En İyi Belgesel Film Akademi Ödülü

Aşağıdaki listede filmler Akademi ödülleri kuralları takip edilerek ödül aldıkları yıllara göre sıralanmıştır (Akademi kurallarına göre şeçilebilir oldukları yıla göre). Uygulamada ise belgesel filmlerinin dağıtımındaki sıkıntılar sebebi ile bazen üretim yılından sonraki yıllar olmak üzere farklı yerlerde farklı yıllarda yayımlanabilmektedir.

1940'lar 
1942'de bir Belgesel kategorisi ve 4 kazanan bulunmaktadır.
 1942
 The Battle of Midway
 Kokoda Front Line
 Moscow Strikes Back
 Prelude to War
1943'te Belgesel kategorisi En İyi Belgesel Film ve En İyi Kısa Belgesel Fim olmak üzere ikiye ayrılmıştır.
 1943 - Desert Victory
 Baptism of Fire
 The Battle of Russia
 Report from the Aleutians
 War Department Report
 1944 - The Fighting Lady
 Resisting Enemy Interrogation
 1945 - The True Glory
 The Last Bomb
 1946 - Verilmedi
 1947 - Design for Death
 Journey Into Medicine
 The World Is Rich
 1948 - The Secret Land
 The Quiet One
 1949 - Daybreak in Udi
 Kenji Comes Home

1950'ler 
 1950 - The Titan: Story of Michelangelo
 With These Hands
 1951 - Kon-Tiki
 I Was a Communist for the FBI
 1952 - The Sea Around Us
 The Hoaxters
 Navajo
 1953 - The Living Desert
 The Conquest of Everest
 A Queen Is Crowned
 1954 - The Vanishing Prairie
 The Stratford Adventure
 1955 - Helen Keller in Her Story (The Unconquered olarak da bilinir)
 Crèvecoeur
 1956 - The Silent World
 Where Mountains Float ()
 The Naked Eye
 1957 - Albert Schweitzer
 On the Bowery
 Torero
 1958 - White Wilderness
 Antarctic Crossing
 The Hidden World
 Psychiatric Nursing
 1959 - Serengeti Shall Not Die
 The Race for Space

1960'lar 
 1960 - The Horse with the Flying Tail
 Rebel in Paradise
 1961 - Sky Above and Mud Beneath – Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau
 La grande olimpiade – Romolo Marcellini
 1962 - Black Fox: The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler
 Alvorada
 1963 - Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel With the World
 Le Maillon et la chaîne
 The Yanks Are Coming
 1964 - Jacques-Yves Cousteau's World Without Sun
 14-18
 Alleman
 The Finest Hours
 Four Days in November
 1965 - The Eleanor Roosevelt Story
 The Battle of the Bulge... The Brave Rifles
 The Forth Road Bridge
 Let My People Go: The Story of Israel
 Mourir à Madrid
 1966 - The War Game
 The Face of a Genius
 Helicopter Canada
 The Really Big Family
 Le Volcan interdit
 1967 - The Anderson Platoon
 Festival
 Harvest
 A King's Story
 A Time for Burning
 1968 - Journey Into Self Not: 14 Nisan 1969'daki ödül töreninde  Young Americans filmi bu kategorideki kazanan olarak açıklanmasına karşın 7 Mayıs 1969'da filmin Ekim 1967'de gösterildiğinin ortaya çıkması üzerine 1968 yılı ödülleri için seçilemiyeçeği açıklanmıştır. 8 Mayıs 1969'da ikinciliği kazanan aday Journey Into Self bu kategorideki kazanan olarak ilan edilmiştir.
 A Few Notes on Our Food Problem
 Legendary Champions
 Other Voices
 1969 - Arthur Rubinstein - The Love of Life
 Before the Mountain Was Moved
 In the Year of the Pig
 Olimpiada en México
 The Wolf Men

1970'ler 
 1970 - Woodstock
 Erinnerungen an die Zukunft (İngilizce adıyla "Chariots Of The Gods?")
 Jack Johnson
 King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
 Say Goodbye
 1971 - The Hellstrom Chronicle
 Alaska Wilderness Lake
 Le chagrin et la pitié
 On Any Sunday
 Ra
 1972 - Marjoe
 Bij de beesten af
 Malcolm X
 Manson
 The Silent Revolution
 1973 - The Great American Cowboy
 Always a New Beginning
 Journey to the Outer Limits
 Schlacht um Berlin
 Walls of Fire
 1974 - Hearts and Minds
 Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman
 The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art
 The 81st Blow
 The Wild and the Brave
 1975 - The Man Who Skied Down Everest
 The California Reich
 Fighting for Our Lives
 The Incredible Machine
 The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir
 1976 - Harlan County, USA
 Hollywood on Trial
 Off the Edge
 People of the Wind
 Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry
 1977 - Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids?
 The Children of Theatre Street
 High Grass Circus
 Homage to Chagall: The Colours of Love
 Union Maids
 1978 - Scared Straight!
 Mysterious Castles of Clay
 Raoni
 Le vent des amoureux
 With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade
 1979 - Best Boy
 Generation on the Wind
 Going the Distance
 The Killing Ground
 The War at Home

