6th Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards: ‘The Wild Robot,’ ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘Challengers,’ Diane Warren and More
The 6th Society of Composers and Lyricists awards were handed out last night with top score wins going to Kris Bowers’ The Wild Robot and Daniel Blumberg’s The Brutalist for studio and independent film, respectively. Both scores are also Oscar-nominated. The event was hosted by GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter Colin Hay and held at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
Oscar, Golden Globe, and GRAMMY-winning composer Atticus Ross took home two awards. He received Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production for “Compress/Repress,” co-written for the film Challengers with frequent collaborator Trent Reznor, along with and Luca Guadagnino. Ross and collaborators Leopold Ross and Nick Chuba also won Outstanding Original Score for a Television Production for the series Shōgun.
For the third year-in-a-row, another SCL Award for songwriting went to 16-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren who won Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production, this year for her Oscar-nominated song “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight.
The SCL’s 2025 Spirit of Collaboration Award honored award-winning composer Harry Gregson-Williams and legendary director Ridley Scott, who have collaborated on seven films including Gladiator II, The Martian, and Kingdom of Heaven. Last year, Martin Scorsese accepted the Spirit of Collaboration Award for his work with the late composer Robbie Robertson. Other past award recipients include Thomas Newman and Sam Mendes, Terence Blanchard and Spike Lee, Carter Burwell and the Coen Brothers, and Justin Hurwitz and Damien Chazelle.
5X Emmy winner Jeff Beal (Rome, Monk, and Angel Studios upcoming feature Rule Breakers) received the SCL’s Jury Award for his critically-acclaimed score for the classic 1920 silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which he premiered and performed live to picture in June at Carnegie Hall. Past SCL Jury award winners include Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’ opera Omar, and the multimedia concert event Women Warriors: The Voices of Change led by conductor Amy Andersson. Composer Andrea Datzman received the David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent for her score for Inside Out 2.
The 2025 SCL Awards celebrated not just the artistry and achievements of its community, but also its remarkable spirit of resilience and hope in the face of hardship. “While technology and musical styles have certainly evolved over the SCL’s existence, the mission of our community remains the same — ensuring that creators receive the compensation, recognition and respect they deserve. Our success relies on the support we have for each other. Our community is our strength, and it’s our responsibility to keep it thriving. We owe it to ourselves, to those who came before us, and to those who aspire to do what we do.”
Here is the complete list of winners.
Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film
Clement Ducol, Camille – ‘EMILIA PEREZ’ (Netflix)
Hans Zimmer – ‘DUNE: PART TWO’ (Warner Bros. Pictures / Legendary Pictures)
Harry Gregson-Williams – ‘GLADIATOR II’ (Paramount Pictures)
John Powell, Stephen Schwartz – ‘WICKED: PART 1’ (Universal Pictures)
WINNER: Kris Bowers – ‘THE WILD ROBOT’ (DreamWorks Animation)
Volker Bertelmann – ‘CONCLAVE’ (Focus Features)
Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film
Chris Bacon – ‘HERETIC’ (A24)
WINNER: Daniel Blumberg – ‘THE BRUTALIST’ (A24)
Dara Taylor – ‘MEET ME NEXT CHRISTMAS’ (Roberts Media)
Fabrizio Mancinelli – ‘HERE AFTER’ (Artina Films, ClaRo Productions, Fenix Entertainment, Hopscotch Pictures)
