The Top 25 Best Production Design Winners So Far (Updated for 2026)

Well, we’re back at it here during the beginning parts of July! Continuing a tradition I’ve been keen on for years, I’m ranking the new crop of Academy Award winners. 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 all think!

This week, I’ll be doing the Best Production Design category. Sometimes, this is a field where “best” can mean “most,” but it’s no surefire thing. Flashy contenders do tend to do very well, however, as you’ll see below. Frankly, as I always say with this piece, it’s hard to beat Batman here, as what Anton Furst realized is pretty spectacular. That being said, La La Land and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood did come close. It’s another category where it’s very hard to dislike any of the victorious films. They’re just all great looking movies, plain and simple. How does our most recent winner in Frankenstein fare? What of our prior winners All Quiet on the Western Front, Dune, Mank, Poor Things, and Wicked? Do they maintain their initial spots? You’ll have to see next, but the competition is fierce. Read on for more…

Here are what I consider to be the 25 best winners of the Best Production Design Oscar, to date:

25. Doctor Zhivago
24. The Great Gatsby (2013)
23. Hugo
22. The Godfather: Part II
21. Mank
20. The Apartment
19. Mad Max: Fury Road
18. Schindler’s List
17. Moulin Rouge!
16. All That Jazz
15. Dick Tracy
14. Lawrence of Arabia
13. Chicago
12. Raiders of the Lost Ark
11. Dune
10. Star Wars
9. Barry Lyndon
8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Black Panther
6. Titanic
5. Pan’s Labyrinth
4. Poor Things
3. Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
2. La La Land
1. Batman

Honorable Mention: Avatar, The Aviator, Cabaret, Frankenstein, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Last Emperor

Stay tuned for another category early next week!