Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media

Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Awarded for	Quality instrumental score soundtrack albums
Country	United States
Presented by	The Recording Academy
First awarded	1959
Currently held by	Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer (2024)
Website	grammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media is an honor presented to a composer (or composers) for an original score created for a film, TV show or series, or other visual media at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by The Recording Academy of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".

It has been awarded since the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1959. The first recipient was American composer and pianist Duke Ellington, for the soundtrack to the 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder. Originally known as the Grammy Award for Best Sound Track Album – Background Score from a Motion Picture or Television, the award is currently (2025) known as the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television. Until 2001, the award was presented to the composer of the music alone. From 2001 to 2007, the music producer(s) and sound engineer/mixer(s) shared the award. In 2007, the award reverted to a composer-only award. John Williams holds the record for most wins and nominations for the award, with eleven wins out of thirty-four nominations. Austin Wintory's nomination for Journey at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards was the only time that a video game was nominated in this category before the new category of Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media was created in 2022.

Recipients

Duke Ellington was the first recipient of the award in 1959 for the Anatomy of a Murder soundtrack.

Henry Mancini won in 1962 for the Breakfast at Tiffany's soundtrack.

Lalo Schifrin won in 1968 for the TV series Mission: Impossible soundtrack.

Paul Simon won in 1969 for The Graduate soundtrack, alongside Dave Grusin.

Dave Grusin has won twice, in 1969 for The Graduate soundtrack, alongside Paul Simon, and in 1990 for The Fabulous Baker Boys soundtrack.

The Beatles won in 1971 for the Let It Be soundtrack.

Isaac Hayes won in 1972 for the Shaft soundtrack.

Neil Diamond won in 1974 for the Jonathan Livingston Seagull soundtrack.

John Williams has won six times in a row, eleven times total, and has been nominated twenty-three more times.

Prince and The Revolution won in 1985 for the Purple Rain soundtrack.

Ennio Morricone won in 1988 for The Untouchables.

James Horner won in 1991 for Glory.

Alan Menken has won twice, for Beauty and the Beast in 1993 and Aladdin in 1994.

Hans Zimmer has won twice, for Crimson Tide in 1996 and The Dark Knight in 2009, winning the latter with James Newton Howard.

Randy Newman has won twice, for A Bug's Life in 2000 and Toy Story 3 in 2011.

Thomas Newman has won twice, for American Beauty in 2001 and Skyfall in 2014.

Chinese composer Tan Dun won in 2002 for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Dun is currently the only Chinese composer to win the category.

Howard Shore has won the award (alongside John Kurlander and Peter Cobbin) for all three films of The Lord of the Rings film series in 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Alexandre Desplat has won twice, for The King's Speech in 2012 and The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2015.

Trent Reznor (left) and Atticus Ross (right), of Nine Inch Nails, has won twice, for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2013 and Soul in 2022, winning the latter with Jon Batiste.

Antonio Sánchez won in 2016 for Birdman.

Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir became the first solo woman to win the award back-to-back (in 2020 for Chernobyl and 2021 for Joker).

Nine-time award nominee Danny Elfman.

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.

