The Top 25 Best Original Score Winners So Far (Updated for 2026)

Yes friends, I’m still ranking the newest crop of Academy Award winners, with the column careening towards the end for 2026, as this is among our final below the line categories. As a reminder, for nearly all of the Oscar categories, you’ll see me list the top 25 recipients of that prize. Sometimes, our newest winner will appear. Other times, they’ll be relegated to the Honorable Mention category. Who knows, maybe one or two won’t even make the cut? It’s a list series that I’ll do each and every single year, in the weeks after the ceremony concludes. So, while this is a fun way to think about the Oscars in the aftermath of the latest telecast, it’s also a beginning for another column here on the site. Of course, definitely show us your own lists as well, in the comments section below. We’re definitely keen to know what you think!

This time around, I’m taking another crack at a Best Original Score ranking, as we wrap up the technical categories today. This category is as filled with classics as any, so picking a number one is completely a matter of taste. Where does a prior winner in Oppenheimer fall amongst my picks? What about another prior one in All Quiet on the Western Front? Does it even crack the list this time? That answer is to come. Does The Brutalist retain its status? Plus, what of our newest winner in Sinners? This Sinners win marks composer Ludwig Göransson‘s third victory (having also won for Black Panther, as well as Oppenheimer), so he’s all over this list. Where, exactly? Find out below…

Here now are what I consider to be the 25 best winners of the Oscar for Best Original Score, to date:

25. The Brutalist
24. Brokeback Mountain
23. The Hateful Eight
22. Let It Be
21. Titanic
20. Camelot
19. Aladdin
18. Fiddler on the Roof
17. The Omen
16. Sinners
15. All That Jazz
14. Oppenheimer

13. Schindler’s List
12. The Lion King
11. West Side Story
10. Beauty and the Beast
9. Mary Poppins
8. Ben-Hur
7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
6. Lawrence of Arabia
5. Chariots of Fire
4. Purple Rain
3. Star Wars
2. The Social Network
1. Jaws

Honorable Mentions: Dune, High Noon, La La Land, The Little Mermaid, Slumdog Millionaire, and The Sting

Stay tuned for the next category early on next week!