The Academy Award for Best Sound is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest sound mixing, recording, sound design, and sound editing. The award used to go to the studio sound departments until a rule change in 1969 said it should be awarded to the specific technicians, the first of which were Murray Spivack and Jack Solomon for Hello, Dolly!. It is generally awarded to the production sound mixers, re-recording mixers, and supervising sound editors of the winning film. In the lists below, the winner of the award for each year is shown first, followed by the other nominees. For the respective periods from 1963 to 1967 and 1982 to 2019, competitive awards for sound were presented in two separate categories: Best Sound Mixing (just called Best Sound in some years) and Best Sound Effects Editing (just called Best Sound Effects, or Best Sound Editing in some years).
For the second and third years of this category (i.e., the 4th Academy Awards and the 5th Academy Awards) only the names of the film companies were listed. Paramount Publix Studio Sound Department won in both years.
â = includes special achievement awards
Finalists for Best Sound are selected by the Sound Branch. Sound Branch members shall vote in order of their preference for not more than ten pictures to be considered for the Sound award. The ten motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall advance to the next round of voting. Finalists listed from 1981 to 2005 are for the now defunct award for Best Sound Effects Editing.