The Academy Award for Best Sound is an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

that recognizes the finest

sound mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more audio channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aest ...

, recording,

sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating auditory elements of media. It involves specifying, acquiring and creating audio using production techniques and equipment or software. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking ...

, 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 Murray Spivack (September 6, 1903 – May 8, 1994) was an American sound engineer best known as the sound designer for the 1933 film ''King Kong''. He won an Oscar for Sound Recording and was nominated for another in the same category. He wa ...

and Jack Solomon for '' Hello, Dolly!''. It is generally awarded to the

production sound mixer A production sound mixer, location sound recordist, location sound engineer, or simply sound mixer is the member of a film crew or television crew responsible for recording all sound recording on set during the filmmaking or television production ...

re-recording mixer A re-recording mixer in North America, also known as a dubbing mixer in Europe, is a post-production audio engineer who mixes recorded dialogue, sound effects and music to create the final version of a soundtrack for a feature film, television pr ...

s, and

supervising sound editor A sound editor is a creative professional responsible for selecting and assembling sound recordings in preparation for the final sound mixing or mastering of a television program, motion picture, video game, or any production involving recorde ...

s 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 most of the period from 1963-2019 two separate awards were given for sound: Best Sound Mixing (just called Best Sound in some years) and Best Sound Effects Editing (just called Best Sound Effects, or Best Sound Editing in some years). For the second and third years of this category (i.e., the

4th Academy Awards The 4th Academy Awards were held on November 10, 1931, by 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 Ac ...

and the

5th Academy Awards The 5th Academy Awards were held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on November 18, 1932, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, hosted by Conrad Nagel. Films screened in Los Angeles between August 1, 1931, and Ju ...

) only the names of the film companies were listed. Paramount Publix Studio Sound Department won in both years.

Winners and nominees

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple nominations and awards for Best Sound Mixing

Multiple awards and nominations for Best Sound Editing

Multiple awards

;5 awards * Richard King ;4 awards *

Ben Burtt Benjamin Burtt Jr. (born July 12, 1948) is an American sound designer, film director, film editor, screenwriter, and voice actor. As a sound designer, his credits include the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' film series, '' Invasion of the ...

† ;3 awards * Charles L. Campbell *

Per Hallberg Per Hallberg (born December 30, 1958), is a Swedish film sound editor whose work has appeared in over 40 movies. He has won three Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing for the films ''Braveheart'' (1995), '' The Bourne Ultimatum'' (2007) and ' ...

Richard Hymns Richard Hymns (born 18 July 1947) is an English sound editor. He won three Academy Awards for his work on ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'', ''Jurassic Park'' and '' Saving Private Ryan''. He was also nominated for nine more in the category ...

Gary Rydstrom Gary Roger Rydstrom (born June 29, 1959) is an American sound designer and film director. He has been nominated for twenty Academy Awards for his work in sound for movies, and has won seven times. Life and career Rydstrom was born in Chicago. H ...

;2 awards *

Bub Asman Bub Asman (born August 17, 1949, in Louisville, Kentucky) is a sound editor known for his collaborations with director Clint Eastwood. He and his colleagues on the 2006 film '' Letters from Iwo Jima'' won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editin ...

Karen Baker Landers Karen Baker Landers is a two-time Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) ...

Christopher Boyes Christopher Boyes is an American sound engineer. He has won four Academy Awards and has been nominated for another eleven. He has worked on more than 100 films since 1991. Academy Awards Boyes has won four Academy Awards and has been nominated ...

* Mike Hopkins *

Stephen Hunter Flick Stephen Hunter Flick (born June 21, 1949, in Evanston, Illinois) is an American retired sound editor with over 170 film credits. Oscar Nominations All of these are in Best Sound Editing, with one being a Special achievement award. * 1982 Acad ...

† *

Alan Robert Murray Alan Robert Murray (July 30, 1954 – February 24, 2021) was an American sound editor. Murray was nominated for ten Academy Awards. In 2007, Murray won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing for his work on ''Letters from Iwo Jima'' (2005). I ...

Paul N. J. Ottosson Paul N. J. Ottosson (born 25 February 1966) is a Swedish sound designer. The recipient of numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, he has worked on more than 130 films since 1995. Selected f ...

George Watters II George Watters II (born September 19, 1949) is an American retired sound editor with more than 80 feature film credits. He has won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing twice, for ''The Hunt for Red October'' (1990) and for ''Pearl Harbor'' ( ...

* Ethan Van der Ryn

Multiple nominations

;10 nominations *

;9 nominations *

;8 nominations *

† ;7 nominations *

Wylie Stateman Wylie Stateman (born November 20, 1957) is an American sound director, supervising sound editor, sound designer, and post production media entrepreneur. Stateman has supervised over 150 sound projects, resulting in 9 Academy Award nominations, 6 ...

;6 nominations *

* Richard King *

Michael Silvers Michael Silvers is a sound editor who has often worked with Pixar. He has worked on nearly every Pixar feature film. He has over 110 credits to his name. Oscar history All of these films were for Best Sound Editing. * 74th Academy Awards ...

* Ethan Van der Ryn ;5 nominations *

† *

Mark Mangini Mark Mangini (born 1956) is an American sound editor with over 125 film credits. He has won two Academy Awards, in 2021 for Best Sound for ''Dune'' and in 2015 for Best Sound Editing along with David White for their work on '' Mad Max: Fury ...

