Oscars 2025: Trent Reznor, Daniel Blumberg, the National’s Bryce Dessner, and More Make Music Shortlists

The shortlists for the 2025 Academy Awards’ music categories are here. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named Daniel Blumberg, Bryce Dessner, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Hans Zimmer among the potential nominees for Best Original Score. Reznor and Ross are also Best Original Song nominees, as are Maren Morris, Pharrell Williams, and more. See the shortlists below.

In the Best Original Score category, Reznor and Ross (Challengers) and former Yuck frontperson Blumberg (The Brutalist) are joined on the shortlist by the National’s Bryce Dessner (Sing Sing), perennial nominees Danny Elfman (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) and Hans Zimmer (Blitz), 2023 winner Volker Bertelmann (Conclave), and others.

Maren Morris and her co-writers are seeking nomination for Best Original Song the Wild Robot song “Kiss the Sky.” Pharrell Williams made the shortlist for the title song to his Piece by Piece movie. There are also multiple songs on the shortlist from Emilia Pérez: Clément Ducol and Camille wrote the song “El Mal” for performers Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón, and “Mi Camino” for Selena Gomez.

Along with the music categories, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the shortlist for Best Documentary Feature Film. Included in the batch is director Gary Hustwit’s documentary Eno.

The nominees for the 2025 Golden Globe Awards were recently revealed, and there is overlap with the Academy Awards shortlists. All but one of the Best Original Score – Motion Picture nominees are on the Oscars shortlist, with the lone holdout being Dune: Part Two. That film was scored by Hans Zimmer, who is instead being considered for Blitz.

As for the songs, only one Golden Globe nominee is not on the Academy Awards shortlist, and that is Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li, and Andrew Wyatt’s Last Showgirl song “Beautiful That Way.”

The 2025 Academy Awards take place on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Conan O’Brien will host.

Music (Original Score)

Aaron Zigman – The Six Triple Eight
Amelia Warner – Young Woman and the Sea
Andrea Datzman – Inside Out 2
Alberto Iglesias – The Room Next Door
Benjamin Wallfisch – Alien: Romulus
Bryce Dessner – Sing Sing
Chanda Dancy – Blink Twice
Cl̩ment Ducol & Camille РEmilia P̩rez
Cristobal Tapia de Veer – Babygirl
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Danny Elfman – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Hans Zimmer – Blitz
Harry Gregson-Williams – Gladiator II
John Cardon Debney – Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Robin Carolan – Nosferatu
Tamar-kali – The Fire Inside
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
John Powell & Stephen Schwartz – Wicked

Music (Original Song)

Aaron Pierre & Tiffany Boone – Tell Me It’s You (Mufasa: The Lion King)
Adrian Quesada & Abraham Alexander – Like a Bird (Sing Sing)
Auli‘i Cravalho Featuring Rachel House – Beyond (Moana 2)
Camille, Zoe Saldaña & Karla Sofía Gascón – El Mal (Emilia Pérez)
Elton John & Brandi Carlile – Never Too Late (Elton John: Never Too Late)
Kneecap – Sick in the Head (Kneecap)
Kristen Wiig – Harper and Will Go West (Will & Harper)
Lainey Wilson – Out of Oklahoma (Twisters)
Maren Morris – Kiss the Sky (The Wild Robot)
Pharrell Williams & Princess Anne High School Fabulous Marching Cavaliers – Piece by Piece (Piece by Piece)
Robbie Williams – Forbidden Road (Better Man)
Saoirse Ronan & Nicholas Britell – Winter Coat (Blitz)
Selena Gomez РMi Camino (Emilia P̩rez)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Compress / Repress (Challengers)