| John Ford – The Grapes of Wrath* Sam Wood – Kitty Foyle* William Wyler – The Letter* George Cukor – The Philadelphia Story* Alfred Hitchcock – Rebecca |
| James Stewart – The Philadelphia Story as Macaulay "Mike" Connor* Charles Chaplin – The Great Dictator as The Barber/Adenoid Hynkel* Henry Fonda – The Grapes of Wrath as Tom Joad* Raymond Massey – Abe Lincoln in Illinois as Abraham Lincoln* Laurence Olivier – Rebecca as Maximilian de Winter | Ginger Rogers – Kitty Foyle as Kitty Foyle* Bette Davis – The Letter as Leslie Crosbie* Joan Fontaine – Rebecca as the second Mrs de Winter* Katharine Hepburn – The Philadelphia Story as Tracy Samantha Lord* Martha Scott – Our Town as Emily Webb |
| Walter Brennan – The Westerner as Judge Roy Bean* Albert Bassermann – Foreign Correspondent as Van Meer* William Gargan – They Knew What They Wanted as Joe* Jack Oakie – The Great Dictator as Benzino Napaloni* James Stephenson – The Letter as Howard Joyce | Jane Darwell – The Grapes of Wrath as Ma Joad* Judith Anderson – Rebecca as Mrs. Danvers* Ruth Hussey – The Philadelphia Story as Elizabeth Imbrie* Barbara O'Neil – All This, and Heaven Too as Francoise "Fanny" Sebastiani de-Praslin* Marjorie Rambeau – Primrose Path as Mamie Adams |
| The Great McGinty – Preston Sturges* Angels Over Broadway – Ben Hecht* Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet – Norman Burnstine, Heinz Herald, and John Huston* Foreign Correspondent – Charles Bennett and Joan Harrison* The Great Dictator – Charles Chaplin | The Philadelphia Story – Donald Ogden Stewart, based on the play by Philip Barry* The Grapes of Wrath – Nunnally Johnson, based on the novel by John Steinbeck* Kitty Foyle – Dalton Trumbo, based on the novel by Christopher Morley* The Long Voyage Home – Dudley Nichols, based on the plays The Moon of the Caribees, In the Zone, Bound East for Cardiff, and The Long Voyage Home by Eugene O'Neill* Rebecca – Robert E. Sherwood and Joan Harrison, based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier |
| Arise, My Love – Benjamin Glazer and John S. Toldy* Comrade X – Walter Reisch* Edison, the Man – Hugo Butler and Dore Schary* My Favorite Wife – Leo McCarey, Samuel Spewack, and Bella Spewack* The Westerner – Stuart N. Lake | Quicker'n a Wink – Pete Smith and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer* London Can Take It! – Warner Bros.* More About Nostradamus – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer* Siege – RKO Radio |
| Teddy, the Rough Rider – Warner Bros.* Eyes of the Navy – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer* Service with the Colors – Warner Bros. | The Milky Way – Rudolf Ising, Fred Quimby and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer* Puss Gets the Boot – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer* A Wild Hare – Leon Schlesinger and Warner Bros. |
| Pinocchio – Leigh Harline, Paul Smith and Ned Washington* Arizona – Victor Young* Dark Command – Victor Young* The Fight for Life – Louis Gruenberg* The Great Dictator – Meredith Willson* The [House of the Seven Gables (film)|The House of the Seven Gables] – Frank Skinner* The Howards of Virginia – Richard Hageman* The Letter – Max Steiner* The Long Voyage Home – Richard Hageman* The [Mark of Zorro (1940 film)|The Mark of Zorro] – Alfred Newman* My Favorite Wife – Roy Webb* North West Mounted Police – Victor Young* One Million B.C. – Werner R. Heymann* Our Town – Aaron Copland* Rebecca – Franz Waxman* The Thief of Bagdad – Miklós Rózsa* Waterloo Bridge – Herbert Stothart | Tin Pan Alley – Alfred Newman* Arise, My Love – Victor Young* Hit Parade of 1941 – Cy Feuer* Irene – Anthony Collins* Our Town – Aaron Copland* The Sea Hawk – Erich Wolfgang Korngold* Second Chorus – Artie Shaw* Spring Parade – Charles Previn* Strike Up the Band – Georgie Stoll and Roger Edens |
