# Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Score

The Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Score is one of several categories presented by the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), an association of professional film critics, who work in print, broadcast and online media, based in Chicago. Since the 6th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (1993), the award has been presented annually. The nominations from 1993, 1994 and 2004 are not available. The first Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Score went to composer Michael Nyman for his score to The Piano. The most recent recipients of this award are Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for Challengers.
French film composer Alexandre Desplat has the most nominations (13), with one win. Howard Shore and Jonny Greenwood have the most wins (three) from six nominations. Hans Zimmer has eleven nominations, which have resulted in one win. English musician Clint Mansell has two wins from two nominations, while Mica Levi has two wins from three nominations and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have two wins from four nominations. Other notable achievers are James Horner, Randy Newman, and Carter Burwell who all have one win from multiple nominations. Several composers have been nominated multiple times, but never received the award, including Danny Elfman, Philip Glass and Elliot Goldenthal.
The 12th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (1999) saw the first two female composers, Jocelyn Pook and Rachel Portman, nominated for the award. In 2007, Markéta Irglová became the first female musician to win the award, along with Glen Hansard, for their work on Once. James Newton Howard became the first composer to receive multiple nominations at the 18th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards. He was nominated for his work on King Kong and his collaboration with Zimmer on Batman Begins. At the 25th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards (2012), Desplat received nominations for his scores to Argo, Moonrise Kingdom and Zero Dark Thirty, the first time a composer has been nominated three times in one year. In 2023, Robbie Robertson received the award posthumously.

## Winners and nominees
### 1990s

| Year | Film | Composer(s) |
| 1993 | The Piano | Michael Nyman |
| 1994 | The Lion King | Hans Zimmer |
| 1995 | Toy Story | Randy Newman |
| 1995 | Apollo 13 | James Horner |
| 1995 | Get Shorty | John Lurie |
| 1995 | Heat | Elliot Goldenthal |
| 1995 | The Secret of Roan Inish | Mason Daring |
| 1996 | Fargo | Carter Burwell |
| 1996 | Dead Man | Neil Young |
| 1996 | James and the Giant Peach | Randy Newman |
| 1996 | Michael Collins | Elliot Goldenthal |
| 1996 | That Thing You Do! | Howard Shore |
| 1997 | Titanic | James Horner |
| 1997 | Gattaca | Michael Nyman |
| 1997 | Kundun | Philip Glass |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Jerry Goldsmith |
| 1997 | The Sweet Hereafter | Mychael Danna |
| 1998 | The Truman Show | Burkhard Dallwitz |
| 1998 | A Bug's Life | Randy Newman |
| 1998 | The Butcher Boy | Elliot Goldenthal |
| 1998 | Elizabeth | David Hirschfelder |
| 1998 | A Simple Plan | Danny Elfman |
| 1999 | South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut | Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman |
| 1999 | The Cider House Rules | Rachel Portman |
| 1999 | Eyes Wide Shut | Jocelyn Pook |
| 1999 | The Red Violin | John Corigliano |
| 1999 | Run Lola Run | Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, and Reinhold Heil |

### 2000s

| Year | Film | Composer(s) |
| 2000 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Tan Dun |
| 2000 | Dancer in the Dark | Björk |
| 2000 | Gladiator | Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard |
| 2000 | O Brother, Where Art Thou? | T-Bone Burnett |
| 2000 | The Virgin Suicides | Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin |
| 2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Howard Shore |
| 2001 | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | John Williams |
| 2001 | A Beautiful Mind | James Horner |
| 2001 | In the Mood for Love | Michael Galasso and Shigeru Umebayashi |
| 2001 | Mulholland Drive | Angelo Badalamenti |
| 2002 | Far from Heaven | Elmer Bernstein |
| 2002 | The Hours | Philip Glass |
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Howard Shore |
| 2002 | Punch-Drunk Love | Jon Brion |
| 2002 | Spirited Away | Joe Hisaishi |
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Howard Shore |
| 2003 | Big Fish | Danny Elfman |
| 2003 | Cold Mountain | Gabriel Yared |
| 2003 | The Fog of War | Philip Glass |
| 2003 | The Triplets of Belleville | Benoît Charest |
| 2004 | The Aviator | Howard Shore |
| 2005 | Brokeback Mountain | Gustavo Santaolalla |
| 2005 | Batman Begins | Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard |
| 2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Danny Elfman |
| 2005 | King Kong | James Newton Howard |
| 2005 | Memoirs of a Geisha | John Williams |
| 2006 | The Fountain | Clint Mansell |
| 2006 | Babel | Gustavo Santaolalla |
| 2006 | Letters from Iwo Jima | Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens |
| 2006 | Notes on a Scandal | Philip Glass |
| 2006 | The Queen | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2007 | Once | Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová |
| 2007 | The Assassination of Jesse James | Nick Cave and Warren Ellis |
| 2007 | Atonement | Dario Marianelli |
| 2007 | Lust, Caution | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2007 | There Will Be Blood | Jonny Greenwood |
| 2008 | WALL-E | Thomas Newman |
| 2008 | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard |
| 2008 | Milk | Danny Elfman |
| 2008 | Slumdog Millionaire | A. R. Rahman |
| 2009 | Up | Michael Giacchino |
| 2009 | Avatar | James Horner |
| 2009 | Fantastic Mr. Fox | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2009 | The Informant! | Marvin Hamlisch |
| 2009 | Where the Wild Things Are | Carter Burwell and Karen O |

