Awards season is officially upon us. As the 2025 Oscars approaches, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed its shortlists for nominees in several categories, including Best Original Song and Best Original Score.
Of the 89 songs eligible in the category, 15 are moving forward as the race narrows for Best Original Song. Challengers composers — and our composers of the year — Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross appear on the shortlists for both score and original song (“Compress/Repress”).
Already a multi-nominated actress at the Oscars, Saoirse Ronan has the potential to earn her first nomination in the music category for her performance in Blitz. Other interesting names on the list include Kneecap, the Irish hip-hop trio who star as themselves in the film of the same name.
Two songs appear from Emilia Pérez, while other notable figures include Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Tell Me It’s You from” Mufasa: The Lion King), Pharrell Williams (“Piece By Piece” from his biopic of the same name), Elton John and Brandie Carlile (“Never Too Late” from John’s new documentary of the same name), and Barlow & Bear, the duo that stepped in to create the music for Moana 2.
Maren Morris (“Kiss the Sky” from The Wild Robot) and Lainey Wilson (“Out of Oklahoma” from Twisters) also both made the songs shortlist, while Diane Warren (“The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight) has the chance return to compete in the category again after being nominated more than a dozen times. Kristen Wiig also makes the first cut for her contribution to the documentary Will & Harper.
In the score category, Reznor & Ross are joined by heavy-hitters like Danny Elfman (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), Hans Zimmer (Blitz), and Daniel Blumberg, who is earning acclaim for his thundering The Brutalist score.
Bryce Dessner also has the chance to earn a nomination for his warm work on Sing Sing, while Kris Bowers moves forward for his transcendent The Wild Robot score.
The Oscars are set to take place on March 2nd, 2025, when they’ll be hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien. For the first time, the Oscars will be livestreamed on Hulu while airing on ABC — new users can sign up for Hulu here.
See where many of these movies landed in our Best Films of 2024 list, and dive into our ongoing Annual Report here.
Best Original Songs Shortlist
Robbie Williams – “Forbidden Road” (Better Man)
Saoirse Ronan (written by Steve McQueen, Taura Stinson, Nicholas Britell) – “Winter Coat” (Blitz)
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – “Compress/Repress” (Challengers)
Elton John and Brandi Carlile – “Never Too Late” (Elton John: Never Too Late)
Camille – “El Mal” (Emilia Pérez)
Camille – “Mi Camino” (Emilia Pérez)
Kneecap – “Sick In The Head” (Kneecap)
Barlow & Bear – “Beyond” (Moana 2)
Lin-Manuel Miranda – “Tell Me It’s You” (Mufasa: The Lion King)
Pharrell Williams – “Piece By Piece” (Piece By Piece)
Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada – “Like a Bird” (Sing Sing)
H.E.R. (written by Diane Warren) – “The Journey” (The Six Triple Eight)
Lainey Wilson – “Out of Oklahoma” (Twisters)
Maren Morris – “Kiss the Sky” (The Wild Robot)
Kristen Wiig – “Harper and Will Go West” (Will & Harper)
Best Original Score Shortlist
Benjamin Wallfisch – Alien: Romulus
Cristobal Tapia de Veer – Babygirl
Danny Elfman – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Chanda Dancy – Blink Twice
Hans Zimmer – Blitz
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Challengers
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Clément Ducol – Emilia Pérez
Tamar-kali – The Fire Inside
Harry Gregson-Williams – Gladiator II
John Debney – Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1
Andrea Datzman – Inside Out 2
Robin Carolan – Nosferatu
Alberto Iglesias – The Room Next Door
Bryce Dessner – Sing Sing
Aaron Zigman – The Six Triple Eight
John Powell and Stephen Schwartz – Wicked
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Amelia Warner – Young Woman and the Sea