# Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media

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

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

### 1950s

| Year | Performing artist(s) |
| 1959 |
| Duke Ellington | Anatomy of a Murder |
| Stanley Wilson | M Squad |
| Franz Waxman | The Nun's Story |
| Dick Cathcart | Pete Kelly's Blues |
| Henry Mancini | Peter Gunn |

### 1960s

| Year | Performing artist(s) |
| 1961 |
| Ernest Gold | Exodus |
| Adolph Deutsch | The Apartment |
| Miklós Rózsa | Ben-Hur |
| Henry Mancini | Mr. Lucky |
| Nelson Riddle | The Untouchables |
| 1962 |
| Henry Mancini | Breakfast at Tiffany's |
| John Williams | Checkmate |
| Dimitri Tiomkin | The Guns of Navarone |
| Nino Rota | La Dolce Vita |
| Duke Ellington | Paris, Blues |
| 1963 |
| No Award |||
| 1964 |
| John Addison | Tom Jones |
| Alex North | Cleopatra |
| Maurice Jarre | Lawrence of Arabia |
| Riz Ortolani | Mondo Cane |
| 1965 |
| Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman | Mary Poppins |
| John Barry | Goldfinger |
| John Lennon, Paul McCartney | A Hard Day's Night |
| Henry Mancini | The Pink Panther |
| Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen | Robin and the 7 Hoods |
| 1966 |
| Johnny Mandel | The Sandpiper |
| John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ken Thorne | Help! |
| Michel Legrand, Jacques Demy | The Umbrellas of Cherbourg |
| Lalo Schifrin, Morton Stevens, Walter Scharf, Jerry Goldsmith | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. |
| Mikis Theodorakis | Zorba the Greek |
| 1967 |
| Maurice Jarre | Doctor Zhivago |
| Sonny Rollins | Alfie |
| Henry Mancini | Arabesque |
| John Barry | Born Free |
| Alex North | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? |
| 1968 |
| Lalo Schifrin | Mission: Impossible |
| Burt Bacharach | Casino Royale |
| Leslie Bricusse | Doctor Dolittle |
| Quincy Jones | In the Heat of the Night |
| Ron Grainer, Don Black, Mark London | To Sir, with Love |
| 1969 |
| Dave Grusin and Paul Simon | The Graduate |
| Charles Strouse | Bonnie and Clyde |
| Lalo Schifrin | The Fox |
| Neal Hefti | The Odd Couple |
| André Previn | Valley of the Dolls |

