1942 Oscars: Winners and Nominees

101 films were recognised at the 1942 Academy Awards, across 24 categories. 20 of them took home at least one award.

The biggest winner of the year was How Green Was My Valley, with 5 awards, ahead of Sergeant York with 2. The categories below run from Music (Music Score of a Dramatic Picture), Documentary (Short Subject) and Art Direction (Black-and-White) to the smaller prizes, and in every one the winner is listed first, followed by the other nominees.

Each title links to the film's full award history at all four awards, and the links at the bottom step to the previous and next ceremony.

Last updated August 12, 2026

Music (Music Score of a Dramatic Picture)

All That Money Can Buy(1941)
Bernard Herrmann
Winner
Back Street(1941)
Frank Skinner
Ball of Fire(1941)
Alfred Newman
Cheers for Miss Bishop(1941)
Edward Ward
Citizen Kane(1941)
Bernard Herrmann
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1941)
Franz Waxman
Hold Back the Dawn(1941)
Victor Young
How Green Was My Valley(1941)
Alfred Newman
King of the Zombies(1941)
Edward Kay
Ladies in Retirement(1941)
Morris Stoloff, Ernst Toch
Lydia(1941)
Miklos Rozsa
Mercy Island(1941)
Cy Feuer, Walter Scharf
Sergeant York(1941)
Max Steiner
So Ends Our Night(1941)
Louis Gruenberg
Sundown(1941)
Miklos Rozsa
Suspicion(1941)
Franz Waxman
Tanks a Million(1941)
Edward Ward
That Uncertain Feeling(1941)
Werner Heymann
The Little Foxes(1941)
Meredith Willson
This Woman Is Mine(1941)
Richard Hageman

Documentary (Short Subject)

Churchill's Island(1941)
National Film Board of Canada
Winner
A Place to Live(1941)
Philadelphia Housing Association
Adventure in the Bronx(1941)
Film Associates
Bomber: A Defense Report on Film (Bomber)(1941)
United States Office for Emergency Management Film Unit
Christmas Under Fire(1940)
British Ministry of Information
Dive Bomber(1941)
Bomber
Letter from Home(1941)
British Ministry of Information
Life of a Thoroughbred(1941)
Truman Talley, Producer
Norway in Revolt(1941)
The March of Time
Russian Soil(1941)
Amkino
Soldiers of the Sky(1941)
Truman Talley, Producer
Warclouds in the Pacific(1941)
National Film Board of Canada

Art Direction (Black-and-White)

How Green Was My Valley(1941)
Art Direction: Richard Day, Nathan Juran; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little
Winner
Citizen Kane(1941)
Art Direction: Perry Ferguson, Van Nest Polglase; Interior Decoration: Al Fields, Darrell Silvera
Hold Back the Dawn(1941)
Art Direction: Hans Dreier, Robert Usher; Interior Decoration: Sam Comer
Ladies in Retirement(1941)
Art Direction: Lionel Banks; Interior Decoration: George Montgomery
Sergeant York(1941)
Art Direction: John Hughes; Interior Decoration: Fred MacLean
Sundown(1941)
Art Direction: Alexander Golitzen; Interior Decoration: Richard Irvine
That Hamilton Woman(1941)
Art Direction: Vincent Korda; Interior Decoration: Julia Heron
The Flame of New Orleans(1941)
Art Direction: Martin Obzina, Jack Otterson; Interior Decoration: Russell A. Gausman
The Little Foxes(1941)
Art Direction: Stephen Goosson; Interior Decoration: Howard Bristol
The Son of Monte Cristo(1940)
Art Direction: John DuCasse Schulze; Interior Decoration: Edward G. Boyle
When Ladies Meet(1941)
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Randall Duell; Interior Decoration: Edwin B. Willis

Sound Recording

That Hamilton Woman(1941)
General Service Sound Department, Jack Whitney, Sound Director
Winner
Appointment for Love(1941)
Universal Studio Sound Department, Bernard B. Brown, Sound Director
Ball of Fire(1941)
Samuel Goldwyn Studio Sound Department, Thomas T. Moulton, Sound Director
Citizen Kane(1941)
RKO Radio Studio Sound Department, John Aalberg, Sound Director
Devil Pays Off(1941)
Republic Studio Sound Department, Charles Lootens, Sound Director
How Green Was My Valley(1941)
20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department, E. H. Hansen, Sound Director
Sergeant York(1941)
Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department, Nathan Levinson, Sound Director
Skylark(1941)
Paramount Studio Sound Department, Loren Ryder, Sound Director
The Chocolate Soldier(1941)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Sound Department, Douglas Shearer, Sound Director
The Men in Her Life(1941)
Columbia Studio Sound Department, John Livadary, Sound Director
Topper Returns(1941)
Hal Roach Studio Sound Department, Elmer Raguse, Sound Director

