The Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) has unveiled the winners of the 6th Annual SCL Awardsยฎ held on Wednesday evening (2/12) at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Top honors for film scoring went to Oscar-nominated composers Kris Bowers, who won Original Score For A Studio Film for The Wild Robot, and Daniel Blumberg, winner of Outstanding Original Score For an Independent Film on the strength of The Brutalist.
Oscar, Golden Globe, and Grammy-winning composer Atticus Ross took home two awards. He received Outstanding Original Song For a Comedy Or Musical Visual Media Production for โCompress/Repress,โ co-written for the film Challengers with frequent collaborator Trent Reznor, along with Luca Guadagnino. Ross and collaborators Leopold Ross and Nick Chuba also won Outstanding Original Song For A Television Production for the series Shลgun.
Another SCL Award for songwriting went to Diane Warren who won Outstanding Original Song For A Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production for her song โThe Journeyโ from The Six Triple Eight. Warren is a 16-time Oscar nominee and three-time SCL Award winner–the two previous honors recognizing โApplauseโ from Tell It Like a Woman in 2023 and the SCLโs special Ambassador Award in 2016.
The SCLโs 2025 Spirit of Collaboration Award honored composer Harry Gregson-Williams and legendary director Ridley Scott, who have collaborated on seven films including Gladiator II, The Martian, and Kingdom of Heaven. Last year, Martin Scorsese accepted the Spirit of Collaboration Award for his work with the late composer Robbie Robertson. Other past award recipients include Thomas Newman and Sam Mendes, Terence Blanchard and Spike Lee, Carter Burwell and the Coen Brothers, and Justin Hurwitz and Damien Chazelle.
Five-time Emmy winner Jeff Beal (Rome, Monk, and Angel Studios upcoming feature Rule Breakers) received the SCLโs Jury Award for his critically-acclaimed score for the classic 1920 silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which he premiered and performed live to picture in June at Carnegie Hall.
Composer Andrea Datzman received the David Raksin Award For Emerging Talent in recognition of her score for Inside Out 2.
The awards ceremony was hosted by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Colin Hay (Men at Work, Ringo Starrโs All-Starr Band).
The 2025 SCL Awards celebrates not just the artistry and achievements of its community, but also its remarkable spirit of resilience and hope in the face of hardship, explained SCL president Ashley Irwin. He further conveyed a heartfelt message acknowledging the gravity of recent challenges, notably the devastating fires that ravaged Los Angeles and deeply impacted the close-knit SCL community. โAs we celebrate the dedication and creativity of our fellow composers and lyricists, we also reflect on the larger context of hardship and loss that surrounds us. The catastrophic fires have left an indelible mark on our city, its residents, and our community. Yet, in this adversity, we find strength, and we find inspiration,โ said Irwin. โThis yearโs SCL Awards is not only a celebration of personal accomplishment, but also of resilience, hope, and the collective strength that binds us together in the face of adversity.โ
Hereโs a rundown of the eveningโs winners:
Outstanding Original Score for a Studio Film
Kris Bowers – โTHE WILD ROBOTโ (DreamWorks Animation)
Outstanding Original Score for an Independent Film
Daniel Blumberg – โTHE BRUTALISTโ (A24)
Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production
Diane Warren โ โThe Journeyโ (from โTHE SIX TRIPLE EIGHTโ) (Netflix)
Outstanding Original Song for a Comedy or Musical Visual Media Production
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Luca Guadagnino โ โCompress/Repressโ (from โCHALLENGERSโ) (Amazon MGM Studios)
Outstanding Original Title Sequence for a Television Production
Jeff Toyne – โPALM ROYALEโ (Apple TV+)
Outstanding Original Score for a Television Production
Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Nick Chuba – โSHลGUNโ (FX Network)
Outstanding Original Score for Interactive Media
Winifred Phillips – โWIZARDRY: PROVING GROUNDS OF THE MAD OVERLORDโ (Digital Eclipse)
David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent
Andrea Datzman – โINSIDE OUT 2โ (Disney/Pixar Animation Studios)