Fraser and Herbert W. Spencer
• 1971
  • Original Dramatic Score: Summer of '42 – Michel Legrand
    • Mary, Queen of Scots – John Barry
    • Nicholas and Alexandra – Richard Rodney Bennett
    • Shaft – Isaac Hayes
    • Straw Dogs – Jerry Fielding
  • Original Song Score and Adaptation: Fiddler on the Roof – Adaptation Score by John Williams
    • Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Song Score by Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman; Adaptation Score by Irwin Kostal
    • The Boy Friend – Adaptation Score by Peter Maxwell Davies, Peter Greenwell
    • Tchaikovsky – Adaptation Score by Dimitri Tiomkin
    • Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory – Song Score by Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley; Adaptation Score by Walter Scharf
• 1972
  • Original Dramatic Score: Limelight – Charlie Chaplin, Raymond Rasch (posthumous award), Larry Russell (posthumous award) (Note: This film was originally screened in 1952, but it was not shown in Los Angeles until 1972, at which point it become eligible for this nomination)
    • The Godfather – Nino Rota (Note: This nomination was withdrawn when it was discovered that Rota had used music from an earlier score of his, Fortunella (1958), and the nomination was replaced by that of Sleuth)
    • Images – John Williams
    • Napoleon and Samantha – Buddy Baker
    • The Poseidon Adventure – John Williams
    • Sleuth – John Addison
  • Original Song Score and Adaptation: Cabaret – Adaptation Score by Ralph Burns
    • Lady Sings the Blues – Adaptation Score by Gil Askey
    • Man of La Mancha – Adaptation Score by Laurence Rosenthal
• 1973
  • Original Dramatic Score: The Way We Were – Marvin Hamlisch
    • Cinderella Liberty – John Williams
    • The Day of the Dolphin – Georges Delerue
    • Papillon – Jerry Goldsmith
    • A Touch of Class – John Cameron
  • Original Song Score and Adaptation: The Sting – Adaptation Score by Marvin Hamlisch
    • Jesus Christ Superstar – Adaptation Score by André Previn, Herbert W. Spencer and Andrew Lloyd Webber
    • Tom Sawyer – Song Score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman; Adaptation Score by John Williams
• 1974
  • Original Dramatic Score: The Godfather Part II – Nino Rota, Carmine Coppola
    • Chinatown – Jerry Goldsmith
    • Murder on the Orient Express – Richard Rodney Bennett
    • Shanks – Alex North
    • The Towering Inferno – John Williams
  • Original Song Score and Adaptation: The Great Gatsby – Adaptation Score by Nelson Riddle
    • The Little Prince – Song Score by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe; Adaptation Score by Angela Morley and Douglas Gamley
    • Phantom of the Paradise – Song Score by Paul Williams; Adaptation Score by Paul Williams and George Aliceson Tipton
• 1975
  • Original Dramatic Score: Jaws – John Williams
    • Birds Do It, Bees Do It – Gerald Fried
    • Bite the Bullet – Alex North
    • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest – Jack Nitzsche
    • The Wind and the Lion – Jerry Goldsmith
  • Original Song Score and Adaptation: Barry Lyndon – Adaptation Score by Leonard Rosenman
    • Funny Lady – Adaptation Score by Peter Matz
    • Tommy – Adaptation Score by Peter Townshend
• 1976
  • Original Score: The Omen – Jerry Goldsmith
    • Obsession – Bernard Herrmann (posthumous nomination)
    • The Outlaw Josey Wales – Jerry Fielding
    • Taxi Driver – Bernard Herrmann (posthumous nomination)
    • Voyage of the Damned – Lalo Schifrin
  • Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score: Bound for Glory – Adaptation Score by Leonard Rosenman
    • Bugsy Malone – Song Score and Adaptation Score by Paul Williams
    • A Star Is Born – Adaptation Score by Roger Kellaway
• 1977
  • Original Score: Star Wars – John Williams
    • Close Encounters of the Third Kind – John Williams
    • Julia – Georges Delerue
    • Mohammad, Messenger of God – Maurice Jarre
    • The Spy Who Loved Me – Marvin Hamlisch
  • Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score: A Little Night Music – Adaptation Score by Jonathan Tunick
    • Pete's Dragon – Song Score by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn; Adaptation Score by Irwin Kostal
    • The Slipper and the Rose—The Story of Cinderella – Song Score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman; Adaptation Score by Angela Morley
• 1978
  • Original Score: Midnight Express – Giorgio Moroder
    • The Boys from Brazil – Jerry Goldsmith
    • Days of Heaven – Ennio Morricone
    • Heaven Can Wait – Dave Grusin
    • Superman – John Williams
  • Adaptation Score: The Buddy Holly Story – Joe Renzetti
    • Pretty Baby – Jerry Wexler
    • The Wiz – Quincy Jones
• 1979
  • Original Score: A Little Romance – Georges Delerue
    • The Amityville Horror – Lalo Schifrin
    • The Champ – Dave Grusin
    • Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Jerry Goldsmith
    • 10 – Henry Mancini
  • Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score: All That Jazz – Adaptation Score by Ralph Burns
    • Breaking Away – Adaptation Score by Patrick Williams
    • The Muppet Movie – Song Score by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher; Adaptation Score by Paul Williams

