Top Film, TV and Video Game Composers Nominated by Peers for 2026 ASCAP Composers' Choice Awards

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) have announced the nominees for the 2026 ASCAP Composers' Choice Awards. Chosen by the ASCAP composer community, the awards recognize the musical storytellers who scored the past year's top films, television series and video games.

ASCAP Composers' Choice nominees are announced in the following categories: Film Score of the Year, Television Score of the Year, Television Theme of the Year, Video Game Score of the Year, Documentary Film Score of the Year and Documentary Series Score of the Year. (Previously “Documentary Score of the Year,” this category has been split into two categories – Film and Series – to recognize the genre's musical depth and diversity.)

A first-of-its-kind program among US performing rights organizations, the ASCAP Composers' Choice Awards gives the ASCAP community of composers a means to recognize the artistic accomplishments of their peers. The nominations panel includes both composers and film, television and video game industry leaders. Voting is open to eligible ASCAP writer members through March 6 at 11:59 PM ET at www.ascap.com/composerschoice.

The ASCAP Composers' Choice Award winners will be revealed on April 28 during an exclusive party celebrating the 2026 ASCAP Screen Music Awards winners in Los Angeles.

2026 ASCAP COMPOSERS' CHOICE NOMINEES

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

(Films released in the US in 2025, whether theatrically or via another medium)

• Avatar: Fire and Ash - Simon Franglen
• A Nice Indian Boy - Raashi Kulkarni
• One Battle After Another - Jonny Greenwood
• Rental Family - Alex Somers & Jónsi
• Wicked: For Good - John Powell & Stephen Schwartz

TELEVISION SCORE OF THE YEAR*

(Episodes originally airing in the US in 2025)

• Andor - Brandon Roberts
• IT: Welcome to Derry - Benjamin Wallfisch
• Murderbot - Amanda Jones
• Palm Royale - Jeff Toyne
• Pluribus - Dave Porter
• The White Lotus - Cristobal Tapia de Veer

TELEVISION THEME OF THE YEAR

(Episodes originally airing in the US in 2025)

• Murderbot - Amanda Jones
• Only Murders in the Building - Siddhartha Khosla
• Pluribus - Dave Porter
• Stranger Things - Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein
• Washington Black - Cameron Moody

DOCUMENTARY FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

(Documentary films initially airing in the US in 2025)

• 2000 Meters to Andriivka - Sam Slater
• The Age of Disclosure - Blair Mowat
• Chaos: The Manson Murders - Paul Leonard-Morgan
• Last Breath - Paul Leonard-Morgan
• Prime Minister - Sofia Degli Alessandri

DOCUMENTARY SERIES SCORE OF THE YEAR

(Documentary series or miniseries initially airing in the US in 2025)

• 100 Foot Wave - Philip Glass
• Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time - Amanda Jones
• Octopus! - Siddhartha Khosla
• Pee-Wee as Himself - Jon Brion
• Secrets of the Penguins - Nainita Desai

VIDEO GAME SCORE OF THE YEAR

(Games originally released in the US in 2025)

• Battlefield 6 - Henry Jackman
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach - Ludvig Forssell and Woodkid
• Ghost of Yōtei - Toma Otowa
• Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate's Fortune - Cody Matthew Johnson, Jon Everist & Wilbert Roget II
• Sword of the Sea - Austin Wintory

*Categories with 6 or more nominees reflect a tie in the number of nominations

More information about the 2026 ASCAP Composers' Choice Awards, including excerpts of the nominated music, is available at www.ascap.com/composerschoice.

About ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a membership association of more than 1.1 million songwriters, composers and music publishers, and represents some of the world's most talented music creators. Founded and governed by songwriters, composers and publishers, it returns nearly 90 cents of every dollar collected to its members as royalties and has the lowest overhead rate of any U.S. PRO. ASCAP licenses a repertory of over 20 million musical works to hundreds of thousands of businesses that use music, including streaming services, cable television, radio and satellite radio and brick and mortar businesses such as retail stores, hotels, clubs, restaurants and bars. ASCAP collects the licensing fees and identifies, matches, processes and pays royalties to its members for trillions of performances every year. The ASCAP blanket license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. ASCAP puts music creators first, advocating for their rights and the value of music on Capitol Hill, driving innovation that moves the industry forward, building community and providing the resources and support that creators need to succeed in their careers. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com,