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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[ 1] at the Grammy Awards , a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards.[ 2] [ 3] 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".[ 4]
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 .[ 5] Until 2001, the award was presented to the composer of the music alone.[ 5] From 2001 to 2007, the music producer(s) and sound engineer/mixer(s) shared the award.[ 5] In 2007, the award reverted to a composer-only award.[ 5] 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.[ 6]
Recipients
Duke Ellington circa 1940s Duke Ellington was the first recipient of the award in 1959 for the Anatomy of a Murder soundtrack .
Henry Mancini circa 1970 Henry Mancini won in 1962 for the Breakfast at Tiffany's soundtrack .
Lalo Schifrin in 2006 Lalo Schifrin won in 1968 for the TV series Mission: Impossible soundtrack .
Dave Grusin in 2008 Dave Grusin has won twice, in 1969 for The Graduate soundtrack , alongside Paul Simon , and in 1990 for The Fabulous Baker Boys soundtrack .
Paul Simon in 2011 Paul Simon won in 1969 for The Graduate soundtrack , alongside Dave Grusin .
File:Burt Bacharach 1972.JPG Burt Bacharach won for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1968
The Beatles in 1964 The Beatles won in 1971 for the Let It Be soundtrack .
Issac Hayes in 2007 Isaac Hayes won in 1972 for the Shaft soundtrack .
Neil Diamond in 2012 Neil Diamond won in 1974 for the Jonathan Livingston Seagull soundtrack .
John Williams in 2007 John Williams has won six times in a row, eleven times total, and has been nominated twenty-three more times.
Prince in 2008 Prince and The Revolution won in 1985 for the Purple Rain soundtrack .
Ennio Morricone in 2007 Ennio Morricone won in 1988 for The Untouchables .
James Horner in 2010 James Horner won in 1991 for Glory .
Alan Menken in 2013 Alan Menken has won twice, for Beauty and the Beast in 1993 and Aladdin in 1994 .
Hans Zimmer in 2018 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 in 2012 Randy Newman has won twice, for A Bug's Life in 2000 and Toy Story 3 in 2011 .
Thomas Newman in 2010 Thomas Newman has won twice, for American Beauty in 2001 and Skyfall in 2014 .
Tan Dun in 2011 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 in 2013 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 in 2015 Alexandre Desplat has won twice, for The King's Speech in 2012 and The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2015 .
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross in 2006 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 in 2010 Antonio Sánchez won in 2016 for Birdman .
Hildur Guðnadóttir in 2007 Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir became the first solo woman to win the award back-to-back (in 2020 for Chernobyl and 2021 for Joker ).
File:Jon Batiste 2018 (cropped).jpg Jon Batiste won for Soul in 2022.
File:Ludwig Göransson 2018 Interview (cropped).jpg Ludwig Göransson won twice for Black Panther in 2019 and for Oppenheimer in 2024.
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.
1950s
1960s
Year[I]
Performing artist(s)
Work
1961 [ 8]
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Exodus
Adolph Deutsch
The Apartment
Miklós Rózsa
Ben-Hur
Henry Mancini
Mr. Lucky
Nelson Riddle
The Untouchables
1962 [ 9]
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Breakfast at Tiffany's
John Williams
Checkmate
Dimitri Tiomkin
The Guns of Navarone
Nino Rota
La Dolce Vita
Duke Ellington
Paris, Blues
1963 [ 10]
No Award
1964 [ 11]
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Tom Jones
Alex North
Cleopatra
Maurice Jarre
Lawrence of Arabia
Riz Ortolani
Mondo Cane
1965 [ 12]
Template:Sort 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 [ 13]
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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. Template:Broken anchor
Mikis Theodorakis
Zorba the Greek
1967 [ 14]
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Doctor Zhivago
Sonny Rollins
Alfie
Henry Mancini
Arabesque
John Barry
Born Free
Alex North
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1968 [ 15]
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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 [ 16]
Template:Sort and Paul Simon
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Charles Strouse
Bonnie and Clyde
Lalo Schifrin
The Fox
Neal Hefti
The Odd Couple
André Previn
Valley of the Dolls
1970s
Year[I]
Performing artist(s)
Work
1970 [ 17]
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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 [ 18]
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Let It Be
Alfred Newman
Airport
Johnny Mercer , Henry Mancini
Darling Lili
Johnny Mandel
M*A*S*H
Fred Karlin
The Sterile Cuckoo
1972 [ 19]
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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 [ 20]
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Quincy Jones
$
Manuel De Sica
Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini
Richard Rodney Bennett
Nicholas and Alexandra
Curtis Mayfield
Super Fly
1974 [ 21]
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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 [ 22]
Template:Sort and Marvin Hamlisch
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Herbie Hancock
Death Wish
Jerry Goldsmith
QB VII
Mikis Theodorakis
Serpico
Michel Legrand
The Three Musketeers
1976 [ 23]
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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 [ 24]
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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 [ 25]
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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 [ 26]
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[I]
Performing artist(s)
Work
1980 [ 27]
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 [ 28]
John Williams
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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 [ 29]
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 [ 30]
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 [ 31]
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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 [ 32]
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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 [ 33]
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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 [ 34]
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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 [ 35]
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James Horner
An American Tail
Henry Mancini
The Glass Menagerie
Mark Knopfler
The Princess Bride
John Williams
The Witches of Eastwick
1989 [ 36]
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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
2000s
Year[I]
Performing artist(s)
Work
2000 [ 47]
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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 [ 48]
Template:Sort (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 [ 49]
Template:Sort (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 [ 50]
Template:Sort (artist/composer/producer) and John Kurlander (engineer/mixer)
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James Horner
A Beautiful Mind
John Williams
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Randy Newman
Monsters, Inc.
Danny Elfman
Spider-Man
2004 [ 51]
Template:Sort (artist/composer/producer) , John Kurlander (engineer) , and Peter Cobbin (engineer/mixer)
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John Williams
Catch Me If You Can
John Williams
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Philip Glass
The Hours
Randy Newman
Seabiscuit
2005 [ 52]
Template:Sort (artist/composer/producer) and John Kurlander (engineer/mixer)
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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 [ 53]
Template:Sort (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 [ 54]
Template:Sort (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 [ 55]
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Ratatouille
Gustavo Santaolalla
Babel
James Newton Howard
Blood Diamond
Howard Shore
The Departed
John Powell
Happy Feet
Javier Navarrete
Pan's Labyrinth
2009 [ 56]
Template:Sort and James Newton Howard
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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
2020s
Name changes
There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:[ 1] [ 5] [ 74]
Multiple wins and nominations
Up to and including the 67th Annual Grammy Awards (2025)
Wins
Nominations
See also
Notes
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References
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General
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Specific
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External links
Template:Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
Template:Grammy Award categories
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