1980s

• 1980: Fame – Michael Gore
  • Altered States – John Corigliano
  • The Elephant Man – John Morris
  • The Empire Strikes Back – John Williams
  • Tess – Philippe Sarde
• 1981: Chariots of Fire – Vangelis
  • Dragonslayer – Alex North
  • On Golden Pond – Dave Grusin
  • Ragtime – Randy Newman
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark – John Williams
• 1982
  • Original Score: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – John Williams
    • Gandhi – Ravi Shankar; George Fenton
    • An Officer and a Gentleman – Jack Nitzsche
    • Poltergeist – Jerry Goldsmith
    • Sophie's Choice – Marvin Hamlisch
  • Original Song Score and Adaptation Score: Victor Victoria – Song Score by Henry Mancini, Leslie Bricusse Adaptation Score by Henry Mancini
    • Annie – Adaptation Score by Ralph Burns
    • One from the Heart – Song Score by Tom Waits
• 1983
  • Original Score: The Right Stuff – Bill Conti
    • Cross Creek – Leonard Rosenman
    • Return of the Jedi – John Williams
    • Terms of Endearment – Michael Gore
    • Under Fire – Jerry Goldsmith
  • Original Song Score or Adaptation Score: Yentl – Song Score by Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
    • The Sting II – Adaptation Score by Lalo Schifrin
    • Trading Places – Adaptation Score by Elmer Bernstein
• 1984
  • Original Score: A Passage to India – Maurice Jarre
    • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – John Williams
    • The Natural – Randy Newman
    • The River – John Williams
    • Under the Volcano – Alex North
  • Original Song Score: Purple Rain – Prince
    • The Muppets Take Manhattan – Jeff Moss
    • Songwriter – Kris Kristofferson

Best Original Score

• 1985: Out of Africa – John Barry
  • Agnes of God – Georges Delerue
  • The Color Purple – Quincy Jones; Jeremy Lubbock; Rod Temperton; Caiphus Semenya; Andraé Crouch; Chris Boardman; Jorge Calandrelli; Joel Rosenbaum; Fred Steiner; Jack Hayes; Jerry Hey; Randy Kerber
  • Silverado – Bruce Broughton
  • Witness – Maurice Jarre
• 1986: Round Midnight – Herbie Hancock
  • Aliens – James Horner
  • Hoosiers – Jerry Goldsmith
  • The Mission – Ennio Morricone
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – Leonard Rosenman
• 1987: The Last Emperor – Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, Cong Su
  • Cry Freedom – George Fenton; Jonas Gwangwa
  • Empire of the Sun – John Williams
  • The Untouchables – Ennio Morricone
  • The Witches of Eastwick – John Williams
• 1988: The Milagro Beanfield War – Dave Grusin
  • The Accidental Tourist – John Williams
  • Dangerous Liaisons – George Fenton
  • Gorillas in the Mist – Maurice Jarre
  • Rain Man – Hans Zimmer
• 1989: The Little Mermaid – Alan Menken
  • Born on the Fourth of July – John Williams
  • The Fabulous Baker Boys – Dave Grusin
  • Field of Dreams – James Horner
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – John Williams

1990s

Note: From 1995 to 1998, songwriters and lyricists along with orchestral underscore composers were also eligible for nominations in the "Musical or Comedy Score" category.

