'Sinners' and 'Wicked: For Good' Shine at SCLA Awards

Leading Films and Composers Shine at the 2026 Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards

On Tuesday, "Sinners" and "Wicked: For Good" made a strong impression on the Oscars shortlists. By Wednesday, the same two films continued their dominance by leading all nominees for the 2026 Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL) Awards, each earning three nominations.

Ludwig Göransson Nominated for "Sinners"

Ludwig Göransson, the composer behind "Sinners," received recognition in the Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film category. Additionally, he was nominated twice in the Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production category for the songs "I Lied to You" and "Last Time (I Seen the Sun)."

Göransson's work on "Sinners" highlights his continued success in the industry. He previously won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for "Black Panther" and was also nominated for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

Stephen Schwartz and "Wicked: For Good"

Stephen Schwartz, known for his contributions to musicals, received three nominations for "Wicked: For Good." He was recognized for the score alongside John Powell and for two original songs in the Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production category: "No Place Like Home" and "The Girl in the Bubble."

This pattern of recognition underscores the impact of Schwartz's work in both film and television.

Additional Nominees for Outstanding Original Score

The Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film category featured seven nominees, including Jonny Greenwood for "One Battle After Another," Alexandre Desplat for "Frankenstein," and Jerskin Fendrix for "Bugonia." These composers were also shortlisted for Music (Original Score) on Tuesday.

In the Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production category, a TV series was included—Nikhil Koparkar and Rammy Park for Prime Video's "The Wheel of Time." All film nominees in this category were also shortlisted for Music (Original Song).

Diane Warren, a notable figure in the music industry, has been a consistent nominee since the SCL Awards began. Her presence in the nominations is a testament to her long-standing influence in the field.

Independent Film Recognition

For the Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film category, only Bryce Dessner's composition for "Train Dreams" was also on the Oscars original score shortlist. This highlights the unique challenges and opportunities within independent filmmaking.

Collaboration Award for Ludwig Göransson and Ryan Coogler

Ludwig Göransson and writer-director Ryan Coogler will be honored with the Spirit of Collaboration Award. This award recognizes their work on all five of Coogler's feature films, including "Fruitvale Station," "Creed," "Black Panther," "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," and "Sinners."

Previous recipients of this award include notable duos such as Harry Gregson-Williams and Ridley Scott; Robbie Robertson and Martin Scorsese; Thomas Newman and Sam Mendes; Terence Blanchard and Spike Lee; Carter Burwell and the Coen Brothers; and Justin Hurwitz and Damien Chazelle.

TV Categories Highlight New Talent

In the TV categories, Apple TV's "Pluribus" and HBO's "The White Lotus" each received two nods. They were recognized for Outstanding Original Title Sequence for a Television Production and Outstanding Original Score for a Television Production.

Upcoming SCL Awards Ceremony

The 7th Annual SCL Awards, set to take place on February 6 in Los Angeles, will celebrate excellence and innovation in music for visual media. The event will be hosted by the Bacon Brothers—Kevin Bacon and Michael Bacon—with Melissa Manchester performing.

2026 SCL Awards Nominees

Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film
- Ludwig Göransson - "Sinners"
- Alexandre Desplat - "Frankenstein"
- Jonny Greenwood - "One Battle After Another"
- Stephen Schwartz & John Powell - "Wicked: For Good"
- Max Richter - "Hamnet"
- Jerskin Fendrix - "Bugonia"

Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film
- Dara Taylor - "Straw"
- Bryce Dessner - "Train Dreams"
- David Fleming - "Eternity"
- Fabrizio Mancinelli - "Out of the Nest"
- Jónsi & Alex Sommers - "Rental Family"
- Sara Barone & Forest Christenson - "To Kill a Wolf"

Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production
- Diane Warren - "Dear Me" from "Diane Warren: Relentless"
- Alice Smith, Miles Caton & Ludwig Göransson - "Last Time (I Seen the Sun)" from "Sinners"
- Raphael Saadiq & Ludwig Göransson - "I Lied to You" from "Sinners"
- Sara Bareilles - "Salt Then Sour Then Sweet" from "Come See Me in the Good Light"
- Nikhil Koparkar & Rammy Park - "The Hills of Tanchico" from "The Wheel of Time"
- Ed Sheeran, Blake Slatkin & John Mayer - "Drive" from "F1"

Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production
- Ejae & Mark Sonnenblick - "Golden" from "KPop Demon Hunters"
- Stephen Schwartz - "No Place Like Home" from "Wicked: For Good"
- Stephen Schwartz - "The Girl in the Bubble" from "Wicked: For Good"
- Jack Black & Jared Hess - "Steve's Lava Chicken" from "A Minecraft Movie"
- Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt & Jack Black – "I Feel Alive" from "A Minecraft Movie"
- Blake Slatkin, Shakira & Ed Sheeran - "Zoo" from "Zootopia 2"

Outstanding Original Title Sequence for a Television Production
- Cristobal Tapia de Veer - "The White Lotus"
- Carlos Rafael Rivera - "Dept. Q"
- Dave Porter - "Pluribus"
- Sean Callery - "The Beast in Me"
- Amanda Jones - "Murderbot"
- Jeff Beal - "All Her Fault"

Outstanding Original Score for a Television Production
- Theodore Shapiro – "Severance"
- Antonio Sánchez - "The Studio"
- Brandon Roberts - "Andor"
- Dave Porter - "Pluribus"
- Cristobal Tapia de Veer - "The White Lotus"
- David Fleming & Gustavo Santaolalla - "The Last of Us"

Outstanding Original Score for Interactive Media
- Austin Wintory - "Sword of the Sea"
- Gordy Haab - "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of the Giants"
- Wilbert Roget II, Cody Matthew Johnson & Jon Everist - "Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate's Fortune"
- Maclaine Diemer -- "Wildgate"

David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent
- Cameron Moody - "Washington Black"
- Chin-Shan Chang - "Laws of Man"
- Raashi Kulkarni - "A Nice Indian Boy"
- Greg Nicolett - "Dr. Seuss's The Sneetches"
- Freya Berkhout - "Ride or Die"
- Sara Trevino - "The Map That Leads You"