Academy Award for Best Sound


The Academy Award for Best Sound is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest sound mixing, recording, sound design, and sound editing. The award used to go to the studio sound departments until a rule change in 1969 said it should be awarded to the specific technicians, the first of which were Murray Spivack and Jack Solomon for Hello, Dolly!. It is generally awarded to the production sound mixers, re-recording mixers, and supervising sound editors of the winning film. In the lists below, the winner of the award for each year is shown first, followed by the other nominees. For the respective periods from 1963 to 1967 and 1982 to 2019, competitive awards for sound were presented in two separate categories: Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Effects Editing.
For the second and third years of this category only the names of the film companies were listed. Paramount Publix Studio Sound Department won in both years.

Winners and nominees

2000s

Multiple awards and nominations for Best Sound Editing

Multiple awards

;5 awards
;4 awards
;3 awards
;2 awards

Multiple nominations

;10 nominations
;9 nominations
;8 nominations
;7 nominations
;6 nominations
;5 nominations
;4 nominations
;3 nominations
;2 nominations
† = includes special achievement awards

Shortlisted finalists

Finalists for Best Sound are selected by the Sound Branch. Sound Branch members shall vote in order of their preference for not more than ten pictures to be considered for the Sound award. The ten motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall advance to the next round of voting. Finalists listed from 1981 to 2005 are for the now defunct award for Best Sound Effects Editing.
YearFinalistsRef
1967Casino Royale, El Dorado, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In Cold Blood, Sofi
1968Blackbeard's Ghost, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Head, Hell in the Pacific, The Lion in Winter, The Odd Couple, The [Shoes of the Fisherman (film)|The Shoes of the Fisherman], 2001: A Space Odyssey, Yours, Mine and Ours
1969Downhill Racer, Paint Your Wagon, The Reivers, The Secret of Santa Vittoria, The Wild Bunch
1970Cromwell, The Great White Hope, The Hawaiians, Little Big Man, Scrooge
1971A Clockwork Orange, Dirty Harry, The Last Picture Show, Le Mans, Shaft
1972Avanti!, Deliverance, Lady Sings the Blues, Man of La Mancha, Pete 'n' Tillie
1973Dillinger, Oklahoma Crude, The Seven-Ups, The Way We Were, Westworld
1974Airport 1975, The Front Page, The Godfather Part II, The [Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974 film)|The Taking of Pelham One Two Three], Zandy's Bride
1975Barry Lyndon, Lucky Lady, Nashville, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Sunshine Boys
1976Logan's Run, Midway, Network, The Omen, Silent Movie
1977Black Sunday, Julia, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, MacArthur, Rollercoaster
1978The Boys from Brazil, Grease, The [Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings], Midnight Express, An Unmarried Woman
1979All That Jazz, The Black Hole, The China Syndrome, Rocky II, Star Trek: The Motion Picture
1981Dragonslayer, Heaven's Gate, Reds, Sharky's Machine, Sphinx, Stripes, Superman II, Time Bandits, Wolfen
1982Conan the Barbarian, The Dark Crystal, Gandhi, Tron
1983Blue Thunder, The Golden Seal, Never Cry Wolf, Sudden Impact, WarGames
1984Dune, Gremlins, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 2010: The Year We Make Contact
1985American Flyers, The Emerald Forest, Runaway Train, Year of the Dragon
1986The Color of Money, Platoon, Tai-Pan
1987Batteries Not Included, Cry Freedom, Full Metal Jacket, Lethal Weapon, Predator, The Witches of Eastwick
1988Beetlejuice, Mississippi Burning
1989Born on [the Fourth of July (film)|Born on the Fourth of July], Glory, The Winter War
1990Dances With Wolves, Goodfellas
1991Beauty and the Beast, For the Boys, Hook, The Last Boy Scout
1992The [Last of the Mohicans (1992 film)|The Last of the Mohicans], Lethal Weapon 3, Patriot Games, Unforgiven
1993Geronimo: An American Legend
1994The Shawshank Redemption, True Lies
1995Apollo 13, Heat, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, Waterworld
1996Independence Day, The Rock, Star Trek: First Contact, Twister
1997Con Air, L.A. Confidential, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Men in Black
1998Godzilla, Lethal Weapon 4, Ronin, The Thin Red Line
1999Any Given Sunday, The Green Mile, The Mummy, Three Kings
2000Cast Away, Gladiator, Mission: Impossible 2, The Perfect Storm, Unbreakable
2001A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Amélie, Black Hawk Down, The [Fast and the Furious (2001 film)|The Fast and the Furious], The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2002Harry Potter and [the Chamber of Secrets (film)|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets], Spider-Man, We Were Soldiers, xXx
2003Kill Bill: Volume 1, The Last Samurai, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Seabiscuit
2004The Aviator, Collateral, The Day After Tomorrow, Ray
2005The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Walk the Line, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
2021Last Night in Soho, The Matrix Resurrections, A Quiet Place Part II, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tick, Tick...Boom!
2022Babylon, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, Moonage Daydream
2023Barbie, Ferrari, The Killer, Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon
2024Alien: Romulus, Blitz, Deadpool & Wolverine, Gladiator II, Joker: Folie à Deux
2025Avatar: Fire and Ash, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, Superman, Wicked: For Good