### 1970s

| Year | Performing artist(s) |
| 1970 |
| Burt Bacharach | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid |
| Quincy Jones | The Lost Man |
| Quincy Jones | Mackenna's Gold |
| Henry Mancini | Me, Natalie |
| John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, George Martin | Yellow Submarine |
| 1971 |
| The Beatles | Let It Be |
| Alfred Newman | Airport |
| Johnny Mercer, Henry Mancini | Darling Lili |
| Johnny Mandel | M*A*S*H |
| Fred Karlin | The Sterile Cuckoo |
| 1972 |
| Isaac Hayes | Shaft |
| Barry De Vorzon, Perry Botkin Jr. | Bless the Beasts and Children |
| Elton John, Bernie Taupin | Friends |
| Francis Lai | Love Story |
| Maurice Jarre | Ryan's Daughter |
| 1973 |
| Nino Rota | The Godfather |
| Quincy Jones | $ |
| Manuel De Sica | Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini |
| Richard Rodney Bennett | Nicholas and Alexandra |
| Curtis Mayfield | Super Fly |
| 1974 |
| Neil Diamond | Jonathan Livingston Seagull |
| Gato Barbieri | Last Tango in Paris |
| Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, George Martin | Live and Let Die |
| Bob Dylan | Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid |
| Taj Mahal | Sounder |
| 1975 |
| Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Marvin Hamlisch | The Way We Were |
| Herbie Hancock | Death Wish |
| Jerry Goldsmith | QB VII |
| Mikis Theodorakis | Serpico |
| Michel Legrand | The Three Musketeers |
| 1976 |
| John Williams | Jaws |
| Richard Rodney Bennett | Murder on the Orient Express |
| Keith Carradine, Ronee Blakley, Richard Baskin, Ben Raleigh, Richard Reicheg, Henry Gibson, Karen Black | Nashville |
| Henry Mancini | The Return of the Pink Panther |
| Jerry Goldsmith | The Wind and the Lion |
| 1977 |
| Norman Whitfield | Car Wash |
| Jerry Goldsmith | The Omen |
| Jack Nitzsche | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
| Alex North | Rich Man, Poor Man |
| Bernard Herrmann | Taxi Driver |
| 1978 |
| John Williams | Star Wars |
| Bill Conti | Rocky |
| Marvin Hamlisch | The Spy Who Loved Me |
| Kenny Ascher, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Rupert Holmes, Leon Russell, Barbra Streisand, Donna Weiss, Paul Williams, Kenny Loggins | A Star Is Born |
| Joe Brooks | You Light Up My Life |
| 1979 |
| John Williams | Close Encounters of the Third Kind |
| Stu Phillips, John Andrew Tartaglia, Sue Collins, Glen A. Larson | Battlestar Galactica |
| Morton Gould | Holocaust |
| Giorgio Moroder, Chris Bennett, David Castle, Billy Hayes, Oliver Stone | Midnight Express |
| Henry Mancini (composer), Leslie Bricusse (lyricist) | Revenge of the Pink Panther |

### 1980s

| Year | Performing artist(s) |
| 1980 |
| John Williams | Superman |
| Jerry Goldsmith | Alien |
| Carmine Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola | Apocalypse Now |
| Alan Parsons (composer), Eric Woolfson (composer), Marvin Hamlisch (composer), Carole Bayer Sager (lyricist) | Ice Castles |
| Paul Williams, Kenny Ascher | The Muppet Movie |
| 1981 |
| John Williams | The Empire Strikes Back |
| Michael Gore, Anthony Evans, Paul McCrane, Dean Pitchford, Lesley Gore, Robert F. Colesberry | Fame |
| Stevie Wonder, Michael Sembello, Stephanie Andrews, Yvonne Wright | Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants |
| Paul Simon | One-Trick Pony |
| 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 | Urban Cowboy |
| 1982 |
| John Williams | Raiders of the Lost Ark |
| Charles Fox, Dolly Parton | 9 to 5 |
| John Morris | The Elephant Man |
| Jonathan Tunick, Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary | Endless Love |
| Neil Diamond, Gilbert Bécaud, Alan E. Lindgren, Richard Bennett, Doug Rhone | The Jazz Singer |
| 1983 |
| John Williams | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial |
| Carl Davis | The French Lieutenant's Woman |
| Dave Grusin | On Golden Pond |
| Randy Newman | Ragtime |
| Henry Mancini (composer), Leslie Bricusse (lyricist) | Victor/Victoria |
| 1984 |
| Various artists | Flashdance |
| Ravi Shankar, George Fenton | Gandhi |
| John Williams | Return of the Jedi |
| Frank Stallone, Bruce Stephen Foster, Roy Freeland, Vince DiCola, Thomas Marolda, Joe Esposito, Randy Bishop, Tommy Faragher, Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb | Staying Alive |
| Dave Grusin | Tootsie |
| 1985 |
| Prince and The Revolution | Purple Rain |
| Phil Collins, Stevie Nicks, Peter Gabriel, Stuart Adamson, Mike Rutherford, Kid Creole, Michel Colombier, Larry Carlton | Against All Odds |
| Bill Wolfer, Dean Pitchford, Kenny Loggins, Tom Snow, Sammy Hagar, Michael Gore, Eric Carmen, Jim Steinman | Footloose |
| Ray Parker Jr., Kevin O'Neal, Bobby Alessi, David Immer, Tom Bailey, Graham Russell, David Foster, Jay Graydon, Diane Warren, Mick Smiley, Elmer Bernstein | Ghostbusters |
| Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman | Yentl |
| 1986 |
| Various artists | Beverly Hills Cop |
| Johnny Colla, Chris Hayes, Huey Lewis, Lindsey Buckingham, Alan Silvestri, Eric Clapton, Sean Hopper | Back to the Future |
| Maurice Jarre | A Passage to India |
| 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 | St. Elmo's Fire |
| Maurice Jarre | Witness |
| 1987 |
| John Barry (film music was nominated in the Best Instrumental Composition category) | Out of Africa |
| James Horner | Aliens |
| Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin | Earth Run |
| Chick Corea | Elektric City |
| Wynton Marsalis | J Mood |
| Harold Faltermeyer | Top Gun Anthem (from Top Gun) |
| Bruce Broughton | Young Sherlock Holmes |
| 1988 |
| Ennio Morricone | The Untouchables |
| James Horner | An American Tail |
| Henry Mancini | The Glass Menagerie |
| Mark Knopfler | The Princess Bride |
| John Williams | The Witches of Eastwick |
| 1989 |
| Various artists | The Last Emperor |
| John Williams | Empire of the Sun |
| Maurice Jarre | Fatal Attraction |
| Joe Jackson | Tucker: The Man and His Dream |
| Alan Silvestri | Who Framed Roger Rabbit |