Year	Winner Composer	Nominees
1990	Dances with Wolves – John Barry	Avalon – Randy Newman Ghost – Maurice Jarre Havana – Dave Grusin Home Alone – John Williams
1991	Beauty and the Beast – Alan Menken	Bugsy – Ennio Morricone The Fisher King – George Fenton JFK – John Williams The Prince of Tides – James Newton Howard
1992	Aladdin – Alan Menken	Basic Instinct – Jerry Goldsmith Chaplin – John Barry Howards End – Richard Robbins A River Runs Through It – Mark Isham
1993	Schindler's List – John Williams	The Age of Innocence – Elmer Bernstein The Firm – Dave Grusin The Fugitive – James Newton Howard The Remains of the Day – Richard Robbins
1994	The Lion King – Hans Zimmer	Forrest Gump – Alan Silvestri Interview with the Vampire – Elliot Goldenthal Little Women – Thomas Newman The Shawshank Redemption – Thomas Newman
1995	Dramatic Score: The Postman (Il Postino) – Luis Bacalov	Apollo 13 – James Horner Braveheart – James Horner Nixon – John Williams Sense and Sensibility – Patrick Doyle
	Musical or Comedy Score: Pocahontas – Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Orchestral Score by Alan Menken	The American President – Marc Shaiman Sabrina – John Williams Toy Story – Randy Newman Unstrung Heroes – Thomas Newman
1996	Dramatic Score: The English Patient – Gabriel Yared	Hamlet – Patrick Doyle Michael Collins – Elliot Goldenthal Shine – David Hirschfelder Sleepers – John Williams
	Musical or Comedy Score: Emma – Rachel Portman	The First Wives Club – Marc Shaiman The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Orchestra Score by Alan Menken James and the Giant Peach – Randy Newman The Preacher's Wife – Hans Zimmer
1997	Dramatic Score: Titanic – James Horner	Amistad – John Williams Good Will Hunting – Danny Elfman Kundun – Philip Glass L.A. Confidential – Jerry Goldsmith
	Musical or Comedy Score: The Full Monty – Anne Dudley	Anastasia – Music by Stephen Flaherty; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens; Orchestral Score by David Newman As Good as It Gets – Hans Zimmer Men in Black – Danny Elfman My Best Friend's Wedding – James Newton Howard
1998	Dramatic Score: Life Is Beautiful – Nicola Piovani	Elizabeth – David Hirschfelder Pleasantville – Randy Newman Saving Private Ryan – John Williams The Thin Red Line – Hans Zimmer
	Musical or Comedy Score: Shakespeare in Love – Stephen Warbeck	A Bug's Life – Randy Newman Mulan – Music by Matthew Wilder; Lyrics by David Zippel; Orchestral Score by Jerry Goldsmith Patch Adams – Marc Shaiman The Prince of Egypt – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Orchestral Score by Hans Zimmer
1999	The Red Violin – John Corigliano	American Beauty – Thomas Newman Angela's Ashes – John Williams The Cider House Rules – Rachel Portman The Talented Mr. Ripley – Gabriel Yared

2000s

Year	Winner Composer	Nominees
2000	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Tan Dun	Chocolat – Rachel Portman Gladiator – Hans Zimmer Malèna – Ennio Morricone The Patriot – John Williams
2001	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – Howard Shore	A.I. Artificial Intelligence – John Williams A Beautiful Mind – James Horner Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone – John Williams Monsters, Inc. – Randy Newman
2002	Frida – Elliot Goldenthal	Catch Me If You Can – John Williams Far from Heaven – Elmer Bernstein The Hours – Philip Glass Road to Perdition – Thomas Newman
2003	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Howard Shore	Big Fish – Danny Elfman Cold Mountain – Gabriel Yared Finding Nemo – Thomas Newman House of Sand and Fog – James Horner
2004	Finding Neverland – Jan A. P. Kaczmarek	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – John Williams Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events – Thomas Newman The Passion of the Christ – John Debney The Village – James Newton Howard
2005	Brokeback Mountain – Gustavo Santaolalla	The Constant Gardener – Alberto Iglesias Memoirs of a Geisha – John Williams Munich – John Williams Pride & Prejudice – Dario Marianelli
2006	Babel – Gustavo Santaolalla	The Good German – Thomas Newman Notes on a Scandal – Philip Glass Pan's Labyrinth – Javier Navarrete The Queen – Alexandre Desplat
2007	Atonement – Dario Marianelli	3:10 to Yuma – Marco Beltrami The Kite Runner – Alberto Iglesias Michael Clayton – James Newton Howard Ratatouille – Michael Giacchino
2008	Slumdog Millionaire – A. R. Rahman	The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Alexandre Desplat Defiance – James Newton Howard Milk – Danny Elfman WALL•E – Thomas Newman
2009	Up – Michael Giacchino	Avatar – James Horner Fantastic Mr. Fox – Alexandre Desplat The Hurt Locker – Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders Sherlock Holmes – Hans Zimmer

2010s

Year	Winner Composer	Nominees
2010	The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross	127 Hours – A. R. Rahman How to Train Your Dragon – John Powell Inception – Hans Zimmer The King's Speech – Alexandre Desplat
2011	The Artist – Ludovic Bource	The Adventures of Tintin – John Williams Hugo – Howard Shore Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Alberto Iglesias War Horse – John Williams
2012	Life of Pi – Mychael Danna	Anna Karenina – Dario Marianelli Argo – Alexandre Desplat Lincoln – John Williams Skyfall – Thomas Newman
2013	Gravity – Steven Price	The Book Thief – John Williams Her – William Butler and Owen Pallett Philomena – Alexandre Desplat Saving Mr. Banks – Thomas Newman
2014	The Grand Budapest Hotel – Alexandre Desplat	The Imitation Game – Alexandre Desplat Interstellar – Hans Zimmer Mr. Turner – Gary Yershon The Theory of Everything – Jóhann Jóhannsson
2015	The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone	Bridge of Spies – Thomas Newman Carol – Carter Burwell Sicario – Jóhann Jóhannsson Star Wars: The Force Awakens – John Williams

See also

• BAFTA Award for Best Film Music
• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score
• Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
• Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

External links

• Oscars.org (official Academy site)
• The Academy Awards Database (official site)
• Oscar.com (official ceremony promotional site)