Composer Ludwig Göransson won Best Original Score at the 2026 Academy Awards for his work on Sinners. The award ceremony took place on March 15, marking another milestone in the Swedish composer’s already celebrated career.
With this win, Göransson becomes the first composer in the 21st century to win the Best Original Score Oscar three times. He previously received the award for Black Panther in 2019 and Oppenheimer in 2024. His latest victory further strengthens his reputation as one of the most influential film composers working today.
During his acceptance speech, Göransson reflected on the moment that first sparked his love for music. He shared how his father bought a John Lee Hooker blues album in Sweden in 1964. According to Göransson, the music had a powerful impact on his father’s life and inspired him to pursue music seriously.
Göransson explained that his father later placed a guitar in his hands when he was just seven years old. That instrument eventually opened many doors for him. It helped lead him to the United States and introduced him to director Ryan Coogler, whom he called one of the great storytellers of the modern era.
The collaboration between Göransson and Coogler has become one of the most successful creative partnerships in contemporary cinema. Coogler directed both Black Panther and Sinners, the two films that earned Göransson Oscars. The achievement also makes Göransson the first composer since Howard Shore to win multiple Best Original Score Oscars while working with the same director. Shore won for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2002 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2004, both directed by Peter Jackson.
Göransson’s score for Sinners had already received strong recognition throughout the awards season. The music previously won honors at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and the Grammys.
The composer also stood out during this year’s Oscar nominations. He was the only composer nominated for both Best Original Score and Best Original Song. His song nomination came for “I Lied to You,” which he co-wrote with Raphael Saadiq for Sinners. It was the first time Göransson earned nominations in both categories during the same year.
Other nominees for Best Original Score included Jerskin Fendrix for Bugonia, Alexandre Desplat for Frankenstein, Max Richter for Hamnet, and Jonny Greenwood for One Battle After Another.
With his third Oscar win, Ludwig Göransson continues to shape the sound of modern cinema, blending powerful storytelling with memorable musical composition.