### 1990s

| Year | Performing artist(s) | Work |
| 1990 |
| Dave Grusin | The Fabulous Baker Boys |
| Danny Elfman | Batman |
| James Horner | Field of Dreams |
| John Williams | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade |
| Peter Gabriel | The Last Temptation of Christ |
| 1991 |
| James Horner | Glory |
| Danny Elfman | Dick Tracy |
| Hans Zimmer | Driving Miss Daisy |
| Alan Menken | The Little Mermaid |
| Angelo Badalamenti | Twin Peaks |
| 1992 |
| John Barry | Dances with Wolves |
| Randy Newman | Avalon |
| Randy Newman | Awakenings |
| Danny Elfman | Edward Scissorhands |
| Dave Grusin | Havana |
| Michael Kamen | Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves |
| 1993 |
| 1993 | Alan Menken | Beauty and the Beast |
| 1993 | John Williams | Hook |
| 1993 | Arturo Sandoval | The Mambo Kings |
| 1993 | David Schwartz | Northern Exposure |
| 1993 | Eric Clapton | Rush |
| 1994 |
| Alan Menken | Aladdin |
| Elmer Bernstein | The Age of Innocence |
| Dave Grusin | The Firm |
| John Williams | Jurassic Park |
| Mark Isham | A River Runs Through It |
| 1995 |
| John Williams | Schindler's List |
| Hans Zimmer | The Lion King |
| Ryuichi Sakamoto | Little Buddha |
| Thomas Newman | The Shawshank Redemption |
| Ennio Morricone | Wolf |
| 1996 |
| Hans Zimmer | Crimson Tide |
| Elliot Goldenthal | Batman Forever |
| Dave Grusin | The Cure |
| Howard Shore | Ed Wood |
| Wynton Marsalis | Joe Cool's Blues |
| 1997 |
| David Arnold | Independence Day |
| John Lurie | Get Shorty |
| Ennio Morricone | L'uomo delle stelle |
| Elliot Goldenthal | A Time to Kill |
| Thomas Newman | Unstrung Heroes |
| 1998 |
| Gabriel Yared | The English Patient |
| John Williams | The Lost World: Jurassic Park |
| Danny Elfman | Men in Black |
| Dave Grusin | Selena |
| John Williams | Seven Years in Tibet |
| 1999 |
| John Williams | Saving Private Ryan |
| John Williams | Amistad |
| Ennio Morricone | Bulworth |
| Gabriel Yared | City of Angels |
| Lalo Schifrin | Rush Hour |