Year[I]	Performing artist(s)	Work	Nominee(s)	Ref.
1959	Duke Ellington	Anatomy of a Murder	M Squad – Stanley Wilson The Nun's Story – Franz Waxman Pete Kelly's Blues – Dick Cathcart Peter Gunn – Henry Mancini
1961	Ernest Gold	Exodus	The Apartment – Adolph Deutsch Ben-Hur – Miklós Rózsa Mr. Lucky – Henry Mancini The Untouchables – Nelson Riddle
1962	Henry Mancini	Breakfast at Tiffany's	Checkmate – John Williams The Guns of Navarone – Dimitri Tiomkin La Dolce Vita – Nino Rota Paris Blues – Duke Ellington
1963	No Award
1964	John Addison	Tom Jones	Cleopatra – Alex North Lawrence of Arabia – Maurice Jarre Mondo Cane – Riz Ortolani
1965	Richard M. Sherman Robert B. Sherman	Mary Poppins	Goldfinger – John Barry A Hard Day's Night – John Lennon, Paul McCartney The Pink Panther – Henry Mancini Robin and the 7 Hoods – Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen
1966	Johnny Mandel	The Sandpiper	Help! – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ken Thorne Les Parapluies de Cherbourg – Michel Legrand, Jacques Demy The Man from U.N.C.L.E. – Lalo Schifrin, Morton Stevens, Walter Scharf, Jerry Goldsmith Zorba the Greek – Mikis Theodorakis
1967	Maurice Jarre	Doctor Zhivago	Alfie – Sonny Rollins Arabesque – Henry Mancini Born Free – John Barry Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Alex North
1968	Lalo Schifrin	Mission: Impossible	Casino Royale – Burt Bacharach Doctor Dolittle – Leslie Bricusse In the Heat of the Night – Quincy Jones To Sir, with Love – Ron Grainer, Don Black, Mark London
1969	Dave Grusin Paul Simon	The Graduate	Bonnie and Clyde – Charles Strouse The Fox – Lalo Schifrin The Odd Couple – Neal Hefti Valley of the Dolls – André Previn
1970	Burt Bacharach	Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid	The Lost Man – Quincy Jones Mackenna's Gold – Quincy Jones Me, Natalie – Henry Mancini Yellow Submarine – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, George Martin
1971	The Beatles	Let It Be	Airport – Alfred Newman Darling Lili – Johnny Mercer, Henry Mancini M*A*S*H – Johnny Mandel The Sterile Cuckoo – Fred Karlin
1972	Isaac Hayes	Shaft	Bless the Beasts and Children – Barry De Vorzon, Perry Botkin Jr. Friends – Elton John, Bernie Taupin Love Story – Francis Lai Ryan's Daughter – Maurice Jarre
1973	Nino Rota	The Godfather	$ – Quincy Jones Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini – Manuel De Sica Nicholas and Alexandra – Richard Rodney Bennett Super Fly – Curtis Mayfield
1974	Neil Diamond	Jonathan Livingston Seagull	Last Tango in Paris – Gato Barbieri Live and Let Die – Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, George Martin Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid – Bob Dylan Sounder – Taj Mahal
1975	Alan and Marilyn Bergman Marvin Hamlisch	The Way We Were	Death Wish – Herbie Hancock QB VII – Jerry Goldsmith Serpico – Mikis Theodorakis The Three Musketeers – Michel Legrand
1976	John Williams	Jaws	Murder on the Orient Express – Richard Rodney Bennett Nashville – Keith Carradine, Ronee Blakley, Richard Baskin, Ben Raleigh, Richard Reicheg, Henry Gibson, Karen Black The Return of the Pink Panther – Henry Mancini The Wind and the Lion – Jerry Goldsmith
1977	Norman Whitfield	Car Wash	The Omen – Jerry Goldsmith One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest – Jack Nitzsche Rich Man, Poor Man – Alex North Taxi Driver – Bernard Herrmann
1978	John Williams	Star Wars	Rocky – Bill Conti The Spy Who Loved Me – Marvin Hamlisch A Star Is Born – Kenny Ascher, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Rupert Holmes, Leon Russell, Barbra Streisand, Donna Weiss, Paul Williams, Kenny Loggins You Light Up My Life – Joe Brooks
1979		Close Encounters of the Third Kind	Battlestar Galactica – Stu Phillips, John Andrew Tartaglia, Sue Collins, Glen A. Larson Holocaust – Morton Gould Midnight Express – Giorgio Moroder, Chris Bennett, David Castle, Billy Hayes, Oliver Stone Revenge of the Pink Panther – Henry Mancini (composer), Leslie Bricusse (lyricist)
1980		Superman	Alien – Jerry Goldsmith Apocalypse Now – Carmine Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola Ice Castles – Alan Parsons (composer), Eric Woolfson (composer), Marvin Hamlisch (composer), Carole Bayer Sager (lyricist) The Muppet Movie – Paul Williams, Kenny Ascher
1981		The Empire Strikes Back	Fame – Michael Gore, Anthony Evans, Paul McCrane, Dean Pitchford, Lesley Gore, Robert F. Colesberry Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants – Stevie Wonder, Michael Sembello, Stephanie Andrews, Yvonne Wright One-Trick Pony – Paul Simon Urban Cowboy – JD Souther, Boz Scaggs, David Foster, Jerry Foster, Bill Rice, Brian Collins, Robby Campbell, Joe Walsh, Bob Morrison, Johnny Wilson, Dan Fogelberg, Bob Seger, Wayland Holyfield, Bob House, Wanda Mallette, Patti Ryan
