World Soundtrack Awards

Overview

The World Soundtrack Awards (WSA) are the annual awards ceremony recognizing outstanding achievement in film, television, and game music. Presented by the World Soundtrack Academy during Film Fest Ghent in Belgium, the WSA is the only major awards ceremony dedicated exclusively to screen composition. The 25th edition took place in October 2025, with the ceremony and concert held as the closing event of Film Fest Ghent. The Brussels Philharmonic, conducted by Maestro Dirk Brossé, performs music by the honorees and Lifetime Achievement recipients during the ceremony, accompanied by film clips on large screens.

For composers, the WSA is the highest level of peer recognition in film music. The World Soundtrack Academy is an international community of screen composers and industry professionals. Members submit and vote on nominees across categories covering film scoring, television scoring, original songs, game music, and emerging talent. The full WSA Rule Book 2026 is available on the Film Fest Ghent website.

Eligibility and Submission Rules

Scores and songs qualify if the associated film or TV series had its world premiere screening or initial theatrical release between June 16, 2025, and June 15, 2026 (for the 2026 awards cycle). Films must be feature-length (70 minutes or more) and contain a minimum of 30 minutes of original score. Eligible films must have been part of the official selection at a FIAPF-accredited film festival, Sundance, TIFF, CPH:DOX, IDFA, Visions du Reel, or Tribeca Film Festival, or received an initial commercial theatrical release.

Television scores are eligible if the series had its premiere on a public network, pay television, or streaming TV services that commission original content. Sitcoms and DVD premieres are excluded. Game scores are eligible when the game is released for purchase or download by the public during the qualifying period. Games in "Early Access" or "Game Preview" are not eligible.

Submission Process and Fees

Submissions open on April 15 and close on June 15 each year. There are six submission categories:

• Film Composer of the Year - requires WSAcademy membership to submit
• Television Composer of the Year - requires WSAcademy membership to submit
• Best Original Song - requires WSAcademy membership to submit
• WSA Game Music Award - requires WSAcademy membership to submit
• Discovery of the Year - open to all eligible composers; no membership required
• Belgian Film Composer of the Year - open to all eligible Belgian composers; no membership required

An administrative submission fee of EUR 35 applies to all non-member submissions. After May 15, the fee increases to EUR 45. WSAcademy members receive a fee waiver. A composer can submit only one original score per year for the Discovery category. Only submitted scores are considered for Discovery of the Year. Submissions must include links to the complete score and a screener that remains valid until August 31.

Voting begins on July 1. Members of the WSAcademy Advisory Board cast votes through their personal MyFFG account. The finalized lists of eligible composers and songs are approved by the WSA Advisory Board.

Key Categories

• Film Composer of the Year - the top prize, awarded for a body of work across multiple films in the qualifying period
• Television Composer of the Year - best score for a dramatic episodic series
• Best Original Song - original song written for a film or TV series
• Discovery of the Year - breakthrough composer who has scored no more than 5 feature films with theatrical release in 2 or more countries
• Public Choice Award - audience-voted, open to film music fans worldwide
• WSA Game Music Award - best original score for a video game
• Belgian Film Composer of the Year (Powered by Sabam) - body of work by a Belgian composer
• Award for Best Original Composition by a Young Composer (Powered by Vienna Synchron Stage) - composer under 36
• Lifetime Achievement Award - career recognition for a film composer
• WSA Industry Award - recognition for contribution to the film music industry

History

The World Soundtrack Awards were established in 2001 as part of Film Fest Ghent, which had programmed music-focused events and concerts since the mid-1980s. The festival invited composers such as Elmer Bernstein, Georges Delerue, Ennio Morricone, and Hans Zimmer for concerts alongside film screenings. The WSA was created to formalize this focus and provide dedicated recognition for film music composition.

In 2021, the WSA expanded eligibility to include feature-length documentary films for Film Composer of the Year, Discovery of the Year, Best Original Song, and Public Choice Award categories. The same year, TV series became eligible for Best Original Song. The WSA Game Music Award was introduced in 2023, reflecting the growing convergence between game and film composition.

The ceremony is held as the closing event of Film Fest Ghent, typically in October. The Brussels Philharmonic performs a concert of music by the honorees and Lifetime Achievement recipients during the ceremony, making it both an awards show and a live music event.

