UPDATE (Sept. 4): Daniel Blumberg, who won an Oscar for best original score in March for The Brutalist, is nominated for the Discovery of the Year Award at the 2025 World Soundtrack Awards. Blumberg is competing with Robin Carolan (Nosferatu), Jung Jae-il (Mickey 17), Dave Metzger (Mufasa: The Lion King) and Hania Rani (Sentimental Value).
The first round of nominations were announced by Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Academy on Aug. 5. This second wave of nominations also includes the Public Choice Award, WSA Game Music Award, and Belgian Film Composer of the Year. Winners will be announced on Oct. 15 at the annual WSA Ceremony & Concert during Film Fest Gent, Belgium’s biggest international film festival.
PREVIOUSLY (Aug. 5):“I Lied to You” from Ryan Coogler’s box-office smash Sinners is nominated for best original song at the 2025 World Soundtrack Awards, which boosts its chances of being nominated for an Oscar.
A song from each of writer/director Coogler’s last two films was nominated in that marquee Oscar category – “All the Stars” from Black Panther and “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Sinners was released in April and ranked No. 1 at the box office in each of its first two weekends. It’s the fifth-highest grossing film so far in 2025 domestically, behind A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, Jurassic World: Rebirth and Superman, and No. 12 for the year so far worldwide.
Ludwig Göransson and Raphael Saadiq co-wrote “I Lied to You,” which was performed by Miles Caton, one of the stars of the film. Both writers are past Oscar nominees for best original song. Göransson was nominated for co-writing the aforementioned “Lift Me Up”; Saadiq for co-writing “Mighty River” from Mudbound. In addition to his best original song nod, Göransson is a two-time Oscar winner for best original score, for Black Panther and Oppenheimer.
The other four nominees for best original song at the World Soundtrack Awards are from 2024 films and thus can’t be in the running for Oscars next year. (One of them, “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez, won the Oscar earlier this year. Of the others, “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late, was nominated; “Winter Coat” from Blitz was shortlisted but not nominated; and “Beautiful That Way” from The Last Showgirl wasn’t even shortlisted.)
German composer and pianist Volker Bertelmann is nominated for both film composer of the year (for Conclave and The Amateur) and television composer of the year (for The Day of the Jackal, Dune: Prophecy and The Count of Monte Cristo). Bertelmann won film composer of the year at the 2023 World Soundtrack Awards.
Philip Glass and Michael Nyman are set to receive lifetime achievement awards.
Here’s the full list of nominations.
Best Original Song
“Beautiful That Way” from The Last Showgirl – written by Andrew Wyatt, Lykke Li, Miley Cyrus; performed by Miley Cyrus, Andrew Wyatt, Matt Dunkley
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez – written by Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard; performed by Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón
“I Lied to You” from Sinners – written by Ludwig Göransson, Raphael Saadiq; performed by Miles Caton
“Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late – written by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt, Bernie Taupin; performed by Elton John, Brandi Carlile
“Winter Coat” from Blitz – written by Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, Taura Stinson; performed by Nicholas Britell, Saoirse Ronan
Film Composer of the Year
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave; The Amateur
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol and Camille – Emilia Pérez
Alberto Iglesias – The Room Next Door
John Powell – How to Train Your Dragon
Television Composer of the Year
Volker Bertelmann – The Day of the Jackal; Dune: Prophecy; The Count of Monte Cristo
David Fleming, Gustavo Santaolalla – The Last of Us (Season 2)
Ariel Marx – Dying for Sex
Bear McCreary – The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 2)
Martin Phipps – Black Doves
Theodore Shapiro – Severance (Season 2)
Discovery of the Year Award
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Robin Carolan – Nosferatu
Jung Jae-il – Mickey 17
Dave Metzger – Mufasa: The Lion King
Hania Rani – Sentimental Value
Public Choice Award
Buio come il cuore (Dark is the Heart) – David Cerquetti
Hola Frida – Laetitia Pansanel-Garric
Ni chaînes ni maîtres – Amine Bouhafa
Reagan – John Coda
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim – Stephen Gallagher
WSA Game Music Award
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Lorien Testard
Doom: The Dark Ages – Alex Klingle, Brian Lee White, Brian Trifon, Jay Wiltzen
Dune: Awakening – Knut Avenstroup Haugen
Farewell North – John Konsolakis
Neva – Berlinist
Belgian Film Composer of the Year
Vincent Cahay – Maldoror
Ruben De Gheselle – Young Hearts; There was, There was not
Frédéric Vercheval – Largo Winch: Le prix de l’argent
Best Original Composition by a Young Composer
Neville Bharucha
Théo Cascio
Bongseob Kim
Lifetime Achievement Award
Philip Glass
Michael Nyman
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