### 2000s

| Year | Performing artist(s) |
| 2000 |
| Randy Newman | A Bug's Life |
| Nicola Piovani | La vita è bella |
| John Corigliano | The Red Violin |
| Stephen Warbeck | Shakespeare in Love |
| John Williams | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace |
| 2001 |
| Thomas Newman (artist/composer/producer) and Bill Bernstein (producer) | American Beauty |
| Rachel Portman | The Cider House Rules |
| Lisa Gerrard, Hans Zimmer | Gladiator |
| Jon Brion | Magnolia |
| Randy Newman | Toy Story 2 |
| 2002 |
| Tan Dun (artist/composer/producer), Steven Epstein (producer) , and Richard King (engineer/mixer) ' | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon |
| John Williams | A.I. Artificial Intelligence |
| Rachel Portman | Chocolat |
| Mark Isham | Men of Honor |
| Danny Elfman | Planet of the Apes |
| Cliff Martinez | Traffic |
| 2003 |
| Howard Shore (artist/composer/producer) and John Kurlander (engineer/mixer) | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring |
| James Horner | A Beautiful Mind |
| John Williams | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone |
| Randy Newman | Monsters, Inc. |
| Danny Elfman | Spider-Man |
| 2004 |
| Howard Shore (artist/composer/producer), John Kurlander (engineer), and Peter Cobbin (engineer/mixer) | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers |
| John Williams | Catch Me If You Can |
| John Williams | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
| Philip Glass | The Hours |
| Randy Newman | Seabiscuit |
| 2005 |
| Howard Shore (artist/composer/producer) and John Kurlander (engineer/mixer) | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
| Thomas Newman | Angels in America |
| Danny Elfman | Big Fish |
| Jon Brion | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind |
| John Williams | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
| 2006 |
| Craig Armstrong (composer/producer), David Donaldson (producer), Taylor Hackford (producer), and Geoff Foster (engineer/mixer) | Ray |
| Howard Shore | The Aviator |
| Michael Giacchino | The Incredibles |
| Clint Eastwood | Million Dollar Baby |
| John Williams | Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith |
| 2007 |
| John Williams (artist/composer) and Shawn Murphy (engineer/mixer) | Memoirs of a Geisha |
| Harry Gregson-Williams | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe |
| Hans Zimmer | The Da Vinci Code |
| John Williams | Munich |
| Hans Zimmer | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest |
| 2008 |
| Michael Giacchino | Ratatouille |
| Gustavo Santaolalla | Babel |
| James Newton Howard | Blood Diamond |
| Howard Shore | The Departed |
| John Powell | Happy Feet |
| Javier Navarrete | Pan's Labyrinth |
| 2009 |
| Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard | The Dark Knight |
| John Williams | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull |
| Ramin Djawadi | Iron Man |
| Jonny Greenwood | There Will Be Blood |
| Thomas Newman | WALL-E |

