Oscar-Winning Film Scores

Film scores are the unsung heroes of cinema, weaving emotion and narrative into every frame with masterful precision. The Academy Award for Best Original Score honors composers who create these sonic landscapes, and the competition is often fierce, with runner-ups delivering equally remarkable work. This list draws from historical Oscar records while critically examining the Academy’s choices, as some decisions have sparked debate over fairness and genre bias.

Oscar-Winning Film Scores and Runner-Ups (2010–2024)

1. 2010: Up – Michael Giacchino
   • Runner-Ups: Avatar (James Horner), Fantastic Mr. Fox (Alexandre Desplat), The Hurt Locker (Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders), Sherlock Holmes (Hans Zimmer)
   • Giacchino’s charming, nostalgic score for Pixar’s Up captured hearts with its emotional depth, particularly in “Married Life.” However, some argued Horner’s expansive Avatar score, blending cultural motifs with epic orchestration, deserved the win for its groundbreaking scope.
2. 2011: The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
   • Runner-Ups: Inception (Hans Zimmer), The King’s Speech (Alexandre Desplat), 127 Hours (A.R. Rahman), How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell)
   • Reznor and Ross’ electronic score for The Social Network perfectly matched the film’s digital tension, but Zimmer’s Inception score, with its iconic “Time” track, was a cultural phenomenon—some felt the Academy overlooked its impact.
3. 2012: The Artist – Ludovic Bource
   • Runner-Ups: Hugo (Howard Shore), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Alberto Iglesias), War Horse (John Williams), The Adventures of Tintin (John Williams)
   • Bource’s score for the silent film The Artist was a fitting tribute to early cinema, though Williams’ double nomination for War Horse and Tintin led some to question if his legacy was being unfairly sidelined.
4. 2013: Life of Pi – Mychael Danna
   • Runner-Ups: Anna Karenina (Dario Marianelli), Argo (Alexandre Desplat), Lincoln (John Williams), Skyfall (Thomas Newman)
   • Danna’s Indian-influenced score for Life of Pi was a beautiful blend of cultures, but Williams’ Lincoln score, with its historical gravitas, was seen by some as a more traditional Oscar contender that deserved recognition.
5. 2014: Gravity – Steven Price
   • Runner-Ups: The Book Thief (John Williams), Her (William Butler and Owen Pallett), Philomena (Alexandre Desplat), Saving Mr. Banks (Thomas Newman)
   • Price’s innovative, atmospheric score for Gravity amplified the film’s tension, though Williams’ The Book Thief offered a more classical emotional depth that some felt was overlooked.
6. 2015: The Grand Budapest Hotel – Alexandre Desplat
   • Runner-Ups: The Imitation Game (Alexandre Desplat), Interstellar (Hans Zimmer), Mr. Turner (Gary Yershon), The Theory of Everything (Jóhann Jóhannsson)
   • Desplat’s whimsical Grand Budapest Hotel score beat his own nomination for The Imitation Game, but Zimmer’s Interstellar score, with its iconic organ, was a fan favorite that many believed should have won.
7. 2016: The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone
   • Runner-Ups: Bridge of Spies (Thomas Newman), Carol (Carter Burwell), Sicario (Jóhann Jóhannsson), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (John Williams)
   • Morricone’s first competitive Oscar for The Hateful Eight at 90 was a career tribute, but some argued Williams’ Star Wars return, blending nostalgia with new themes, was more impactful.
8. 2017: La La Land – Justin Hurwitz
   • Runner-Ups: Jackie (Micael Levi), Lion (Dustin O’Halloran and Hauschka), Moonlight (Nicholas Britell), Passengers (Thomas Newman)
   • Hurwitz’s jazzy La La Land score was a perfect fit for the musical, though Britell’s Moonlight score, with its chopped-and-screwed strings, was a groundbreaking choice some felt was snubbed.
9. 2018: The Shape of Water – Alexandre Desplat
   • Runner-Ups: Dunkirk (Hans Zimmer), Phantom Thread (Jonny Greenwood), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (John Williams), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Carter Burwell)
   • Desplat’s dreamy Shape of Water score was a worthy winner, but Greenwood’s Phantom Thread score, with its intricate classical style, was a critical darling that many thought deserved the award.
10. 2019: Black Panther – Ludwig Göransson
    • Runner-Ups: BlacKkKlansman (Terence Blanchard), If Beale Street Could Talk (Nicholas Britell), Isle of Dogs (Alexandre Desplat), Mary Poppins Returns (Marc Shaiman)
    • Göransson’s African-inspired Black Panther score was lauded for its authenticity, though Britell’s tender If Beale Street Could Talk score was a strong contender that some felt was more emotionally resonant.
11. 2020: Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir
    • Runner-Ups: 1917 (Thomas Newman), Little Women (Alexandre Desplat), Marriage Story (Randy Newman), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (John Williams)
    • Guðnadóttir’s haunting Joker score made history as the first female win since 1997, but Newman’s 1917 score, with its seamless tension, was a close competitor that some believed should have won.
12. 2021: Soul – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste
    • Runner-Ups: Da 5 Bloods (Terence Blanchard), Mank (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross), Minari (Emile Mosseri), News of the World (James Newton Howard)
    • The jazz-infused Soul score was a fitting winner, though Mosseri’s Minari score, with its delicate beauty, was a fan favorite that some argued deserved the Oscar.
13. 2022: Dune – Hans Zimmer
    • Runner-Ups: Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell), Encanto (Germaine Franco), Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias), The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)
    • Zimmer’s second Oscar for Dune ended a 27-year drought, but Greenwood’s The Power of the Dog score, with its psychological depth, was a critical favorite that many felt was unfairly overlooked.
14. 2023: All Quiet on the Western Front – Volker Bertelmann
    • Runner-Ups: Babylon (Justin Hurwitz), The Banshees of Inisherin (Carter Burwell), Everything Everywhere All at Once (Son Lux), The Fabelmans (John Williams)
    • Bertelmann’s intense All Quiet score captured the horrors of war, though Hurwitz’s vibrant Babylon score was seen by some as a more dynamic choice that deserved recognition.
15. 2024: Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson
    • Runner-Ups: American Fiction (Laura Karpman), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (John Williams), Killers of the Flower Moon (Robbie Robertson), Poor Things (Jerskin Fendrix)
    • Göransson’s second Oscar for Oppenheimer was well-earned with its tense, emotional depth, but Robertson’s Killers of the Flower Moon score, blending indigenous and orchestral elements, was a strong contender some felt was snubbed.

Reflecting on the Academy’s Choices

The Academy’s selections often reflect a balance of innovation and tradition, but they’ve faced criticism for genre bias—musicals like La La Land and animations like Up sometimes overshadow more dramatic scores. The 1996–1999 split into Dramatic and Musical/Comedy categories, later reverted due to controversy, highlights ongoing debates about fairness. These scores, both winners and runner-ups, continue to inspire and shape the sound of cinema, proving music’s unparalleled power in storytelling.