The Academy Award for Best Production Design recognizes achievement for art direction in

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

. The category's original name was Best Art Direction, but was changed to its current name in 2012 for the

85th Academy Awards The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p ...

. This change resulted from the Art Directors' branch of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

(AMPAS) being renamed the Designers' branch. Since

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

, the award is shared with the set decorators. It is awarded to the best interior design in a film. The films below are listed with their production year (for example, the 2000 Academy Award for Best Art Direction is given to a film from 1999). In the lists below, the winner of the award for each year is shown first, followed by the other nominees in alphabetical order.

Superlatives

Winners and nominees

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Notes

Shortlisted finalists

Finalists for Best Production Design were selected by branch members, who voted for ten finalists which were screened to determine the five nominees.

Individuals with multiple wins

;11 wins *

Cedric Gibbons Austin Cedric Gibbons (March 23, 1890 – July 26, 1960) was an American Art director#In film, art director for the film industry. He also made a significant contribution to motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s. Gibbons de ...

;8 wins * Edwin B. Willis ;7 wins * Richard Day ;6 wins * Thomas Little * Walter M. Scott ;5 wins * Lyle R. Wheeler ;4 wins *

John Box John Allan Hyatt Box OBE (27 January 19207 March 2005) was a British film production designer and art director. He won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction on four occasions and won the equivalent BAFTA three times, a record for both awa ...

* Samuel M. Comer * F. Keogh Gleason * George James Hopkins ;3 wins * Edward Carfagno * Stuart Craig * William S. Darling * John DeCuir * Vernon Dixon * Hans Dreier *

Dante Ferretti Dante Ferretti (; born 26 February 1943) is an Italian production designer, art director, and costume designer. Biography Throughout his career, Ferretti has worked with many acclaimed directors, both American and Italian, including Pier Paol ...

* Paul S. Fox * Alexander Golitzen * Paul Groesse * John Meehan * Ray Moyer * Francesca Lo Schiavo * Jack Martin Smith ;2 wins *

Ken Adam Sir Kenneth Adam (born Klaus Hugo George Fritz Adam; 5 February 1921 – 10 March 2016) was a German-British movie production designer, best known for his set designs for the James Bond films of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for '' Dr. Str ...

* E. Preston Ames * Herman A. Blumenthal *

Henry Bumstead Lloyd Henry "Bummy" Bumstead (March 17, 1915 – May 24, 2006) was an American cinematic Art director#Film, art director and production designer. In a career that spanned nearly 70 years, Bumstead began as a draftsman in RKO Pictures' art de ...

* Donald Graham Burt * Gene Callahan *

Rick Carter Rick Carter (born 1952, Los Angeles, California) is an American production designer and art director. He is best known for his collaborations with directors Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, particularly on the films ''Back to the Future Pa ...

* George Davis * Leslie Dilley * Michael D. Ford * George Gaines * Russell A. Gausman * Nancy Haigh * Harry Horner * William A. Horning * Hugh Hunt * Wiard Ihnen * Emile Kuri * Terence Marsh * Catherine Martin *

William Cameron Menzies William Cameron Menzies (July 29, 1896 – March 5, 1957) was an American filmmaker who pioneered the discipline of production design, a job title he invented. His career spanned five decades, during which time he also worked as an art director, ...

* Urie McCleary * John Myhre *

Gil Parrondo Gil Parrondo Rico OAXS (17 June 1921 – 24 December 2016) was a Spanish art director, set decorator and production designer. He won two Academy Awards and was nominated for another in the category of Best Art Direction. Selected film ...

* Robert Priestley * Stuart A. Reiss * Norman Reynolds * Dario Simoni *

Robert Stromberg Robert Stromberg is an American special effects artist, designer and Filmmaking, filmmaker. His credits include films such as James Cameron's ''Avatar (2009 film), Avatar'', Tim Burton's ''Alice in Wonderland (2010 film), Alice in Wonderland'', ...

* Richard Sylbert *

Joseph C. Wright Joseph C. Wright was an American Art director#In film, art director. He won two Academy Awards and was nominated for ten more in the category Academy Award for Best Production Design, Best Art Direction. He worked on 86 films between 1923 and ...

Peter Young Peter or Pete Young may refer to: Sports * Peter Dalton Young (1927–2002), English rugby union player * Peter Young (cricketer, born 1961), Australian cricketer * Pete Young (born 1968), American baseball player * Peter Young (rugby league) (fl. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Academy Award for Best Production Design Best Production Design * Awards for best production design