7th The Society of Composers and Lyricists Nominations

Recently the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) announced the nominations for the 2026 edition of the group committed to advancing the interests of composers and lyricist working in visual media, including film, television, theater, video games and beyond.

The organization was born during the summer of 1983 with their first meeting taking place on February 14, 1984 with 310 composers and lyricists - including Henry Mancini, John Williams, Quincy Jones- and today continues in its non-union role of education, support and mutual benefit. It is in 2020 when the society established the annual SCL awards.

Ludwig Göransson and director Ryan Coogler will receive the Spirit of Collaboration Award, which recognizes a composer/director partnership that has created a significant and enduring body of work.

Ludwig Göransson and Stephen Schwartz lead the nominations with three (3) noms each plus popula Ed Sheeran, Shakira, Brandi Carlile, and John Mayer are also among the nominees. Nominations were announced less than 12 hours after Oscars shortlists and there is a lot of overlap between both. All the SCL nominees for original score for a studio film are on Oscar shortlist for original score and all but one of the SCL nominees for original song for dramatic or documentary visual media production are on Oscar shortlist for original song.

The final voting round will begin January 19th and end January 26th. Kevin Bacon and his older brother, composer Michael Bacon (aka The Bacon Brothers) will cohost the 7th Annual SCL Awards at Skirball Cultural Center on February 6, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. The event will feature a special performance by Melissa Manchester.

The Nominations

Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film
Jerskin Fendrix for Bugonia, Yorgos Lanthimos, Ireland, UK, Canada, South Korea and USA
Alexandre Desplat for Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro, Mexico and USA
Max Richter for Hamnet, Chloé Zhao, UK and USA
Jonny Greenwood for One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson, USA
Ludwig Göransson for Sinners, Ryan Coogler, USA
Stephen Schwartz and John Powell for Wicked: For Good, Jon M. Chu, USA, Canada and Australia

Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film
David Fleming for Eternity, David Freyne, USA 
Fabrizio Mancinelli for Out Of The Nest, Andrew Gordon, Arturo A. Hernandez and Veerapatra Jinanavin, Thailand and China (animation)
Jónsi and Alex Somers for Rental Family, Hikari, Japan and USA 
Dara Taylor for Straw, Tyler Perry, USA 
Sara Barone and Forest Christenson for To Kill A Wolf, Kelsey Taylor, USA 
Bryce Dessner for Train Dreams, Clint Bentley, USA

Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production
Diane Warren for “Dear Me” in Diane Warren: Relentless, Bess Kargman, USA (documentary)
Ed Sheeran, Blake Slatkin and John Mayer for “Drive” in F1, Joseph Kosinski, USA
Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson for “I Lied To You” in Sinners, Ryan Coogler, USA
Alice Smith, Miles Caton and Ludwig Göransson for “Last Time (I Seen The Sun)” in Sinners, Ryan Coogler, USA
Sara Bareilles, Brandi Carlile and Andrea Gibson for “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” in Come See Me In The Good Light, Ryan White, USA 
Nikhil Koparkar and Rammy Park for “The Hills Of Tanchico” in The Wheel Of Time (TV Series)

Outstanding Original Song For A Comedy Or Musical Visual Media Production
EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick for “Golden” in KPop Demon Hunters, Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang, USA and Canada
Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and Jack Black for “I Feel Alive” in A Minecraft Movie, Jared Hess, USA, Sweden, New Zealand, and Canada
Jack Black and Jared Hess for “Steve’s Lava Chicken” in A Minecraft Movie, Jared Hess, USA, Sweden, New Zealand, and Canada
Stephen Schwartz for “No Place Like Home” in Wicked: For Good, Jon M. Chu, USA, Canada and Australia
Stephen Schwartz for “The Girl in The Bubble” in Wicked: For Good, Jon M. Chu, USA, Canada and Australia
Blake Slatkin, Shakira and Ed Sheeran for “Zoo” in Zootopia 2, Jared Bush and Byron Howard, USA

To check nominees, including TV and all other categories, at official site go here.