The Academy Award for Best Sound Editing is an Academy Award granted yearly to a film exhibiting the finest or most aesthetic sound editing or sound design. The award is usually received by the Supervising Sound Editors of the film, perhaps accompanied by the Sound Designers.

The Sound Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, until 2006 would use a "bake-off" of the best films from the previous year to decide which films should be referred to the full Academy as nominations for the award. In a rule change on June 30, 2006, the bake-off for the Sound Branch was eliminated, and the usual process of a "preferential ballot" submission was instituted.^[1]

During certain years, the highest award given for this category may be a "Special Achievement Award", not an Oscar. Academy rules require that a minimum number of films must be nominated in a category for an Academy Award to be granted; when the number of qualifying nominees is insufficient, a Special Achievement Award is granted instead.

This is a list of films that have won or been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects (1963–1967, 1975), Sound Effects Editing (1977, 1981–1999), or Sound Editing (1979, 2000–present). See Academy Award for Sound for a corresponding list of winners for Best Sound.

Superlatives [edit]

• Ben Burtt has received both the most awards (4) and the most nominations (8) for the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing.

Winners and nominees [edit]

Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.

1960s [edit]

• 1963 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World -- Walter Elliott
  • A Gathering of Eagles -- Robert Bratton
• 1964 Goldfinger -- Norman Wanstall
  • The Lively Set -- Robert Bratton
• 1965 The Great Race -- Treg Brown
  • Von Ryan's Express -- Walter Rossi
• 1966 Grand Prix -- Gordon Daniel
  • Fantastic Voyage -- Walter Rossi
• 1967 The Dirty Dozen -- John Poyner
  • In the Heat of the Night -- James Richard
• 1968 none given
• 1969 none given

1970s [edit]

• 1970 none given
• 1971 none given
• 1972 none given
• 1973 none given
• 1974 none given
• 1975 The Hindenburg – Peter Berkos (Special Achievement Award)
• 1976 none given
• 1977 Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Frank Warner (Special Achievement Award)

Star Wars – Ben Burtt (Special Achievement Award)

for the creation of the alien, creature and robot voices")^[2]

• 1978 none given
• 1979 The Black Stallion – Alan Splet (Special Achievement Award)

1980s [edit]

• 1980 none given
• 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark -- Ben Burtt, Richard Anderson (Special Achievement Award)
• 1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial -- Charles Campbell, Ben Burtt
  • Das Boot -- Mike Le-Mare
  • Poltergeist -- Stephen Hunter Flick, Richard Anderson
• 1983 The Right Stuff -- Jay Boekelheide
  • Return of the Jedi -- Ben Burtt
• 1984 The River -- Kay Rose (Special Achievement Award)
• 1985 Back to the Future -- Charles Campbell, Robert Rutledge
  • Ladyhawke -- Bob Henderson, Alan Robert Murray
  • Rambo: First Blood Part II -- Frederick Brown
• 1986 Aliens -- Don Sharpe
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home -- Mark Mangini
  • Top Gun -- Cecelia Hall, George Watters
• 1987 RoboCop -- Stephen Hunter Flick, John Pospisil (Special Achievement Award)
• 1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit -- Charles Campbell, Louis Edemann
  • Die Hard -- Stephen Hunter Flick, Richard Shorr
  • Willow -- Ben Burtt, Richard Hymns
• 1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade -- Ben Burtt, Richard Hymns
  • Black Rain -- Milton Burrow, William Manger
  • Lethal Weapon 2 -- Robert Henderson, Alan Robert Murray

1990s [edit]