1982		Raiders of the Lost Ark	9 to 5 – Charles Fox, Dolly Parton The Elephant Man – John Morris Endless Love – Jonathan Tunick, Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary The Jazz Singer – Neil Diamond, Gilbert Bécaud, Alan E. Lindgren, Richard Bennett, Doug Rhone
1983		E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	The French Lieutenant's Woman – Carl Davis On Golden Pond – Dave Grusin Ragtime – Randy Newman Victor/Victoria – Henry Mancini (composer), Leslie Bricusse (lyricist)
1984	Various artists	Flashdance	Gandhi – Ravi Shankar, George Fenton Return of the Jedi – John Williams Staying Alive – Frank Stallone, Bruce Stephen Foster, Roy Freeland, Vince DiCola, Thomas Marolda, Joe Esposito, Randy Bishop, Tommy Faragher, Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb Tootsie – Dave Grusin
1985	Prince The Revolution	Purple Rain	Against All Odds – Phil Collins, Stevie Nicks, Peter Gabriel, Stuart Adamson, Mike Rutherford, Kid Creole, Michel Colombier, Larry Carlton Footloose – Bill Wolfer, Dean Pitchford, Kenny Loggins, Tom Snow, Sammy Hagar, Michael Gore, Eric Carmen, Jim Steinman Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr., Kevin O'Neal, Bobby Alessi, David Immer, Tom Bailey, Graham Russell, David Foster, Jay Graydon, Diane Warren, Mick Smiley, Elmer Bernstein Yentl – Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
1986	Various artists	Beverly Hills Cop	Back to the Future – Johnny Colla, Chris Hayes, Huey Lewis, Lindsey Buckingham, Alan Silvestri, Eric Clapton, Sean Hopper A Passage to India – Maurice Jarre St. Elmo's Fire – David Foster, John Parr, Billy Squier, John Elefante, Dino Elefante, Jon Anderson, Fee Waybill, Steve Lukather, Richard Marx, Jay Graydon, Steve Kipner, Peter Beckett, Cynthia Weil Witness – Maurice Jarre
1987	John Barry (film music was nominated in the Best Instrumental Composition category)	Out of Africa	Aliens – James Horner Earth Run – Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin Elektric City – Chick Corea J Mood – Wynton Marsalis Top Gun Anthem (from Top Gun) – Harold Faltermeyer Young Sherlock Holmes – Bruce Broughton
1988	Ennio Morricone	The Untouchables	An American Tail – James Horner The Glass Menagerie – Henry Mancini The Princess Bride – Mark Knopfler The Witches of Eastwick – John Williams
1989	Various artists	The Last Emperor	Empire of the Sun – John Williams Fatal Attraction – Maurice Jarre Tucker: The Man and His Dream – Joe Jackson Who Framed Roger Rabbit – Alan Silvestri
1990	Dave Grusin	The Fabulous Baker Boys	Batman – Danny Elfman Field of Dreams – James Horner Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – John Williams The Last Temptation of Christ – Peter Gabriel
1991	James Horner	Glory	Dick Tracy – Danny Elfman Driving Miss Daisy – Hans Zimmer The Little Mermaid – Alan Menken Twin Peaks – Angelo Badalamenti
1992	John Barry	Dances with Wolves	Avalon – Randy Newman Awakenings – Randy Newman Edward Scissorhands – Danny Elfman Havana – Dave Grusin Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – Michael Kamen
1993	Alan Menken	Beauty and the Beast	Hook – John Williams The Mambo Kings – Arturo Sandoval Northern Exposure – David Schwartz Rush – Eric Clapton
1994		Aladdin	The Age of Innocence – Elmer Bernstein The Firm – Dave Grusin Jurassic Park – John Williams A River Runs Through It – Mark Isham
1995	John Williams	Schindler's List	The Lion King – Hans Zimmer Little Buddha – Ryuichi Sakamoto The Shawshank Redemption – Thomas Newman Wolf – Ennio Morricone
1996	Hans Zimmer	Crimson Tide	Batman Forever – Elliot Goldenthal The Cure – Dave Grusin Ed Wood – Howard Shore Joe Cool's Blues – Wynton Marsalis
1997	David Arnold	Independence Day	Get Shorty – John Lurie L'uomo delle stelle – Ennio Morricone A Time to Kill – Elliot Goldenthal Unstrung Heroes – Thomas Newman
1998	Gabriel Yared	The English Patient	The Lost World: Jurassic Park – John Williams Men in Black – Danny Elfman Selena – Dave Grusin Seven Years in Tibet – John Williams
1999	John Williams	Saving Private Ryan	Amistad – John Williams Bulworth – Ennio Morricone City of Angels – Gabriel Yared Rush Hour – Lalo Schifrin
2000	Randy Newman	A Bug's Life	La vita è bella – Nicola Piovani The Red Violin – John Corigliano Shakespeare in Love – Stephen Warbeck Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace – John Williams
2001	Thomas Newman (artist/composer/producer) Bill Bernstein (producer)	American Beauty	The Cider House Rules – Rachel Portman Gladiator – Lisa Gerrard, Hans Zimmer Magnolia – Jon Brion Toy Story 2 – Randy Newman
2002	Tan Dun (artist/composer/producer) Steven Epstein (producer) Richard King (engineer/mixer)	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	A.I. Artificial Intelligence – John Williams Chocolat – Rachel Portman Men of Honor – Mark Isham Planet of the Apes – Danny Elfman Traffic – Cliff Martinez
2003	Howard Shore (artist/composer/producer) John Kurlander (engineer/mixer)	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	A Beautiful Mind – James Horner Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone – John Williams Monsters, Inc. – Randy Newman Spider-Man – Danny Elfman