### 2010s

| Year | Performing artist(s) |
| 2010 |
| Michael Giacchino | Up |
| Alexandre Desplat | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button |
| Nicholas Hooper | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
| Danny Elfman | Milk |
| Michael Giacchino | Star Trek |
| 2011 |
| Randy Newman | Toy Story 3 |
| Danny Elfman | Alice in Wonderland |
| James Horner | Avatar |
| Hans Zimmer | Inception |
| Hans Zimmer | Sherlock Holmes |
| 2012 |
| Alexandre Desplat | The King's Speech |
| Clint Mansell | Black Swan |
| Alexandre Desplat | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 |
| Ryan Shore | The Shrine |
| Daft Punk | Tron: Legacy |
| 2013 |
| Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
| John Williams | The Adventures of Tintin |
| Ludovic Bource | The Artist |
| Hans Zimmer | The Dark Knight Rises |
| Howard Shore | Hugo |
| Austin Wintory | Journey |
| 2014 |
| Thomas Newman | Skyfall |
| Alexandre Desplat | Argo |
| Craig Armstrong | The Great Gatsby |
| Mychael Danna | Life of Pi |
| John Williams | Lincoln |
| Alexandre Desplat | Zero Dark Thirty |
| 2015 |
| Alexandre Desplat | The Grand Budapest Hotel |
| Christophe Beck | Frozen |
| Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | Gone Girl |
| Steven Price | Gravity |
| Thomas Newman | Saving Mr. Banks |
| 2016 |
| Antonio Sánchez | Birdman |
| Alexandre Desplat | The Imitation Game |
| Hans Zimmer | Interstellar |
| Jóhann Jóhannsson | The Theory of Everything |
| Justin Hurwitz | Whiplash |
| 2017 |
| John Williams | Star Wars: The Force Awakens |
| Thomas Newman | Bridge of Spies |
| Ennio Morricone | The Hateful Eight |
| Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto | The Revenant |
| Kyle Dixon, Michael Stein | Stranger Things, Vol. 1 |
| Kyle Dixon, Michael Stein | Stranger Things, Vol. 2 |
| 2018 |
| Justin Hurwitz | La La Land |
| Jóhann Jóhannsson | Arrival |
| Hans Zimmer | Dunkirk |
| Ramin Djawadi | Game of Thrones: Season 7 |
| Benjamin Wallfisch, Pharrell Williams, and Hans Zimmer | Hidden Figures |
| 2019 |
| Ludwig Göransson | Black Panther |
| Benjamin Wallfisch, Hans Zimmer | Blade Runner 2049 |
| Michael Giacchino | Coco |
| Alexandre Desplat | The Shape of Water |
| John Williams | Star Wars: The Last Jedi |

### 2020s

| Year | Performing artist(s) | Work |
| 2020 |
| Hildur Guðnadóttir | Chernobyl |
| Alan Silvestri | Avengers: Endgame |
| Ramin Djawadi | Game of Thrones: Season 8 |
| Hans Zimmer | The Lion King |
| Marc Shaiman | Mary Poppins Returns |
| 2021 |
| Hildur Guðnadóttir | Joker |
| Thomas Newman | 1917 |
| Max Richter | Ad Astra |
| Kamasi Washington | Becoming |
| John Williams | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker |
| 2022 |
| 2022 | Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross | Soul |
| 2022 | Carlos Rafael Rivera | The Queen's Gambit |
| 2022 | Kris Bowers | Bridgerton |
| 2022 | Hans Zimmer | Dune |
| 2022 | Ludwig Göransson | The Mandalorian: Season 2 – Vol. 2 (Chapters 13–16) |
| 2023 |
| 2023 | Germaine Franco | Encanto |
| 2023 | Michael Giacchino | The Batman |
| 2023 | Hans Zimmer | No Time to Die |
| 2023 | Jonny Greenwood | The Power of the Dog |
| 2023 | Nicholas Britell | Succession: Season 3 |
| 2024 |
| 2024 | Ludwig Göransson | Oppenheimer |
| 2024 | Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt | Barbie |
| 2024 | Ludwig Göransson | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever |
| 2024 | John Williams | The Fabelmans |
| 2024 | John Williams | Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny |
| 2025 |
| 2025 | Hans Zimmer | Dune: Part Two |
| 2025 | Laura Karpman | American Fiction |
| 2025 | Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross | Challengers |
| 2025 | Kris Bowers | The Color Purple |
| 2025 | Nick Chuba, Atticus Ross & Leopold Ross | Shógun |

## 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)
* Hans Zimmer – 3
* Ludwig Göransson – 2
* 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

### Nominations

* John Williams – 36
* Hans Zimmer – 18
* Danny Elfman – 9
* Thomas Newman – 9
* Atticus Ross – 5
* Ludwig Göransson – 4
* Trent Reznor – 4
* Alan Silvestri – 3