Best Picture

How Green Was My Valley(1941)
20th Century-Fox
Winner
Blossoms in the Dust(1941)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Citizen Kane(1941)
Mercury
Here Comes Mr. Jordan(1941)
Columbia
Hold Back the Dawn(1941)
Paramount
One Foot in Heaven(1941)
Warner Bros.
Sergeant York(1941)
Warner Bros.
Suspicion(1941)
RKO Radio
The Little Foxes(1941)
Samuel Goldwyn Productions
The Maltese Falcon(1941)
Warner Bros.

Cinematography (Black-and-White)

How Green Was My Valley(1941)
Arthur Miller
Winner
Citizen Kane(1941)
Gregg Toland
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1941)
Joseph Ruttenberg
Here Comes Mr. Jordan(1941)
Joseph Walker
Hold Back the Dawn(1941)
Leo Tover
Sergeant York(1941)
Sol Polito
Sun Valley Serenade(1941)
Edward Cronjager
Sundown(1941)
Charles Lang
That Hamilton Woman(1941)
The Chocolate Soldier(1941)
Karl Freund

Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)

Dumbo(1941)
Frank Churchill, Oliver Wallace
Winner
All-American Co-Ed(1941)
Edward Ward
Birth of the Blues(1941)
Robert Emmett Dolan
Buck Privates(1941)
Charles Previn
Ice-Capades(1941)
Cy Feuer
Sun Valley Serenade(1941)
Emil Newman
Sunny(1941)
Anthony Collins
The Chocolate Soldier(1941)
Herbert Stothart, Bronislau Kaper
The Strawberry Blonde(1941)
Heinz Roemheld
You'll Never Get Rich(1941)
Morris Stoloff

Short Subject (Cartoon)

Lend a Paw(1941)
Walt Disney, Producer
Winner
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company "B"(1941)
Walter Lantz, Producer
Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt(1941)
Leon Schlesinger, Producer
How War Came(1941)
Columbia
Rhapsody in Rivets(1941)
Leon Schlesinger, Producer
Rhythm in the Ranks(1941)
George Pal, Producer
Superman(1941)
Max Fleischer, Producer
The Night Before Christmas(1941)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Rookie Bear(1941)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Truant Officer Donald(1941)
Walt Disney, Producer

Music (Song)

Lady Be Good(1941)
The Last Time I Saw Paris in "Lady Be Good" Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Winner
All-American Co-Ed(1941)
Out Of The Silence in "All-American Co-Ed" Music and Lyrics by Lloyd B. Norlind
Blues in the Night(1941)
Blues In The Night in "Blues in the Night" Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Buck Privates(1941)
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy Of Company B in "Buck Privates" Music by Hugh Prince; Lyrics by Don Raye
Dumbo(1941)
Baby Mine in "Dumbo" Music by Frank Churchill; Lyrics by Ned Washington
Las Vegas Nights(1941)
Dolores in "Las Vegas Nights" Music by Lou Alter; Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Ridin' on a Rainbow(1941)
Be Honest With Me in "Ridin' on a Rainbow" Music and Lyrics by Gene Autry and Fred Rose
Sun Valley Serenade(1941)
Chattanooga Choo Choo in "Sun Valley Serenade" Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Mack Gordon
You'll Never Get Rich(1941)
Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye in "You'll Never Get Rich" Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter

Special Effects

I Wanted Wings(1941)
Photographic Effects by Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings; Sound Effects by Louis Mesenkop
Winner
A Yank in the R.A.F.(1941)
Photographic Effects by Fred Sersen; Sound Effects by E. H. Hansen
Aloma of the South Seas(1941)
Photographic Effects by Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings; Sound Effects by Louis Mesenkop
Flight Command(1940)
Photographic Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie; Sound Effects by Douglas Shearer
That Hamilton Woman(1941)
Photographic Effects by Lawrence Butler; Sound Effects by William H. Wilmarth
The Invisible Woman(1940)
Photographic Effects by John Fulton; Sound Effects by John Hall
The Sea Wolf(1941)
Photographic Effects by Byron Haskin; Sound Effects by Nathan Levinson
Topper Returns(1941)
Photographic Effects by Roy Seawright; Sound Effects by Elmer Raguse

Short Subject (One-reel)

