Academy Award for Best Sound Editing
# Academy Award for Best Sound Editing

The Academy Award for Best Sound Editing was an Academy Award granted yearly to a film exhibiting the finest or most aesthetic sound design or sound editing. Sound editing is the creation of sound effects (such as foley). The award was usually received by the Supervising Sound Editors of the film, sometimes accompanied by the Sound Designers. Beginning with the 93rd Academy Awards, Best Sound Editing was combined with Best Sound Mixing into a single award for Best Sound.

The nominations process previously took place in two phases. The sound branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences shortlisted seven films during the early 1980s until 2006. Clips were screened at a "bake-off" and branch members voted using a weighted ballot to select up to three nominees. In a rule change on June 30, 2006, the bake-off for the Sound Branch was eliminated. The usual process of a "preferential ballot" submission was instituted resulting in five nominees each year.

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, 2000–2019). See Academy Award for Best Sound for a combined list of winners and nominees for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

## Winners and nominees

### 1960s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| - | - | - |
| 1963 (36th) |
| 1963 (36th) | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Walter Elliott |
| 1963 (36th) | A Gathering of Eagles | Robert Bratton |
| 1964 (37th) |
| 1964 (37th) | Goldfinger | Norman Wanstall |
| 1964 (37th) | The Lively Set | Robert Bratton |
| 1965 (38th) |
| 1965 (38th) | The Great Race | Treg Brown |
| 1965 (38th) | Von Ryan's Express | Walter Rossi |
| 1966 (39th) |
| 1966 (39th) | Grand Prix | Gordon Daniel |
| 1966 (39th) | Fantastic Voyage | Walter Rossi |
| 1967 (40th) |
| 1967 (40th) | The Dirty Dozen | John Poyner |
| 1967 (40th) | In the Heat of the Night | James Richard |
| 1968 (41st) |
| No award given ||
| 1969 (42nd) |
| No award given ||

### 1970s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| - | - | - |
| 1970 (43rd) |
| No award given ||
| 1971 (44th) |
| No award given ||
| 1972 (45th) |
| No award given ||
| 1973 (46th) |
| No award given ||
| 1974 (47th) |
| No award given ||
| 1975 (48th) |
| 1975 (48th) | The Hindenburg | Peter Berkos |
| 1976 (49th) |
| No award given ||
| 1977 (50th) |
| 1977 (50th) | Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Frank Warner |
| 1978 (51st) |
| No award given ||
| 1979 (52nd) |
| 1979 (52nd) | The Black Stallion | Alan Splet |

### 1980s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| - | - | - |
| 1980 (53rd) |
| No award given ||
| 1981 (54th) |
| 1981 (54th) | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Ben Burtt and Richard L. Anderson |
| 1982 (55th) |
| 1982 (55th) | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Charles L. Campbell and Ben Burtt |
| 1982 (55th) | Das Boot | Mike Le Mare |
| 1982 (55th) | Poltergeist | Stephen Hunter Flick and Richard L. Anderson |
| 1983 (56th) |
| 1983 (56th) | The Right Stuff | Jay Boekelheide |
| 1983 (56th) | Return of the Jedi | Ben Burtt |
| 1984 (57th) |
| 1984 (57th) | The River | Kay Rose |
| 1985 (58th) |
| 1985 (58th) | Back to the Future | Charles L. Campbell and Robert Rutledge |
| 1985 (58th) | Ladyhawke | Robert G. Henderson and Alan Robert Murray |
| 1985 (58th) | Rambo: First Blood Part II | Frederick Brown |
| 1986 (59th) |
| 1986 (59th) | Aliens | Don Sharpe |
| 1986 (59th) | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | Mark Mangini |
| 1986 (59th) | Top Gun | Cecelia Hall and George Watters II |
| 1987 (60th) |
| 1987 (60th) | RoboCop | Stephen Hunter Flick and John Pospisil |
| 1988 (61st) |
| 1988 (61st) | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | Charles L. Campbell and Louis Edemann |
| 1988 (61st) | Die Hard | Stephen Hunter Flick and Richard Shorr |
| 1988 (61st) | Willow | Ben Burtt and Richard Hymns |
| 1989 (62nd) |
| 1989 (62nd) | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Ben Burtt and Richard Hymns |
| 1989 (62nd) | Black Rain | Milton Burrow and William Manger |
| 1989 (62nd) | Lethal Weapon 2 | Robert G. Henderson and Alan Robert Murray |