1980'ler 
 1980 From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China – Murray Lerner
 Agee
 The Day After Trinity
 Front Line
 The Yellow Star - The Persecution of the Jews in Europe 1933-45
 1981 Genocide – Arnold Schwartzman
 Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey
 Brooklyn Bridge
 Eight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen Caldicott
 El Salvador: Another Vietnam
 1982 Just Another Missing Kid – John Zaritsky
 A Portrait of Giselle
 After the Axe
 Ben's Mill
 In Our Water
 1983 He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' – Emile Ardolino
 Children of Darkness
 First Contact
 The Profession of Arms
 Seeing Red
 1984 The Times of Harvey Milk – Robert Epstein ve Richard Schmiechen
 High Schools
 In the Name of the People
 Marlene
 Streetwise
 1985 Broken Rainbow – Maria Florio ve Victoria Mudd
 The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo
 Soldiers in Hiding
 The Statue of Liberty
 Unfinished Business
 1986 - (beraberlik): Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got ve  Down and Out in America
 Chile: Hasta Cuando?
 Isaac in America: A Journey with Isaac Bashevis Singer
 Witness to Apartheid
 1987 The Ten-Year Lunch
 Eyes on the Prize
 Hellfire: A Journey from Hiroshima
 Radio Bikini
 A Stitch for Time
 1988  Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie
 The Cry of Reason: Beyers Naude - An Afrikaner Speaks Out
 Let's Get Lost
 Promises to Keep
 Who Killed Vincent Chin?
 1989 Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt
 Adam Clayton Powell
 Crack USA: County Under Siege
 For All Mankind
 Super Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl Warren

1990'lar 

 1990 American Dream – Barbara Kopple Berkeley in the Sixties Building Bombs Forever Activists: Stories from the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey 1991 In the Shadow of the Stars – Allie Light ve Irving Saraf
 Death on the Job Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House The Restless Conscience: Resistance to Hitler Within Germany 1933-1945 Wild by Law 1992 The Panama Deception – Barbara Trent ve David Kasper
 Changing Our Minds: The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker Fires of Kuwait Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann 1993 I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School – Susan Raymond
 The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter Children of Fate For Better or For Worse The War Room 1994 Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision – Freida Lee Mock
 Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter D-Day Remembered Freedom on My Mind A Great Day in Harlem 1995 Anne Frank Remembered – Jon Blair
 The Battle Over Citizen Kane Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream Small Wonders Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern 1996 When We Were Kings – Leon Gast
 The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story Mandela Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press 1997 The Long Way Home – Mark Jonathan Harris
 Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life Colors Straight Up 4 Little Girls Waco: The Rules of Engagement 1998 The Last Days – James Moll
 The Dancemaker The Farm: Angola, U.S.A. Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth Regret to Inform 1999 One Day in September by Kevin MacDonald
 Buena Vista Social Club Genghis Blues On the Ropes Speaking in Strings 2000'ler 
2000: Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport – Mark Jonathan Harris ve Deborah Oppenheimer
 Legacy – Tod Lending
 Long Night's Journey into Day – Deborah Hoffmann ve Frances Reid
 Scottsboro: An American Tragedy – Daniel Anker ve Barak Goodman
 Sound and Fury – Josh Aronson ve Roger Weisberg2001: Murder on a Sunday Morning (Un coupable idéal) – Jean-Xavier de Lestrade ve Denis Poncet
 Children Underground – Edet Belzberg
 LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton – Deborah Dickson ve Susan Frömke
 Promises – B.Z. Goldberg ve Justine Shapiro
 War Photographer – Christian Frei