2004	Howard Shore (artist/composer/producer) John Kurlander (engineer) Peter Cobbin (engineer/mixer)	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	Catch Me If You Can – John Williams Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – John Williams The Hours – Philip Glass Seabiscuit – Randy Newman
2005	Howard Shore (artist/composer/producer) John Kurlander (engineer/mixer)	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Angels in America – Thomas Newman Big Fish – Danny Elfman Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Jon Brion Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – John Williams
2006	Craig Armstrong (composer/producer) David Donaldson (producer) Taylor Hackford (producer) Geoff Foster (engineer/mixer)	Ray	The Aviator – Howard Shore The Incredibles – Michael Giacchino Million Dollar Baby – Clint Eastwood Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – John Williams
2007	John Williams (artist/composer) Shawn Murphy (engineer/mixer)	Memoirs of a Geisha	The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – Harry Gregson-Williams The Da Vinci Code – Hans Zimmer Munich – John Williams Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest – Hans Zimmer
2008	Michael Giacchino	Ratatouille	Babel – Gustavo Santaolalla Blood Diamond – James Newton Howard The Departed – Howard Shore Happy Feet – John Powell Pan's Labyrinth – Javier Navarrete
2009	Hans Zimmer James Newton Howard	The Dark Knight	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – John Williams Iron Man – Ramin Djawadi There Will Be Blood – Jonny Greenwood WALL-E – Thomas Newman
2010	Michael Giacchino	Up	The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Alexandre Desplat Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Nicholas Hooper Milk – Danny Elfman Star Trek – Michael Giacchino
2011	Randy Newman	Toy Story 3	Alice in Wonderland – Danny Elfman Avatar – James Horner Inception – Hans Zimmer Sherlock Holmes – Hans Zimmer
2012	Alexandre Desplat	The King's Speech	Black Swan – Clint Mansell Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 – Alexandre Desplat The Shrine – Ryan Shore Tron: Legacy – Daft Punk
2013	Trent Reznor Atticus Ross	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	The Adventures of Tintin – John Williams The Artist – Ludovic Bource The Dark Knight Rises – Hans Zimmer Hugo – Howard Shore Journey – Austin Wintory
2014	Thomas Newman	Skyfall	Argo – Alexandre Desplat The Great Gatsby – Craig Armstrong Life of Pi – Mychael Danna Lincoln – John Williams Zero Dark Thirty – Alexandre Desplat
2015	Alexandre Desplat	The Grand Budapest Hotel	Frozen – Christophe Beck Gone Girl – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross Gravity – Steven Price Saving Mr. Banks – Thomas Newman
2016	Antonio Sánchez	Birdman	The Imitation Game – Alexandre Desplat Interstellar – Hans Zimmer The Theory of Everything – Jóhann Jóhannsson Whiplash – Justin Hurwitz
2017	John Williams	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	Bridge of Spies – Thomas Newman The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone The Revenant – Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto Stranger Things, Vol. 1 – Kyle Dixon, Michael Stein Stranger Things, Vol. 2 – Kyle Dixon, Michael Stein
2018	Justin Hurwitz	La La Land	Arrival – Jóhann Jóhannsson Dunkirk – Hans Zimmer Game of Thrones: Season 7 – Ramin Djawadi Hidden Figures – Benjamin Wallfisch, Pharrell Williams, Hans Zimmer
2019	Ludwig Göransson	Black Panther	Blade Runner 2049 – Benjamin Wallfisch, Hans Zimmer Coco – Michael Giacchino The Shape of Water – Alexandre Desplat Star Wars: The Last Jedi – John Williams
2020	Hildur Guðnadóttir	Chernobyl	Avengers: Endgame – Alan Silvestri Game of Thrones: Season 8 – Ramin Djawadi The Lion King – Hans Zimmer Mary Poppins Returns – Marc Shaiman
2021		Joker	1917 – Thomas Newman Ad Astra – Max Richter Becoming – Kamasi Washington Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – John Williams
2022	Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross	Soul	Bridgerton – Kris Bowers Dune – Hans Zimmer The Mandalorian: Season 2 – Vol. 2 (Chapters 13–16) – Ludwig Göransson
	Carlos Rafael Rivera	The Queen's Gambit
2023	Germaine Franco	Encanto	The Batman – Michael Giacchino No Time to Die – Hans Zimmer The Power of the Dog – Jonny Greenwood Succession: Season 3 – Nicholas Britell
2024	Ludwig Göransson	Oppenheimer	Barbie – Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Ludwig Göransson The Fabelmans – John Williams Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – John Williams
2025	Winner TBA on 2 February 2025		American Fiction - Laura Karpman Challengers - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross The Color Purple - Kris Bowers Dune: Part Two - Hans Zimmer Shógun - Nick Chuba, Atticus Ross & Leopold Ross