• 1990 The Hunt for Red October -- Cecelia Hall, George Watters
  • Flatliners -- Charles Campbell, Richard Franklin
  • Total Recall -- Stephen Hunter Flick
• 1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day -- Gary Rydstrom, Gloria Borders
  • Backdraft -- Gary Rydstrom, Richard Hymns
  • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country -- George Watters, F. Hudson Miller
• 1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula -- Tom McCarthy, David Stone
  • Aladdin -- Mark Mangini
  • Under Siege -- John Leveque, Bruce Stambler
• 1993 Jurassic Park -- Gary Rydstrom, Richard Hymns
  • Cliffhanger -- Wylie Stateman, Gregg Baxter
  • The Fugitive -- John Leveque, Bruce Stambler
• 1994 Speed -- Stephen Hunter Flick
  • Clear and Present Danger -- Bruce Stambler, John Leveque
  • Forrest Gump -- Gloria Borders, Randy Thom
• 1995 Braveheart -- Lon Bender, Per Hallberg
  • Batman Forever -- John Leveque, Bruce Stambler
  • Crimson Tide -- George Watters
• 1996 The Ghost and the Darkness -- Bruce Stambler
  • Daylight -- Richard Anderson, David Whittaker
  • Eraser-- Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman
• 1997 Titanic -- Tom Bellfort, Christopher Boyes
  • Face/Off -- Mark Stoeckinger, Per Hallberg
  • The Fifth Element -- Mark Mangini
• 1998 Saving Private Ryan -- Gary Rydstrom, Richard Hymns
  • Armageddon -- George Watters
  • The Mask of Zorro -- David McMoyler
• 1999 The Matrix -- Dane Davis
  • Fight Club -- Ren Klyce, Richard Hymns
  • Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace -- Ben Burtt, Tom Bellfort

2000s [edit]

• 2000: U-571 – Jon Johnson
  • Space Cowboys – Bub Asman and Alan Robert Murray

• 2001: Pearl Harbor – George Watters, Christopher Boyes
  • Monsters, Inc. – Gary Rydstrom, Michael Silvers

• 2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn
  • Minority Report – Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
  • Road to Perdition – Scott Hecker

• 2003: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World – Richard King
  • Finding Nemo – Gary Rydstrom and Michael Silvers
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – Christopher Boyes and George Watters

• 2004: The Incredibles – Michael Silvers and Randy Thom
  • The Polar Express – Dennis Leonard and Randy Thom
  • Spider-Man 2 – Paul N. J. Ottosson

• 2005: King Kong – Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn
  • War of the Worlds – Richard King
  • Memoirs of a Geisha – Wylie Stateman

• 2006:^[1] Letters from Iwo Jima – Bub Asman and Alan Robert Murray
  • Apocalypto – Kami Asgar and Sean Mccormack
  • Blood Diamond – Lon Bender
  • Flags of Our Fathers – Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest – Christopher Boyes and George Watters

• 2007: The Bourne Ultimatum – Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
  • No Country for Old Men – Skip Lievsay
  • Ratatouille – Randy Thom and Michael Silvers
  • There Will Be Blood – Christopher Scarabosio and Matthew Wood
  • Transformers – Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn

• 2008: The Dark Knight – Richard King
  • Iron Man – Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
  • Slumdog Millionaire – Tom Sayers
  • WALL-E – Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
  • Wanted – Wylie Stateman

• 2009: The Hurt Locker – Paul N. J. Ottosson
  • Avatar – Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
  • Inglourious Basterds – Wylie Stateman
  • Star Trek – Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
  • Up – Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

2010s [edit]

• 2010: Inception – Richard King
  • Toy Story 3 – Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
  • Tron: Legacy – Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
  • True Grit – Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
  • Unstoppable – Mark P. Stoeckinger

• 2011: Hugo – Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
  • Drive – Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Ren Klyce
  • Transformers: Dark of the Moon – Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
  • War Horse – Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

• 2012 - TIE:

  Skyfall – Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers

  Zero Dark Thirty – Paul N. J. Ottosson

  • Argo – Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
  • Django Unchained – Wylie Stateman
  • Life of Pi – Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton

See also [edit]

• Academy Award for Best Film Editing
• Academy Award for Best Sound
• BAFTA Award for Best Editing
• BAFTA Award for Best Sound

References [edit]