### 2010s

| Year | Film | Composer(s) |
| 2010 | Black Swan | Clint Mansell |
| 2010 | I Am Love | John Adams |
| 2010 | Inception | Hans Zimmer |
| 2010 | The Social Network | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross |
| 2010 | True Grit | Carter Burwell |
| 2011 | Drive | Cliff Martinez |
| 2011 | The Artist | Ludovic Bource |
| 2011 | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross |
| 2011 | Hanna | The Chemical Brothers |
| 2011 | Hugo | Howard Shore |
| 2012 | The Master | Jonny Greenwood |
| 2012 | Argo | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2012 | Beasts of the Southern Wild | Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin |
| 2012 | Moonrise Kingdom | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2012 | Zero Dark Thirty | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2013 | Her | Arcade Fire |
| 2013 | Blancanieves | Alfonso de Vilallonga |
| 2013 | Gravity | Steven Price |
| 2013 | Spring Breakers | Cliff Martinez and Skrillex |
| 2013 | 12 Years a Slave | Hans Zimmer |
| 2014 | Under the Skin | Mica Levi |
| 2014 | Birdman | Antonio Sánchez |
| 2014 | The Grand Budapest Hotel | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2014 | The Imitation Game | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2014 | Interstellar | Hans Zimmer |
| 2015 | The Hateful Eight | Ennio Morricone |
| 2015 | Carol | Carter Burwell |
| 2015 | Inside Out | Michael Giacchino |
| 2015 | It Follows | Disasterpeace |
| 2015 | Mad Max: Fury Road | Junkie XL |
| 2016 | Jackie | Mica Levi |
| 2016 | Arrival | Jóhann Jóhannsson |
| 2016 | La La Land | Justin Hurwitz |
| 2016 | Moonlight | Nicholas Britell |
| 2016 | The Neon Demon | Cliff Martinez |
| 2017 | Phantom Thread | Jonny Greenwood |
| 2017 | Blade Runner 2049 | Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer |
| 2017 | Dunkirk | Hans Zimmer |
| 2017 | The Shape of Water | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2017 | War for the Planet of the Apes | Michael Giacchino |
| 2018 | If Beale Street Could Talk | Nicholas Britell |
| 2018 | First Man | Justin Hurwitz |
| 2018 | Mandy | Jóhann Jóhannsson |
| 2018 | Suspiria | Thom Yorke |
| 2018 | You Were Never Really Here | Jonny Greenwood |
| 2019 | Little Women | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2019 | 1917 | Thomas Newman |
| 2019 | Marriage Story | Randy Newman |
| 2019 | Uncut Gems | Daniel Lopatin |
| 2019 | Us | Michael Abels |

### 2020s

| Year | Film | Composer(s) |
| 2020 | Soul | Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross |
| 2020 | Da 5 Bloods | Terence Blanchard |
| 2020 | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Bradford Marsalis |
| 2020 | Mank | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross |
| 2020 | Tenet | Ludwig Göransson |
| 2021 | The Power of the Dog | Jonny Greenwood |
| 2021 | Annette | Ron Mael and Russell Mael |
| 2021 | Dune | Hans Zimmer |
| 2021 | The French Dispatch | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2021 | Spencer | Jonny Greenwood |
| 2022 | Babylon | Justin Hurwitz |
| 2022 | The Banshees of Inisherin | Carter Burwell |
| 2022 | The Batman | Michael Giacchino |
| 2022 | Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio | Alexandre Desplat |
| 2022 | RRR | M. M. Keeravani |
| 2023 | Killers of the Flower Moon | Robbie Robertson (posthumous) |
| 2023 | Barbie | Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt |
| 2023 | Oppenheimer | Ludwig Goransson |
| 2023 | Poor Things | Jerskin Fendrix |
| 2023 | The Zone of Interest | Mica Levi |
| 2024 | Challengers | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross |
| 2024 | The Brutalist | Daniel Blumberg |
| 2024 | Dune: Part Two | Hans Zimmer |
| 2024 | Nosferatu | Robin Carolan |
| 2024 | Wicked | John Powell and Stephen Schwartz |
| 2024 | The Wild Robot | Kris Bowers |