Name changes

There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:

Year	Name
1959	Best Sound Track Album – Background Score from a Motion Picture or Television
1961–62	Best Sound Track Album or Recording of Music Score from Motion Picture or Television
1964–68	Best Original Score from a Motion Picture or Television Show
1969–73 1978	Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
1974–77	Best Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
1979–86	Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
1988–90	Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television
1991–99	Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or Television
2000	Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
2001–11	Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media
2012–2022	Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
2023–	Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television)

Multiple wins and nominations

Up to and including the 67th Annual Grammy Awards (2025)

Wins

• John Williams – 11 (6 consecutive)
• Howard Shore – 3 (consecutive)
• Ludwig Göransson – 3
• Alexandre Desplat – 2
• Michael Giacchino – 2
• Hildur Guðnadóttir – 2 (consecutive)
• Alan Menken – 2 (consecutive)
• Randy Newman – 2
• Thomas Newman – 2
• Trent Reznor – 2
• Atticus Ross – 2
• Hans Zimmer – 2

Nominations

• John Williams – 36
• Hans Zimmer – 18
• Danny Elfman – 9
• Thomas Newman – 9
• Ludwig Göransson – 4
• Alan Silvestri – 3

See also

• BAFTA Award for Best Original Music
• Academy Award for Best Original Score
• Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Score
• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score
• Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special

References

General

• "Past Winners Search". The Recording Academy. Retrieved April 27, 2017. Note: User must select the "Film/TV/Media" category as the genre under the search feature.

Specific

External links

• Official site of the Grammy Awards