| "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio – Music by Leigh Harline; Lyrics by Ned Washington* "Down Argentine Way" from Down Argentine Way – Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Mack Gordon* "I'd Know You Anywhere" from You'll Find Out – Music by Jimmy McHugh; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer* "It's a Blue World" from Music in My Heart – Music and Lyrics by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright* "Love of My Life" from Second Chorus – Music by Artie Shaw; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer* "Only Forever" from Rhythm on the River – Music by James V. Monaco; Lyrics by Johnny Burke* "Our Love Affair" from Strike Up the Band – Music and Lyrics by Roger Edens and Arthur Freed* "Waltzing in the Clouds" from Spring Parade – Music by Robert Stolz; Lyrics by Gus Kahn* "Who Am I?" from Hit Parade of 1941 – Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Walter Bullock | Strike Up the Band – Douglas Shearer* Behind the News – Charles L. Lootens* Captain Caution – Elmer Raguse* The Grapes of Wrath – E. H. Hansen* The Howards of Virginia – Jack Whitney* Kitty Foyle – John O. Aalberg* North West Mounted Police – Loren L. Ryder* Our Town – Thomas T. Moulton* The Sea Hawk – Nathan Levinson* Spring Parade – Bernard B. Brown* Too Many Husbands – John P. Livadary |
| Pride and Prejudice – Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse* Arise, My Love – Hans Dreier and Robert Usher* Arizona – Lionel Banks and Robert Peterson* The Boys from Syracuse – John Otterson* Dark Command – John Victor Mackay* Foreign Correspondent – Alexander Golitzen* Lillian Russell – Richard Day and Joseph C. Wright* My Favorite Wife – Van Nest Polglase and Mark-Lee Kirk* My Son, My Son! – John DuCasse Schulze* Our Town – Lewis J. Rachmil* Rebecca – Lyle R. Wheeler* The Sea Hawk – Anton Grot* The Westerner – James Basevi | The Thief of Bagdad – Vincent Korda* Bitter Sweet – Cedric Gibbons and John S. Detlie* Down Argentine Way – Richard Day and Joseph C. Wright* North West Mounted Police – Hans Dreier and Roland Anderson |
| Rebecca – George Barnes* Abe Lincoln in Illinois – James Wong Howe* All This, and Heaven Too – Ernest Haller* Arise, My Love – Charles Lang* Boom Town – Harold Rosson* Foreign Correspondent – Rudolph Maté* The Letter – Tony Gaudio* The Long Voyage Home – Gregg Toland* Spring Parade – Joseph Valentine* Waterloo Bridge – Joseph Ruttenberg | The Thief of Bagdad – Georges Périnal* Bitter Sweet – Oliver T. Marsh and Allen Davey* The Blue Bird – Arthur C. Miller and Ray Rennahan* Down Argentine Way – Leon Shamroy and Ray Rennahan* North West Mounted Police – Victor Milner and W. Howard Greene* Northwest Passage – Sidney Wagner and William V. Skall |
| North West Mounted Police – Anne Bauchens* The Grapes of Wrath – Robert L. Simpson* The Letter – Warren Low* The Long Voyage Home – Sherman Todd* Rebecca – Hal C. Kern | The Thief of Bagdad – Photographic Effects: Lawrence W. Butler; Sound Effects: Jack Whitney* The Blue Bird – Photographic Effects: Fred Sersen; Sound Effects: Edmund H. Hansen* Boom Town – Photographic Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie; Sound Effects: Douglas Shearer* The Boys from Syracuse – Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton; Sound Effects: Bernard B. Brown and Joe Lapis* Dr. Cyclops – Photographic Effects: Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings* Foreign Correspondent – Photographic Effects: Paul Eagler; Sound Effects: Thomas T. Moulton* The Invisible Man Returns – Photographic Effects: John P. Fulton; Sound Effects: Bernard B. Brown and William Hedgcock* The Long Voyage Home – Photographic Effects: R. T. Layton and Ray Binger; Sound Effects: Thomas T. Moulton* One Million B.C. – Photographic Effects: Roy Seawright; Sound Effects: Elmer A. Raguse* Rebecca – Photographic Effects: Jack Cosgrove; Sound Effects: Arthur Johns* The Sea Hawk – Photographic Effects: Byron Haskin; Sound Effects: Nathan Levinson* Swiss Family Robinson – Photographic Effects: Vernon L. Walker; Sound Effects: John O. Aalberg* Typhoon – Photographic Effects: Farciot Edouart and Gordon Jennings; Sound Effects: Loren L. Ryder* Women in War – Photographic Effects: Howard J. Lydecker, William Bradford and Ellis J. Thackery; Sound Effects: Herbert Norsch |