The Academy Award for Best Sound Editing was an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

granted yearly to a film exhibiting the finest or most aesthetic

sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including ...

or sound editing. Sound editing is the creation of sound effects (such as foley). The award was usually received by the

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 recorded ...

s of the film, sometimes accompanied by the Sound Designers. Beginning with the

93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 202 ...

, 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 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

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

for Best

Sound Effects A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. Traditi ...

(1963–1967, 1975), Sound Effects Editing (1977, 1981–1999), or Sound Editing (1979, 2000–2019). See

Academy Award for Best Sound The Academy Award for Best Sound is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most euphonic sound mixing, recording, sound design, and sound editing. The award used to go to the studio sound departments until a rule change in 1969 said it ...

for a combined list of winners and nominees for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

Winners and nominees

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

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.

Superlatives

* Richard King and

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

have received the most awards (4), including Special Achievement Awards. *

Charles L. Campbell Charles L. Campbell (August 17, 1930 – June 21, 2013) was an American sound engineer who won three Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing. He also served as Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) 1984-1987. Early l ...

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, and

Gary Rydstrom Gary Roger Rydstrom (born June 29, 1959) is an American sound designer and film director. He has been nominated for 20 Academy Awards for his work in sound for movies, winning 7. Life and career Rydstrom was born in Chicago. He graduated from t ...

have received the second highest number of awards (3). *

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) ...

has the most nominations (10). * Wylie Stateman has the most nominations, without winning an award. He has been nominated nine times .

Multiple awards and nominations

Note:

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 awards

;4 awards * Richard King *

† ;3 awards *

* Richard Hymns *

;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 Editi ...

Karen Baker Landers Karen Baker Landers is a two-time Academy Award-winning sound editor. She also has won and been nominated for several Motion Picture Sound Editors awards as well as winning the BAFTA Award for Best Sound. She often works with Per Hallberg. She h ...

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

* Mike Hopkins * Stephen Hunter Flick † *

* Paul N. J. Ottosson * George Watters II *

Ethan Van der Ryn Ethan Van der Ryn (born October 21, 1962) is an American sound editor. He won 2 Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing for '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' and ''King Kong''. He earned further Academy Awards nominations for ''Transfo ...

Multiple nominations

;10 nominations *

;9 nominations * Richard Hymns ;8 nominations *

* George Watters II *

† ;7 nominations * Wylie Stateman ;6 nominations *

* Richard King * Michael Silvers *

;5 nominations * Stephen Hunter Flick † *

Mark Mangini Mark Mangini (born 1956) is an American sound editor with over 125 film credits. He won the 2015 Academy Award for Best Sound Editing along with David White for their work on '' Mad Max: Fury Road''. Mangini is renowned for recording and ed ...

* Bruce Stambler * 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 numer ...

* John Leveque *

Randy Thom David Randall Thom (born August 21, 1951) is an American sound designer and the current director of sound design at Skywalker Sound. Career Randy Thom began working at FM radio station WYSO at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio as a volunte ...

;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 Ro ...

* Paul N. J. Ottosson * Mark Stoeckinger ;2 nominations *

Erik Aadahl Erik Aadahl (born September 16, 1976) is an American sound editor. He is best known for providing Godzilla's roar in the 2014 film of the same name. He also voiced Bumblebee in '' Transformers: The Last Knight''. Career He graduated from the U ...

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

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 *Frequency (2000) ...

Gloria 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 *

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 *

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 w ...

* Martin Hernández *

Mildred Iatrou Morgan Mildred Iatrou Morgan is an American sound editor and audio engineer. She is of Greek descent. Work Some of her works include: * ''The Fast and the Furious'' (2001) * ''Catch Me If You Can'' (2002) * ''Antwone Fisher'' (2002) * '' Sinbad: Lege ...

Ren Klyce Ren Klyce is a Japanese-American sound designer and sound mixer. 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 Fincher, ...

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 ...

* Philip Stockton *

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. Tarney was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing for the 2013 film '' Captain Phillips''. He wa ...

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 Award (Motion Picture Sound Editors), Golden Reel Awards at the Motion Picture Sound Edit ...

† = includes special achievement awards

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Academy Award For Best Sound Editing Sound Editing Sound Editing Film sound awards *