The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 529 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to motion pictures to join the organization. Among the invited artists this year are a number of film composers, including Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (Candyman, Seeds), Haim Mazar (Scary Movie, The Iceman), Hania Rani (Sentimental Value, The Summer Book), Batu Sener (Better Man, Harold and the Purple Crayon), Arturo Cardelús (Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles, Dragonkeeper), Karim Sebastian Elias (Cutting through Rocks, Of Fathers and Sons), Laetitia Pansanel-Garric (Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake, Hola Frida), Suad Bushnaq (Yunan, Hobal), Nicolas Rabaeus (Hello Betty, Thunder) and Vishal Bhardwaj (Crazxy, Gustaakh Ishq).
Tag: Academy Awards
Kris Bowers Elected to Academy Board of Governors
Composer Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot, Green Book, King Richard, Bridgerton, The Color Purple, GOAT, Haunted Mansion, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Secret Invasion) has been elected to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2026-2027 Board of Governors. He joins Carter Burwell and Lesley Barber who will be the other two governors of the music branch in the next term. It will mark Bowers’ first term serving on the music branch board. The Academy’s 19 branches are each represented by three governors, who may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms, followed by a two-year hiatus, after which eligibility renews for up to two additional three-year terms for a lifetime maximum of 12 years.
Music Highlights from the 98th Academy Awards
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony was held last night. Two of the five nominees in the Original Song category were performed live. Check out the performances of the Oscar-winning Golden from KPop Demon Hunters by Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami (the singing voices behind HUNTR/X), as well as the Oscar-nominated I Lied to You from Sinners performed by Miles Caton & Raphael Saadiq (joined by Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey & Alice Smith) after the jump.
Ludwig Göransson Wins Academy Award for ‘Sinners’ Score
Ludwig Göransson was honored with his third Academy Award for his score from Ryan Coogler’s Sinners at tonight’s 98th Oscar ceremony. He previously won the prize for his music from Coogler’s Black Panther in 2019 and from Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer in 2024. Check out his acceptance speech after the jump. The other nominated composers in the Original Score category were Jonny Greenwood (One Battle After Another), Max Richter (Hamnet), Jerskin Fendrix (Bugonia) and Alexandre Desplat (Frankenstein).
98th Academy Awards Nominations Announced
2026 Oscars Best Original Score (Updated) Predictions
Following yesterday’s announcement of the shortlist of twenty titles and today’s SCL (Society of Composers & Lyricists) Awards nominations, we have updated our predictions in the Best Original Score category for next year’s 98th Academy Awards on the left side column of this page. Nomination voting will begin on January 12, 2026 and will end on January 16. The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on January 22 and the awards ceremony will take place on March 15. Check out our previous article for our original predictions.
Original Score & Song Shortlists for 98th Academy Awards Announced
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the shortlists for several categories for the 98th Academy Awards, including Original Score and Original Song. The shortlisted scores and songs are listed in alphabetical order below. The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on January 22, 2026 and the awards show will be held on March 15.
135 Original Scores Advance in Oscar Race
The list of original scores (and songs) in contention for next year’s Academy Awards has been revealed. Unlike in previous year, all of the expected major contenders have qualified in the Original Score category, including Avatar: Fire and Ash, Hamnet, The Testament of Ann Lee and Wicked: For Good, which have been expected by some observers to face potential issues because of their use of pre-existing material. Notable (but mostly fully expected omissions) include After the Hunt (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross), Blue Moon (Graham Reynolds), The Choral (George Fenton), Die My Love (George Vjestica, Raife Burchell & Lynne Ramsay), Ella McCay (Hans Zimmer, likely not submitted), Father Mother Sister Brother (Jim Jarmusch & Anika), How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell), KPop Demon Hunters (Marcelo Zarvos), Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Max Aruj & Alfie Godfrey), The Phoenician Scheme (Alexandre Desplat), Snow White (Jeff Morrow), Superman (John Murphy & David Fleming) and The Thursday Murder Club (Thomas Newman). Check out the full list of the 135 eligible original scores after the jump.
2026 Oscars Best Original Score Predictions
Starting today, we are publishing our predictions for the nominees in the Best Original Score category of next year’s 98th Academy Awards on the left side column of this page. The selection and ranking is based on our own experience of the scores in context of the movies, historical data, reactions of Academy music branch members and others in the film music community, the level of awards campaigning and awareness of the competing titles, and the response to the movies and their chances in other categories.
Daniel Blumberg, Chris Bacon, Siddhartha Khosla, Isobel Waller-Bridge, Anthony Willis, Carlos Rafael Rivera & Others Invited to Join Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 534 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to motion pictures to join the organization. Among the invited artists this year are a number of film composers, including Daniel Blumberg who received his first Academy Award (and nomination) this year for Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, Clément Ducol & Camille who received their first Academy Award for the original song El Mal and another nomination for the score from Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez, as well as Chris Bacon (Heretic, M3GAN 2.0), Siddhartha Khosla (The Idea of You, A Family Affair), Isobel Waller-Bridge (Wicked Little Letters, Magpie), Anthony Willis (Saltburn, M3GAN), Carlos Rafael Rivera (Ezra, Chupa), Branford Marsalis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Rustin), Nami Melumad (Thor: Love and Thunder, Griffin in Summer), Toby Chu (The Monkey King, Unforgettable), Stephanie Economou (Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3), Michael A. Levine (Outbreak, Atypical Wednesday), Segun Akinola (The Bayou, Girl You Know It’s True), Diego Baldenweg (In the Land of Saints and Sinners, Zwingli), Amanda Jones (Moving On, Mea Culpa), René G. Boscio (Emergency, Lake George), Lorenz Dangel (September 5, Dying), Ré Olunuga (Drift, Girl), Maxence Dussère (Le Principal, Wild Seas), Rihards Zaļupe (Flow, Kaka, Pavasaris un Draugi), Amritha Vaz (Little Stones, Miss India America), Wei San Hsu (Invisible Nation, Another Woman), Andranik Berberyan (Amerikatsi, Yasha and Leonid Brezhnev), Kwong Wing Chan (Peg O’ My Heart, The Dumpling Queen) and Youssou N’Dour (Kirikou and the Sorceress, Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love).