Of Pups and Puzzles(1941)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Winner
Army Champions(1941)
Pete Smith, Producer
Beauty and the Beach(1941)
Paramount
Down on the Farm(1941)
Paramount
Forty Boys and a Song(1941)
Warner Bros.
Kings of the Turf(1941)
Warner Bros.
Sagebrush and Silver(1941)
20th Century-Fox

Cinematography (Color)

Blood and Sand(1941)
Ernest Palmer, Ray Rennahan
Winner
Aloma of the South Seas(1941)
Wilfred M. Cline, Karl Struss, William Snyder
Billy the Kid(1941)
William V. Skall, Leonard Smith
Blossoms in the Dust(1941)
Karl Freund, W. Howard Greene
Dive Bomber(1941)
Bert Glennon
Louisiana Purchase(1941)
Harry Hallenberger, Ray Rennahan

Actor

Sergeant York(1941)
Gary Cooper
Winner
All That Money Can Buy(1941)
Walter Huston
Citizen Kane(1941)
Orson Welles
Here Comes Mr. Jordan(1941)
Robert Montgomery
Penny Serenade(1941)
Cary Grant

Actor in a Supporting Role

How Green Was My Valley(1941)
Donald Crisp
Winner
Here Comes Mr. Jordan(1941)
James Gleason
Sergeant York(1941)
Walter Brennan
The Devil and Miss Jones(1941)
Charles Coburn
The Maltese Falcon(1941)
Sydney Greenstreet

Actress

Suspicion(1941)
Joan Fontaine
Winner
Ball of Fire(1941)
Barbara Stanwyck
Blossoms in the Dust(1941)
Greer Garson
Hold Back the Dawn(1941)
Olivia de Havilland
The Little Foxes(1941)
Bette Davis

Actress in a Supporting Role

The Great Lie(1941)
Mary Astor
Winner
How Green Was My Valley(1941)
Sara Allgood
Sergeant York(1941)
Margaret Wycherly
The Little Foxes(1941)
Patricia Collinge
The Little Foxes(1941)
Teresa Wright

Directing

How Green Was My Valley(1941)
John Ford
Winner
Citizen Kane(1941)
Orson Welles
Here Comes Mr. Jordan(1941)
Alexander Hall
Sergeant York(1941)
Howard Hawks
The Little Foxes(1941)
William Wyler

Film Editing

Sergeant York(1941)
William Holmes
Winner
Citizen Kane(1941)
Robert Wise
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1941)
Harold F. Kress
How Green Was My Valley(1941)
James B. Clark
The Little Foxes(1941)
Daniel Mandell

Short Subject (Two-reel)

Main Street on the March!(1941)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Winner
Alive in the Deep(1941)
Woodard Productions, Inc.
Forbidden Passage(1941)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Gay Parisian(1942)
Warner Bros.
The Tanks Are Coming(1941)
United States Army

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Citizen Kane(1941)
Herman J. Mankiewicz, Orson Welles
Winner
Sergeant York(1941)
Abem Finkel, Harry Chandlee, Howard Koch, John Huston
Tall, Dark and Handsome(1941)
Karl Tunberg, Darrell Ware
The Devil and Miss Jones(1941)
Norman Krasna
Tom, Dick and Harry(1941)
Paul Jarrico

Writing (Original Story)

Here Comes Mr. Jordan(1941)
Harry Segall
Winner
Ball of Fire(1941)
Billy Wilder, Thomas Monroe
Meet John Doe(1941)
Richard Connell, Robert Presnell
Night Train to Munich(1940)
Gordon Wellesley
The Lady Eve(1941)
Monckton Hoffe

Writing (Screenplay)

Here Comes Mr. Jordan(1941)
Sidney Buchman, Seton I. Miller
Winner
Hold Back the Dawn(1941)
Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder
How Green Was My Valley(1941)
Philip Dunne
The Little Foxes(1941)
Lillian Hellman
The Maltese Falcon(1941)
John Huston

Art Direction (Color)

Blossoms in the Dust(1941)
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Urie McCleary; Interior Decoration: Edwin B. Willis
Winner
Blood and Sand(1941)
Art Direction: Richard Day, Joseph C. Wright; Interior Decoration: Thomas Little
Louisiana Purchase(1941)
Art Direction: Raoul Pene du Bois; Interior Decoration: Stephen A. Seymour

Special Award

Fantasia(1940)
Special Award
Winner
Kukan: The Battle Cry of China(1941)
Special Award
Winner
Target for Tonight(1941)
Special Award
Winner