### 1990s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| - | - | - |
| 1990 (63rd) |
| 1990 (63rd) | The Hunt for Red October | Cecelia Hall and George Watters II |
| 1990 (63rd) | Flatliners | Charles L. Campbell and Richard C. Franklin |
| 1990 (63rd) | Total Recall | Stephen Hunter Flick |
| 1991 (64th) |
| 1991 (64th) | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | Gary Rydstrom and Gloria Borders |
| 1991 (64th) | Backdraft | Gary Rydstrom and Richard Hymns |
| 1991 (64th) | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | George Watters II and F. Hudson Miller |
| 1992 (65th) |
| 1992 (65th) | Bram Stoker's Dracula | Tom McCarthy and David Stone |
| 1992 (65th) | Aladdin | Mark Mangini |
| 1992 (65th) | Under Siege | John Leveque and Bruce Stambler |
| 1993 (66th) |
| 1993 (66th) | Jurassic Park | Gary Rydstrom and Richard Hymns |
| 1993 (66th) | Cliffhanger | Wylie Stateman and Gregg Baxter |
| 1993 (66th) | The Fugitive | John Leveque and Bruce Stambler |
| 1994 (67th) |
| 1994 (67th) | Speed | Stephen Hunter Flick |
| 1994 (67th) | Clear and Present Danger | Bruce Stambler and John Leveque |
| 1994 (67th) | Forrest Gump | Gloria Borders and Randy Thom |
| 1995 (68th) |
| 1995 (68th) | Braveheart | Lon Bender and Per Hallberg |
| 1995 (68th) | Batman Forever | John Leveque and Bruce Stambler |
| 1995 (68th) | Crimson Tide | George Watters II |
| 1996 (69th) |
| 1996 (69th) | The Ghost and the Darkness | Bruce Stambler |
| 1996 (69th) | Daylight | Richard Anderson and David A. Whittaker |
| 1996 (69th) | Eraser | Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman |
| 1997 (70th) |
| 1997 (70th) | Titanic | Tom Bellfort and Christopher Boyes |
| 1997 (70th) | Face/Off | Mark Stoeckinger and Per Hallberg |
| 1997 (70th) | The Fifth Element | Mark Mangini |
| 1998 (71st) |
| 1998 (71st) | Saving Private Ryan | Gary Rydstrom and Richard Hymns |
| 1998 (71st) | Armageddon | George Watters II |
| 1998 (71st) | The Mask of Zorro | David McMoyler |
| 1999 (72nd) |
| 1999 (72nd) | The Matrix | Dane Davis |
| 1999 (72nd) | Fight Club | Ren Klyce and Richard Hymns |
| 1999 (72nd) | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Ben Burtt and Tom Bellfort |

