Jonny Greenwood, Alexandre Desplat, Hildur Guðnadóttir Among World Soundtrack Awards Contenders

The World Soundtrack Awards are gearing up for their 26th annual ceremony, scheduled for October 10th, and the first wave of nominations has just been unveiled. This year's roster highlights an impressive spectrum of talent spanning both cinematic and episodic storytelling. The highly coveted Film Composer of the Year category features Jonny Greenwood, Alexandre Desplat, and Hildur Guðnadóttir—three artists whose distinct sonic identities have reshaped contemporary scoring. The event promises to celebrate both seasoned veterans and bold experimenters, reflecting the accelerating evolution of musical narrative in visual media.

Greenwood, renowned globally as the lead guitarist of the iconic British rock band Radiohead—a group that has sold over 30 million albums worldwide—earned his slot through his latest collaboration with director Paul Thomas Anderson on "One Battle After Another." The WSA committee praised his evolution from the "tension-filled orchestrations" of earlier projects like "Phantom Thread" and "The Power of the Dog" to what they describe as a "nerve-shredding" achievement that marks a new pinnacle in his composing career. Desplat, a two-time Academy Award winner whose résumé boasts over 200 film scores, demonstrates remarkable stylistic range this season. He has transformed John Williams' beloved themes into a "thrilling action score" for "Jurassic World Rebirth," crafted a "lyrical" symphonic accompaniment for Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein," and delivered what the WSA terms "haunting, suspenseful jazz" for "L'homme qui rétrécit." Guðnadóttir, who also serves as this year's guest of honor, is celebrated for her "atmospheric soundscapes"—a signature developed through acclaimed work on "Joker" and the universally lauded miniseries "Chernobyl." Her nomination underscores remarkable versatility, spanning the gothic punk energy of "The Bride!," the jazzy vocal textures of "Hedda," and the striking mammoth horn solos featured in "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple." Notably, in 2020, the Icelandic composer made history as the first woman to win two individual Oscars in a single evening—a milestone that continues to inspire emerging female composers in a traditionally male-dominated field.

Completing the category are Daniel Pemberton and Max Richter, two composers who approach their craft from fundamentally divergent perspectives. Pemberton, an Emmy winner known for merging traditional orchestration with "unconventional, genre-bending soundscapes," has created an "expansive" sci-fi score for "Project Hail Mary," incorporating "organic textures like glass, water and body percussion." His nomination also acknowledges the "slow-burning acoustics" of "The Drama," the "infectious" funk rhythms of "The Bad Guys 2," and a "maximalist glam-rock explosion" for "Masters of the Universe." Richter, celebrated for his ability to "seamlessly fuse emotional classical orchestration with hypnotic contemporary ambient electronics," earned his place through Chloé Zhao's "Hamnet." The score is described as "deeply moving," blending period Elizabethan instruments with soft vocal chants to reflect the narrative's intimacy and grief. The German-born composer, who has released over a dozen solo albums and studied under avant-garde pioneer Luciano Berio, has become a permanent presence in both concert halls and cinemas worldwide. His work here exemplifies his signature approach—one that has also graced acclaimed projects like "The Leftovers" and "Ad Astra," cementing his reputation as a bridge between classical tradition and modern minimalism.

On the television front, Emmy-winning composer David Fleming returns following his 2023 nomination for "The Last of Us." This year, he competes for his work on the genre-defying horror-comedy "Widow's Bay," a score that skillfully navigates "the show's tightrope between dread and wit." Finneas O'Connell, the multiple Grammy winner and two-time Academy Award recipient—who first gained prominence collaborating with his sister Billie Eilish—is nominated for the second season of "Beef," marking his "most ambitious foray" into TV scoring, where "delicate piano collides with anxious synth." Martin Phipps, recognized for his contributions to "Peaky Blinders," "The Crown," and "Black Mirror," has partnered with Benji Merrison for the heist thriller "Steal," producing a "tense" score composed almost entirely on a single monophonic synthesizer. Dave Porter, whose long-standing collaboration with writer Vince Gilligan spans "Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul," and "El Camino," is honored for his eerie post-apocalyptic work on "Pluribus." Jeff Russo, an Emmy winner for "Fargo," rounds out the list with his wide-ranging contributions to "Cape Fear," "Alien: Earth," and the second season of "Citadel."

The Best Original Song category offers equally formidable competition. K-pop singer-songwriter Kim Eun-jae and composer Mark Sonnenblick are nominated for "Golden," written for the Netflix hit "KPop Demon Hunters," following their recent Oscar success. Also in contention is "House" from "Wuthering Heights," a collaboration between avant-garde pioneer John Cale—co-founder of The Velvet Underground—and pop icon Charli XCX, alongside Nathan Klein and Finn Keane, which "infuses raw emotional tension in the classic tale." Stephen Schwartz's "No Place Like Home" from "Wicked: For Good" delivers a "soaring ballad" performed by Cynthia Erivo. Hildur Guðnadóttir and director Nia DaCosta co-wrote "Stolen Tale" from "Hedda," a "haunting love theme" brought to life by Swedish singer Mariam Wallentin's distinctive vocals. Finally, the title track "Train Dreams" pairs Nick Cave with The National's Bryce Dessner, anchoring the film's narrative in Cave's "signature somber, poetic delivery and melancholy acoustic resonance." Additional nominations—covering Discovery of the Year, Public Choice Award, Game Music Award, and Belgian Film Composer of the Year—are slated for release on September 3rd. In a fitting tribute, the ceremony will honor Trevor Jones with a Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing a composer whose decades of work—including iconic scores for "The Dark Crystal" and "In the Name of the Father"—have left an enduring legacy on the industry.