Bruce Stambler Bruce Stambler is a sound editor. He won the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing for the drama thriller film ''The Ghost and the Darkness'' (1996). This marked both his first win and fifth consecutive nomination in the category, after being re ...

* Matthew Wood ;4 nominations *

Lon Bender Lon Ethan Bender (born July 22, 1959) is an American supervising sound editor, business executive and inventor. Bender won the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing for his work on ''Braveheart'' (1995). He has been recognized for numero ...

* Charles L. Campbell *

John Leveque John Leveque (born March 12, 1944) is a sound editor. He has won two BAFTAs for sound and has been nominated by the Motion Picture Sound Editors for sound. He has worked on over 70 films. Oscar history All four nominations are for Best Sound E ...

Randy Thom David Randall Thom (born August 21, 1951) is an American sound designer and the director of sound design at Skywalker Sound. Career Thom started his film career with a phone call to Walter Murch, who invited him to visit a re-mix of ''American ...

;3 nominations * Richard L. Anderson † * Mike Hopkins *

Skip Lievsay Skip Lievsay is an American supervising sound editor, re-recording mixer and sound designer for film and television, Lievsay has worked with filmmakers and directors including the Coen brothers, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Jonathan Demme and Robe ...

Mark Stoeckinger Mark Stoeckinger is an American sound editor. He has over 80 film credits. In addition to 3 Oscar nominations, he has been nominated for the Motion Picture Sound Editors a total of 10 times, winning once with ''Gladiator''. Oscar Nominations Al ...

Gwendolyn Yates Whittle Gwendolyn Yates Whittle (born 1961) is a three-time Academy Award-nominated sound editor. She has worked on over 120 films to date. She has won 5 Golden Reel Awards at the Motion Picture Sound Editors. She is a member of Skywalker Sound. Oscar n ...

John Wilkinson (sound engineer) John K. "Doc" Wilkinson (April 13, 1920 – April 28, 2002) was an acclaimed American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award for Best Sound and was nominated for another two in the same category. He was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for ...

;2 nominations * Erik Aadahl *

Tom Bellfort Tom Bellfort is a sound editor. He has done sound editing on over 80 films since 1983. He was a member of Skywalker Sound, Saul Zaentz Film Center, and Soundelux. Filmography Select titles Bellfort worked on at Skywalker Sound *''The Young I ...

Steve Boeddeker Steve Boeddeker is a sound editor. Boeddeker and fellow sound editor Richard Hymns were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing for the film '' All Is Lost'' (2013). Filmography * Monkeybone (2001) Sound Designer *Sing (2016) So ...

Gloria S. Borders Gloria Borders is a sound effects editor, best known for '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' for which she won an Oscar as well for Best Sound Editing. She was also the General Manager for Skywalker Sound. Borders attended Moorestown Friends School ...

* Robert Bratton * Brent Burge *

Glenn Freemantle Glenn Freemantle is a British sound editor and sound designer. Career Freemantle was nominated at the 81st Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing for his work on the film ''Slumdog Millionaire''. He received a second nomination and his first ...

Eugene Gearty Eugene Gearty is an American sound engineer. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Sound for the film ''Gangs of New York''. He has worked on over 80 films since 1983. At the 84th Academy Awards, Gearty won an Oscar for Be ...

Cecelia Hall Cecelia Hall or Cecilia Hall may refer to: *Cecelia Hall (mezzo-soprano), American opera singer * Cecelia Hall (sound editor), American sound editor *Cecilia Häll Cecilia Häll (born 10 June 1978) is a Swedish actress. She was married to the a ...

Robert G. Henderson Robert G. Henderson is an American retired sound editor. He got his start on the TV series ''Hogan's Heroes''. Oscar Nominations Both of these are in Best Sound Editing. * 1985 Academy Awards-Nominated for '' Ladyhawke''. Nomination shared wi ...

Martin Hernández Martin Hernández (born 1 June 1964) is a Mexican sound editor and designer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his work on the films '' Birdman'' (2014) and '' The Revenant'' (2015), the latter of which also earned him a British Academy ...

* Mildred Iatrou Morgan *

Ren Klyce Ren Klyce is a Japanese-American sound designer and sound mixer. Career He has been nominated for nine Academy Awards; six for Best Sound and three for Best Sound Editing. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with director David F ...

Ai-Ling Lee Ai-Ling Lee is a Singaporean sound editor, re-recording mixer and audio engineer working in Los Angeles, California. Her works on films, '' Bruce Almighty'' (2003), '' Spider-Man 2'' (2004), '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005), '' The Twilight Saga: New ...

* Tom Myers *

Walter Rossi Walter Rossi (July 12, 1894 – February 12, 1978) was a sound editor who won 1 Academy Award and was nominated for 2 more Academy Awards. Oscar nominations * 1957 Academy Awards-Award for ''The Enemy Below'' in the category of Best Special E ...

Philip Stockton Philip Stockton is a sound editor. On February 26, 2012, he won an Academy Award for the movie '' Hugo''. He also won a 2011 BAFTA for his work on that film and also won Emmy Award for Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period ...

Oliver Tarney Oliver Tarney is a British sound supervisor and sound designer who is most known for his work with Ridley Scott and Paul Greengrass. Oliver has been nominated for five Academy Awards to date. Tarney was first nominated in the Best Sound Edit ...

† = 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.

Notes

References

{{Academy Award Best Sound Editing

Sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

* Film sound awards