### 2000s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| - | - | - |
| 2000 (73rd) |
| 2000 (73rd) | U-571 | Jon Johnson |
| 2000 (73rd) | Space Cowboys | Bub Asman and Alan Robert Murray |
| 2001 (74th) |
| 2001 (74th) | Pearl Harbor | George Watters II and Christopher Boyes |
| 2001 (74th) | Monsters, Inc. | Gary Rydstrom and Michael Silvers |
| 2002 (75th) |
| 2002 (75th) | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn |
| 2002 (75th) | Minority Report | Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom |
| 2002 (75th) | Road to Perdition | Scott Hecker |
| 2003 (76th) |
| 2003 (76th) | Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World | Richard King |
| 2003 (76th) | Finding Nemo | Gary Rydstrom and Michael Silvers |
| 2003 (76th) | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Christopher Boyes and George Watters II |
| 2004 (77th) |
| 2004 (77th) | The Incredibles | Michael Silvers and Randy Thom |
| 2004 (77th) | The Polar Express | Randy Thom and Dennis Leonard |
| 2004 (77th) | Spider-Man 2 | Paul N. J. Ottosson |
| 2005 (78th) |
| 2005 (78th) | King Kong | Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn |
| 2005 (78th) | Memoirs of a Geisha | Wylie Stateman |
| 2005 (78th) | War of the Worlds | Richard King |
| 2006 (79th) |
| 2006 (79th) | Letters from Iwo Jima | Bub Asman and Alan Robert Murray |
| 2006 (79th) | Apocalypto | Kami Asgar and Sean McCormack |
| 2006 (79th) | Blood Diamond | Lon Bender |
| 2006 (79th) | Flags of Our Fathers | Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman |
| 2006 (79th) | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Christopher Boyes and George Watters II |
| 2007 (80th) |
| 2007 (80th) | The Bourne Ultimatum | Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg |
| 2007 (80th) | No Country for Old Men | Skip Lievsay |
| 2007 (80th) | Ratatouille | Randy Thom and Michael Silvers |
| 2007 (80th) | There Will Be Blood | Christopher Scarabosio and Matthew Wood |
| 2007 (80th) | Transformers | Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins |
| 2008 (81st) |
| 2008 (81st) | The Dark Knight | Richard King |
| 2008 (81st) | Iron Man | Frank E. Eulner and Christopher Boyes |
| 2008 (81st) | Slumdog Millionaire | Tom Sayers and Glenn Freemantle |
| 2008 (81st) | WALL-E | Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood |
| 2008 (81st) | Wanted | Wylie Stateman |
| 2009 (82nd) |
| 2009 (82nd) | The Hurt Locker | Paul N. J. Ottosson |
| 2009 (82nd) | Avatar | Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle |
| 2009 (82nd) | Inglourious Basterds | Wylie Stateman |
| 2009 (82nd) | Star Trek | Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin |
| 2009 (82nd) | Up | Michael Silvers and Tom Myers |

### 2010s

| Year | Film | Nominees |
| - | - | - |
| 2010 (83rd) |
| 2010 (83rd) | Inception | Richard King |
| 2010 (83rd) | Toy Story 3 | Tom Myers and Michael Silvers |
| 2010 (83rd) | Tron: Legacy | Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague |
| 2010 (83rd) | True Grit | Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey |
| 2010 (83rd) | Unstoppable | Mark P. Stoeckinger |
| 2011 (84th) |
| 2011 (84th) | Hugo | Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton |
| 2011 (84th) | Drive | Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis |
| 2011 (84th) | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Ren Klyce |
| 2011 (84th) | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn |
| 2011 (84th) | War Horse | Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom |
| 2012 (85th) |
| 2012 (85th) | Skyfall (TIE) | Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers |
| 2012 (85th) | Zero Dark Thirty (TIE) | Paul N. J. Ottosson |
| 2012 (85th) | Argo | Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn |
| 2012 (85th) | Django Unchained | Wylie Stateman |
| 2012 (85th) | Life of Pi | Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton |
| 2013 (86th) |
| 2013 (86th) | Gravity | Glenn Freemantle |
| 2013 (86th) | All Is Lost | Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns |
| 2013 (86th) | Captain Phillips | Oliver Tarney |
| 2013 (86th) | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Brent Burge and Chris Ward |
| 2013 (86th) | Lone Survivor | Wylie Stateman |
| 2014 (87th) |
| 2014 (87th) | American Sniper | Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman |
| 2014 (87th) | Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) | Martin Hernández and Aaron Glascock |
| 2014 (87th) | The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | Brent Burge and Jason Canovas |
| 2014 (87th) | Interstellar | Richard King |
| 2014 (87th) | Unbroken | Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro |
| 2015 (88th) |
| 2015 (88th) | Mad Max: Fury Road | Mark Mangini and David White |
| 2015 (88th) | The Martian | Oliver Tarney |
| 2015 (88th) | The Revenant | Martin Hernández and Lon Bender |
| 2015 (88th) | Sicario | Alan Robert Murray |
| 2015 (88th) | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Matthew Wood and David Acord |
| 2016 (89th) |
| 2016 (89th) | Arrival | Sylvain Bellemare |
| 2016 (89th) | Deepwater Horizon | Wylie Stateman and Renée Tondelli |
| 2016 (89th) | Hacksaw Ridge | Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright |
| 2016 (89th) | La La Land | Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan |
| 2016 (89th) | Sully | Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman |
| 2017 (90th) |
| 2017 (90th) | Dunkirk | Richard King and Alex Gibson |
| 2017 (90th) | Baby Driver | Julian Slater |
| 2017 (90th) | Blade Runner 2049 | Mark Mangini and Theo Green |
| 2017 (90th) | The Shape of Water | Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira |
| 2017 (90th) | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce |
| 2018 (91st) |
| 2018 (91st) | Bohemian Rhapsody | John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone |
| 2018 (91st) | Black Panther | Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker |
| 2018 (91st) | First Man | Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan |
| 2018 (91st) | A Quiet Place | Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl |
| 2018 (91st) | Roma | Sergio Díaz and Skip Lievsay |
| 2019 (92nd) |
| 2019 (92nd) | Ford v Ferrari | Donald Sylvester |
| 2019 (92nd) | Joker | Alan Robert Murray |
| 2019 (92nd) | 1917 | Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate |
| 2019 (92nd) | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Wylie Stateman |
| 2019 (92nd) | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Matthew Wood and David Acord |