Heather McIntosh – ‘WINNER’ (Big Beach, One Community, Scythia Films, ShivHans Pictures)
Stephanie Economou – ‘THE BOOK OF JOBS’ (Bull’s Eye Entertainment, Rebellium Films)
Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production
Andrew Wyatt, Lykke Li, Miley Cyrus – “Beautiful That Way” (from ‘THE LAST SHOWGIRL’) (Utopia Media, High Frequency Entertainment, Pinky Promise, Detour, Digital Ignition Entertainment)
Bear McCreary – “Old Tom Bombadil” (from ‘THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER’) (Amazon MGM Studios in association with New Line Cinema / Prime Video)
Christopher Lennertz – “Let’s Put The Christ Back In Christmas” (from ‘THE BOYS’) (Prime Video)
WINNER: Diane Warren – “The Journey” (from ‘THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT’) (Netflix)
Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Bernie Taupin, Andrew Watt – “Never Too Late” (from ‘ELTON JOHN: NEVER TOO LATE’) (Disney Branded Television, This Machine Filmworks, Rocket Entertainment)
Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, Taura Stinson – “Winter Coat” (from ‘BLITZ’) (Apple Original Films)
Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production
Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear – “Beyond” (from ‘MOANA 2’) (Disney)
Clement Ducol, Camille – “Mi Camino” (from ‘EMILIA PEREZ’) (Why Not Productions, Page 114, Pathé, France 2 Cinéma, Saint Laurent Productions)
Clement Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard – “El Mal” (from ‘EMILIA PEREZ’) (Why Not Productions, Page 114, Pathé, France 2 Cinéma, Saint Laurent Productions)
Lainey Wilson, Luke Dick, Shane McAnally – “Out of Oklahoma” (from ‘TWISTERS’) (Universal Pictures)
Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek – “Forbidden Road” (from ‘BETTER MAN’) (Paramount Pictures)
WINNER: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Luca Guadagnino – “Compress/Repress” (from ‘CHALLENGERS’) (Amazon MGM Studios)
Outstanding Original Title Sequence for a Television Production
Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Nick Chuba – ‘SHŌGUN’ (FX Network)
Blake Neely – ‘MASTERS OF THE AIR’ (Apple TV+)
Carlos Rafael Rivera – ‘GRISELDA’ (Netflix)
Danielle Ponder – ‘MANHUNT’ (Apple TV+)
WINNER: Jeff Toyne – ‘PALM ROYALE’ (Apple TV+)
Nami Melumad – ‘DREAM PRODUCTIONS’ (Pixar Animation Studios / Disney+)
Outstanding Original Score for a Television Production
WINNER: Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Nick Chuba – ‘SHŌGUN’ (FX Network)
Bear McCreary – ‘THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER’ (Amazon MGM Studios in association with New Line Cinema / Prime Video)
Blake Neely – ‘MASTERS OF THE AIR’ (Apple TV+)
David Fleming – ‘MR AND MRS SMITH’ (Amazon MGM Studios)
Finneas O’Connell – ‘DISCLAIMER’ (Apple TV+)
Jeff Toyne – ‘PALM ROYALE’ (Apple TV+)
Outstanding Original Score for Interactive Media
Gordy Haab – ‘INDIANA JONES AND THE GREAT CIRCLE’ (Machine Games, Bethesda Studios, Lucasfilm Games)
Nainita Desai – ‘TALES OF KENZERA: ZAU’ (Surgent Studios, EA)
Wilbert Roget, II – ‘STAR WARS: OUTLAWS’ (Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft)
WINNER: Winifred Phillips – ‘WIZARDRY: PROVING GROUNDS OF THE MAD OVERLORD’ (Digital Eclipse)
David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent
WINNER: Andrea Datzman – ‘INSIDE OUT 2’ (Disney/Pixar Animation Studios)
Emily Rice – ‘BROKEN BIRD’ (Catalyst Studios, Mitchell-Brunt Films)
Katya Richardson – ‘MOTORCYCLE MARY’ (Breakwater Studios)
Nikhil Koparkar – ‘DEAD WHISPER’ (Howlin’ Hounds Pictures, Brothers Gran Productions)
Robin Carolan – ‘NOSFERATU’ (Focus Features)
Wei-San Hsu – ‘INVISIBLE NATION’ (100 Chapters Productions, Double Hope Films, Seine Pictures)
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