# European Film Award for Best Composer

The European Film Award for Best Composer is one of the awards presented by the European Film Academy. It was first presented as a Special Jury Award in 1998 received by Yuri Khanon for the music of Days of Eclipse. A set of nominees was presented from 1989 to 1990 and from 2004 and 2012. Since 2013, only one winner is presented without nominees.

## Winners and nominees
### 1980s

| Year | Composer(s) | Film | Original title |
| 1988 (1st) | Special Jury Award for Best Music | Special Jury Award for Best Music | Special Jury Award for Best Music |
| 1988 (1st) | Yuri Khanon | Days of Eclipse | Дни затмения |
| 1988 (1st) | Nomination for Special Aspect Award | Nomination for Special Aspect Award | Nomination for Special Aspect Award |
| 1988 (1st) | Terence Davies | Distant Voices, Still Lives | Distant Voices, Still Lives |
| 1989 (2nd) | Andrew Dickson | High Hopes | High Hopes |
| 1989 (2nd) | Goran Bregovic | Kuduz | Kuduz |
| 1989 (2nd) | Ferenc Darvas | The Midas Touch | Eldorádó |
| 1989 (2nd) | Michał Lorenc | 300 Miles to Heaven | 300 mil do nieba |
| 1989 (2nd) | Maggie Parke Gast Waltzing | A Wopbopaloobop A Lopbamboom | A Wopbopaloobop A Lopbamboom |

### 1990s

| Year | Composer(s) | Film | Original title |
| 1990 (3rd) | No awards given | No awards given | No awards given |
| 1990 (3rd) | Jean-Luc Godard | New Wave | Nouvelle Vague |
| 1990 (3rd) | Jean-Claude Petit | Cyrano de Bergerac | Cyrano de Bergerac |
| 1990 (3rd) | Jürgen Knieper | December Bride | Dezemberbraut |
| 1991 (4th) | Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson | Children of Nature | Börn náttúrunnar |
| 1992 (5th) | Vincent van Warmerdam | The Northerners | De Noorderlingen |

### 2000s

| Year | Composer(s) | Film | Original title |
| 2004 (17th) | Bruno Coulais | The Chorus | Les Choristes |
| 2004 (17th) | Alexandre Desplat | Girl with a Pearl Earring | Girl with a Pearl Earring |
| 2004 (17th) | The Free Association | Code 46 | Code 46 |
| 2004 (17th) | Alberto Iglesias | Bad Education Take My Eyes | La Mala Educación Te doy mis ojos |
| 2004 (17th) | Eleni Karaindrou | Trilogy: The Weaping Meadow | Trilogia: To livadi pou dakrizei |
| 2004 (17th) | Stephen Warbeck | The Alzheimer Case | De Zaak Alzheimer |
| 2005 (18th) | Rupert Gregson-Williams Andrea Guerra | Hotel Rwanda | Hotel Rwanda |
| 2005 (18th) | Joachim Holbek | Manderlay | Manderlay |
| 2005 (18th) | Cyril Morin | The Syrian Bride | הכלה הסורית / Ha-Kala Ha-Surit |
| 2005 (18th) | Ennio Morricone | Fateless | Sorstanság |
| 2005 (18th) | Stefan Nilsson | As It Is in Heaven | Så som i himmelen |
| 2005 (18th) | Johan Söderqvist | Brothers | Brødre |
| 2006 (19th) | Alberto Iglesias | Volver | Volver |
| 2006 (19th) | Tuomas Kantelinen | Mother of Mine | Äideistä parhain |
| 2006 (19th) | Dario Marianelli | Pride & Prejudice | Pride & Prejudice |
| 2006 (19th) | Gabriel Yared Stéphane Moucha | The Lives of Others | Das Leben der Anderen |
| 2007 (20th) | Alexandre Desplat | The Queen | The Queen |
| 2007 (20th) | Alex Heffes | The Last King of Scotland | The Last King of Scotland |
| 2007 (20th) | Dejan Pejović | Gucha | Гуча! |
| 2007 (20th) | Tom Tykwer Johnny Klimek Reinhold Heil | Perfume: The Story of a Murderer | Das Parfum – Die Geschichte eines Mörders |
| 2008 (21st) | Max Richter | Waltz with Bashir | ואלס עם באשיר |
| 2008 (21st) | Tuur Florizoone | Moscow, Belgium | Aanrijding in Moscou |
| 2008 (21st) | Dario Marianelli | Atonement | Atonement |
| 2008 (21st) | Fernando Velázquez | The Orphanage | El orfanato |
| 2009 (22nd) | Alberto Iglesias | Broken Embraces | Los abrazos rotos |
| 2009 (22nd) | Alexandre Desplat | Coco avant Chanel | Coco avant Chanel |
| 2009 (22nd) | Jacob Groth | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Män som hatar kvinnor |
| 2009 (22nd) | Johan Söderqvist | Let the Right One In | Låt den rätte komma in |

### 2010s

| Year | Composer(s) | Film | Original title | Ref. |
| 2010 (23rd) | Alexandre Desplat | The Ghost Writer | The Ghost Writer | [9] [10] |
| 2010 (23rd) | Ales Brezina | Kawasaki's Rose | Kawasakiho růže | [9] [10] |
| 2010 (23rd) | Pasquale Catalano | Loose Cannons | Mine vaganti | [9] [10] |
| 2010 (23rd) | Gary Yershon | Another Year | Another Year | | [9] [10] |
| 2011 (24th) | Ludovic Bource | The Artist | The Artist | [11] [12] |
| 2011 (24th) | Alexandre Desplat | The King's Speech | The King's Speech | | [11] [12] |
| 2011 (24th) | Alberto Iglesias | The Skin I Live In | La piel que habito | [11] [12] |
| 2011 (24th) | Mihály Vig | The Turin Horse | A torinói ló | [11] [12] |
| 2012 (25th) | Alberto Iglesias | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | |
| 2012 (25th) | George Fenton | The Angels' Share | The Angels' Share | | |
| 2012 (25th) | François Couturier | Shun Li and the Poet | Io sono Li | |
| 2012 (25th) | Cyrille Aufort Gabriel Yared | A Royal Affair | En kongelig affære | |
| 2013 (26th) | Ennio Morricone | The Best Offer | La migliore offerta | |
| 2014 (27th) | Mica Levi | Under the Skin | Under the Skin | |
| 2015 (28th) | Faris Badwan Rachel Zeffira | The Duke of Burgundy | The Duke of Burgundy | |
| 2016 (29th) | Ilya Demutsky | The Student | Ученик | |
| 2017 (30th) | Evgueni and Sacha Galperine | Loveless | Нелюбовь | |
| 2018 (31st) | Christoph M. Kaiser Julian Maas | 3 Days in Quiberon | 3 Tage in Quiberon | |
| 2019 (32nd) | John Gürtler | System Crasher | Systemsprenger | |

### 2020s

| Year | Composer(s) | Film | Original title |
| 2020 (33rd) | Dascha Dauenhauer | Berlin Alexanderplatz | Berlin Alexanderplatz |
| 2021 (34th) | Nils Petter Molvær Peter Brötzmann | Great Freedom | Große Freiheit |
| 2022 (35th) | Paweł Mykietyn | EO | IO |
| 2023 (36th) | Markus Binder | Club Zero | Club Zero |
| 2024 (37th) | Frederikke Hoffmeier | The Girl with the Needle | Pigen med nålen |