## Shortlisted finalists

Finalists for Best Sound Editing were selected by the Sound Branch from 1981 to 2005. The full membership of the Sound Branch was invited to view excerpts and was provided with supporting information at a "bake-off" where balloting determined the three nominees. These are the additional films that presented at the bake-off.

| Year | Finalists |
| - | - |
| 1981 | Dragonslayer, Heaven's Gate, Reds, Sharky's Machine, Sphinx, Stripes, Superman II, Time Bandits, Wolfen |
| 1982 | The Dark Crystal |
| 1983 | Blue Thunder, The Golden Seal, Never Cry Wolf, Sudden Impact, WarGames |
| 1984 | Dune, Gremlins, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 2010 |
| 1985 | American Flyers, The Emerald Forest, Runaway Train, Year of the Dragon |
| 1986 | The Color of Money, Platoon, Tai-Pan |
| 1987 | Batteries Not Included, Cry Freedom, Full Metal Jacket, Lethal Weapon, Predator, The Witches of Eastwick |
| 1988 | Beetlejuice, Mississippi Burning |
| 1989 | Born on the Fourth of July, Glory, The Winter War |
| 1990 | Dances with Wolves, Goodfellas |
| 1991 | Beauty and the Beast, For the Boys, Hook, The Last Boy Scout |
| 1992 | The Last of the Mohicans, Lethal Weapon 3, Patriot Games, Unforgiven |
| 1993 | Geronimo: An American Legend |
| 1994 | The Shawshank Redemption, True Lies |
| 1995 | Apollo 13, Heat, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, Waterworld |
| 1996 | Independence Day, The Rock, Star Trek: First Contact, Twister |
| 1997 | Con Air, L.A. Confidential, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Men in Black |
| 1998 | Godzilla, Lethal Weapon 4, Ronin, The Thin Red Line |
| 1999 | Any Given Sunday, The Green Mile, The Mummy, Three Kings |
| 2000 | Cast Away, Gladiator, Mission: Impossible 2, The Perfect Storm, Unbreakable |
| 2001 | A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Amélie, Black Hawk Down, The Fast and the Furious, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring |
| 2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Spider-Man, We Were Soldiers, xXx |
| 2003 | Kill Bill: Volume 1, The Last Samurai, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Seabiscuit |
| 2004 | The Aviator, Collateral, The Day After Tomorrow, Ray |
| 2005 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Walk the Line |

## Superlatives

* Richard King and Ben Burtt have received the most awards (4), including Special Achievement Awards.
* Charles L. Campbell, Per Hallberg, Richard Hymns, and Gary Rydstrom have received the second highest number of awards (3).
* Alan Robert Murray has the most nominations (10).
* Wylie Stateman has the most nominations, without winning an award. He has been nominated nine times as of 2020.

## Multiple awards and nominations

Note: Ben Burtt and Stephen Hunter Flick both have Special Achievement Awards in addition to their competitive awards. These have been included with their award and nomination count. The only sound editor to date who has a Special Achievement Award and has an Oscar nomination but not a competitive award is Richard L. Anderson.

### Multiple nominations

† = includes special achievement awards