2002: Bowling for Columbine – Michael Donovan ve Michael Moore
 Daughter from Danang – Gail Dolgin ve Vicente Franco
 Prisoner of Paradise – Malcolm Clarke ve Stuart Sender
 Spellbound – Jeffrey Blitz ve Sean Welch
 Kanatlı Uygarlık – Jacques Perrin2003: The Fog of War – Errol Morris
 Balseros
 Capturing the Friedmans
 My Architect
 The Weather Underground2004: Born into Brothels – Ross Kauffman ve Zana Briski
 The Story of the Weeping Camel (Die Geschichte vom weinenden Kamel) – Byambasuren Davaa ve Luigi Falorni
 Super Size Me – Morgan Spurlock
 Tupac: Resurrection – Karolyn Ali ve Lauren Lazin
 Twist of Faith – Kirby Dick ve Eddie Schmidt

2005: March of the Penguins (La marche de l'empereur) – Luc Jacquet
 Darwin's Nightmare – Hubert Sauper
 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room – Alex Gibney ve Jason Kliot
 Murderball – Henry Alex Rubin ve Dana Adam Shapiro
 Street Fight – Marshall Curry2006: An Inconvenient Truth – Davis Guggenheim
 Deliver Us from Evil – Amy Berg ve Frank Donner
 Iraq in Fragments – James Longley ve Yahya Sinno
 Jesus Camp – Heidi Ewing ve Rachel Grady
 My Country, My Country – Jocelyn Glatzer ve Laura Poitras

2007: Taxi to the Dark Side – Alex Gibney ve Eva Orner
 No End in Sight – Charles Ferguson ve Audrey Marrs
 Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience – Richard Robbins
 Sicko – Michael Moore ve Meghan O'Hara
 War/Dance – Sean Fine ve Andrea Nix2008: Man on Wire – Simon Chinn ve James Marsh
 The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) – Ellen Kuras ve Thavisouk Phrasavath
 Encounters at the End of the World – Werner Herzog ve Henry Kaiser
 The Garden – Scott Hamilton Kennedy
 Trouble the Water – Carl Deal ve Tia Lessin

2009: The Cove – Louie Psihoyos
 Burma VJ – Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
 Food, Inc. – Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
 The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers – Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
 Which Way Home – Rebecca Cammisa

2010'lar

2010: 'Inside Job  – Charles H. Ferguson ve Audrey Marrs Exit Through the Gift Shop – Banksy ve Jaimie D'Cruz
 Gasland – Josh Fox ve Trish Adlesic
 Restrepo – Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
 Waste Land – Lucy Walker ve Angus Aynsley2011: Undefeated  – TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay ve Richard Middlemas Hell and Back Again – Danfung Dennis ve Mike Lerner
 If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front – Marshall Curry ve Sam Cullman
 Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory – Joe Berlinger ve Bruce Sinofsky
 Pina – Wim Wenders ve Gian-Piero Ringel2012: Searching for Sugar Man  – Malik Bendjelloul ve Simon Chinn 5 Broken Cameras – Emad Burnat ve Guy Davidi
 The Gatekeepers - Dror Moreh, Philippa Kowarsky, ve Estelle Fialon
 How to Survive a Plague - David France ve Howard Gertler
 The Invisible War - Kirby Dick ve Amy Ziering2013: 20 Feet from Stardom - Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen ve Cveaitrin Rogers 
The Act of Killing – Joshua Oppenheimer ve Signe Byre Sorenson
Cutie and The Boxer – Zachary Heinzerling ve Kydia Dean Pilcher
Dirty Wars – Richard Rowley ve Jeremy Scahill
The Square – Jehane Nouaim ve Karim Amer
 2014 : Citizenfour - Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy ve Dirk Wilutzky Finding Vivian Maier – John Mallof ve Charlie Siskel
 Last Days in Vietnam – Rory Kennedy ve Kevin McAlester
 The Salt of The Eart – Win Wnders, Julianı Ribeiro Salgado ve David Rosier
 Virunga – Orlando Won Einsiedel ve Joanna Natasegara
 2015 Amy - Asif Kapadia ve James Gay Ress Cartel Land – Matthew Heineman ve Tom Yellin
 The Look Of Silence – Joshua Oppenheimer ve Signe Byre Sorenson
 What Happened, Miss Simone? – Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby ve Justin Wilkes
 Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom – Evgeny Afineevsky ve Den Tolmor2016 O.J.: Made in America - Ezra Edelman ve Caroline Waterlow''' 
 Fire at Sea - Gianfranco Rosi ve Donatella Palermo
 I Am Not Your Negro - Raoul Peck, Rémi Grellety ve Hébert Peck
 Life, Animated - Roger Ross Williams ve Julie Goldman
 13th	Ava DuVernay, - Spencer Averick ve Howard Barish

Film