Recent Results

25th World Soundtrack Awards (2025)

• Film Composer of the Year: Volker Bertelmann for Conclave and The Amateur (second career win)
• Television Composer of the Year: Theodore Shapiro for Severance (Season 2)
• Best Original Song: "El Mal" from Emilia Perez, written by Clement Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard
• Discovery of the Year: Daniel Blumberg for The Brutalist (also won the Academy Award for Best Original Score)
• Public Choice Award: Laetitia Pansanel-Garric for Hola Frida
• WSA Game Music Award: Lorien Testard for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Belgian Film Composer of the Year (Powered by Sabam): Ruben De Gheselle for Young Hearts and There Was, There Was Not
• Best Original Composition by a Young Composer (Powered by Vienna Synchron Stage): Bongseop Kim
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Philip Glass and Michael Nyman
• WSA Industry Award: The Composers Diversity Collective

24th World Soundtrack Awards (2024)

• Film Composer of the Year: Jerskin Fendrix for Kinds of Kindness and Poor Things
• Television Composer of the Year: Natalie Holt for Loki Season 2
• Best Original Song: "What Was I Made For?" from Barbie, written by Finneas O'Connell and Billie Eilish
• Discovery of the Year: Jerskin Fendrix for Poor Things (first person ever to win both Film Composer and Discovery in the same year)
• Public Choice Award: Umberto Scipione for La Guerra dei Nonni
• WSA Game Music Award: Brandon Boone for Slay the Princess
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Elliot Goldenthal
• WSA Industry Award: Maggie Rodford

Business Impact for Filmmakers

For film composers, the WSA is the only awards ceremony where the voting body consists entirely of peers: other working screen composers and music industry professionals. The Film Composer of the Year category evaluates a body of work across an entire year, not a single film. This makes it a more comprehensive assessment of a composer's output than single-film categories at other ceremonies.

The Discovery of the Year award has direct career impact. Past winners have gone on to score major studio productions within two to three years of receiving the award. Daniel Blumberg won Discovery of the Year in 2025 for The Brutalist and also won the Academy Award for Best Original Score the same year, demonstrating the WSA's alignment with broader industry recognition.

For directors and producers, the WSA nominee and winner lists function as a hiring resource. The Discovery of the Year category specifically identifies composers who have scored fewer than 5 feature films, making it a reliable source of emerging talent for productions seeking fresh musical voices at rates below established composers.

The Public Choice Award provides a different signal: audience reception. Composers who win the public vote demonstrate that their scores resonate with listeners beyond the film music community, which has value for soundtrack album sales and streaming playlist placement.

Past Winners and What They Won With

The 25th World Soundtrack Awards (2025) recognized Volker Bertelmann as Film Composer of the Year for Conclave and The Amateur (his second career win), Theodore Shapiro for Television Composer of the Year for Severance Season 2, Daniel Blumberg as Discovery of the Year for The Brutalist (who also won the Academy Award for Best Original Score the same year), and "El Mal" from Emilia Perez for Best Original Song. The 24th WSA (2024) recognized Jerskin Fendrix as the first person ever to win both Film Composer and Discovery in the same year, for Kinds of Kindness and Poor Things. Lifetime Achievement Awards have been presented to Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Elliot Goldenthal, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The WSA Game Music Award was introduced in 2023, with Lorien Testard winning in 2025 for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Eligibility Quirks That Trip People Up

Scores and songs qualify if the associated film or TV series had its world premiere screening or initial theatrical release between June 16, 2025, and June 15, 2026 (for the 2026 awards cycle). Films must be feature-length (70 minutes or more) and contain a minimum of 30 minutes of original score. Eligible films must have been part of the official selection at a FIAPF-accredited film festival, Sundance, TIFF, CPH:DOX, IDFA, Visions du Reel, or Tribeca Film Festival, or received an initial commercial theatrical release. Television scores are eligible if the series had its premiere on a public network, pay television, or streaming TV services that commission original content. Sitcoms and DVD premieres are excluded. Games in "Early Access" or "Game Preview" are not eligible. Submissions open April 15 and close June 15, with an administrative fee of EUR 35 (EUR 45 after May 15). WSAcademy members receive a fee waiver. A composer can submit only one original score per year for the Discovery category. Only submitted scores are considered for Discovery of the Year.

Prestige Tier

The WSA is the only major awards ceremony dedicated exclusively to screen composition, making it the highest level of peer recognition in film music. The World Soundtrack Academy is an international community of screen composers and industry professionals. The Film Composer of the Year category evaluates a body of work across an entire year, not a single film, making it a more comprehensive assessment than single-film categories at other ceremonies. The Discovery of the Year award has direct career impact: past winners have gone on to score major studio productions within two to three years of receiving the award. The ceremony is held as the closing event of Film Fest Ghent in October, with the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Maestro Dirk Brossé performing music by the honorees.

Watch

See Also

For understanding how music budgets fit into overall production costs, see Budget Breakdown for Independent Films. To model production costs including composer fees and music licensing, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For evaluating the cost of submitting to multiple award categories against projected career returns, use the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.