2026 SCL Awards Winners Released

Soundtrack music is the heart and soul of storytelling. It shapes how we emotionally respond to movies, games, and television shows. The 2026 SCL winners are a testament to that.

The Society of Composers & Lyricists celebrated them at its seventh annual awards ceremony on February 6, 2026. These 2026 SCL Awards winners are:

• Sinners (Best Studio Film Score)
• Train Dreams (Best Independent Film Score)
• Severance, Season 2 (Best Television Score)
• The White Lotus, Season 3 (Best Television Title Sequence)
• “I Lied to You” from Sinners (Best Dramatic Soundtrack Song)
• “Golden” from Kpop Demon Hunters (Best Comedic Soundtrack Song)
• Sword of the Sea (Best Video Game Score)
• Laws of Man (Best Emerging Talent)

Keep reading to learn more about the winners and the competition.

The Seventh Annual SC Awards Winners from all Eight Categories

The interplay between music and silence defines how we enjoy, relate to, and experience our favorite television shows, movies, and video games. The best soundtracks can even change our culture and how we see ourselves.

Hollywood union for soundtrack musicians, the Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL) exists to celebrate the role of music in storytelling. It does this through an annual awards show that honors the best film music from the previous year.

This year, the SCL held its seventh event on February 8, 2026, crowning champions in its eight award categories.

Sinners is the 2026 SCL Awards Winner for Studio Film Score

Ludwig Göransson won the Outstanding Original Studio Film Score SCL Award for the Sinners soundtrack. The award celebrated feature film soundtracks from the major studios. I was hoping that the award went to another film, but Sinners is the darling of Hollywood. SO, I understand why it won.

For this record, the award had six nominations:

• Ludwig Göransson – Sinners [winner]
• Alexandre Desplat – Frankenstein
• Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another
• John Powell and Stephen Schwartz  – Wicked: For Good
• Max Richter – Hamnet
• Jerskin Fendrix – Bugonia

Train Dreams is the 2026 Independent Film Score Winner

The Outstanding Independent Film Score category celebrates the indie scene. This year, Bryce Dessner won it for Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams.

This year’s indie nominees were:

• Dara Taylor – Straw
• Bryce Dessner – Train Dreams [winner]
• David Fleming – Eternity
• Fabrizio Mancinelli – Out of the Nest
• Jónsi & Alex Somers – Rental Family
• Sara Barone & Forest Christenson – To Kill a Wolf

The Severance Second Season was the Television Score SCL Winner

The Outstanding Television Score SCL Award went to Theodore Shapiro for the Second Season of Apple TV’s Severance. It may not be as popular as the film soundtracks, but the television score category rarely disappoints.

Here were the nominees:

• Theodore Shapiro – Severance, Season 2 [winner]
• Antonio Sánchez – The Studio
• Brandon Roberts – Andor
• Dave Porter – Pluribus
• Cristóbal Tapia de Veer – The White Lotus
• David Fleming and Gustavo Santaolalla – The Last of Us

The White Lotus Television Title Sequence Winner

I’ve seen better, but Cristobal Tapia de Veer won the Outstanding Television Title Sequence SCL Award for HBO’s The White Lotus Season 3 theme music.

Here were the nominees:

• Cristóbal Tapia de Veer – The White Lotus [winner]
• Carlos Rafael Rivera – Dept. Q
• Dave Porter – Pluribus
• Sean Callery – The Beast in Me
• Amanda Jones – Murderbot
• Jeff Beal – All Her Fault

Sinner’s “I Lied to You” Crowned Best Dramatic Soundtrack Song

As you might have expected, Sinners bagged the Outstanding Dramatic or Documentary Song as well. The film had two songs in the running, even though only one could win. As a result, the award went to Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson for their song “I Lied to You”.

Here were the nominees:

• 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 [winner]
• 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

Kpop Demon Hunters’ “Golden” was the 2026 SCL Award Winner for Comedy Song

Kpop Demon Hunters was the animation rep among the 2026 SCL Award Winners. The award went to Huntr/x for their song “Golden”. I don’t know what makes it a comedy song. However, the SCL merged the musical and comedy categories, so it is.

This was the competition:

• Ejae & Mark Sonnenblick – “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters [winner]
• 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

Sword of the Sea Crowned Best Video Game Soundtrack

The SCL crowned Sword of the Sea as the most Outstanding Score for a Video Game. Austin Wintory accepted the award for the game, which works, I guess.

Here was the competition:

• Austin Wintory – Sword of the Sea [winner]
• 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

Ching-Shan Chang Receives the David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent

The SCL felt that Ching-Shan Chang was too underrated. So, they made her the 2026 SCL Award winner for the David Raskin Award for Emerging Talent. The award is given to young soundtrack musicians who weren’t nominated for any other award category, including those from other institutions.

These were the nominees:

• Cameron Moody – Washington Black
• Chin-Shan Chang – Laws of Man [winner]
• Raashi Kulkarni – A Nice Indian Boy
• Greg Nicolett – Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches
• Freya Berkhout – Ride or Die
• Sarah Trevino – The Map That Leads You

Achievement Categories 2026 SCL Awards Winners

These are the lifetime achievement 2026 SLC Awards winners:

• Ludwig Göransson and director Ryan Coogler – Spirit of Collaboration
• Stephen Schwartz and Charles Fox – Lifetime Achievement
• Ennio Morricone and Peggy Lee – Hall of Fame inductees
• Sara Bareilles and Steve Dorff – Ambassador and Trailblazer Awards
• Marsha Blackburn – Excellence in Advocacy

Final Thoughts

Soundtrack music is severely underrated, especially at awards shows. Luckily, we film music enthusiasts have the annual SCL Awards. This year’s winners offer something for every musical taste. As such, they deserved the recognition.

What do you think? Post your thoughts in the forums or comments below.