Ludwig Göransson’s masterful score for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners has earned him the Best Original Music award at the 2026 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) in London on Sunday, February 22nd. This win marks a significant achievement for the Swedish composer, solidifying his position as a leading voice in film scoring.
The award represents Göransson’s second BAFTA victory in three years, following his 2024 win for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Daniel Blumberg took home the prize in 2025 for his function on The Brutalist. Göransson’s back-to-back recognition places him in esteemed company. he is the first composer to win the category twice within a three-year span since Gustavo Santaolalla’s wins for The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) and Babel (2006).
This latest accolade adds to a string of recent successes for Göransson, who also received the score category award at the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, and Grammys in the lead-up to the BAFTAs. The composer faced stiff competition, including Alexandre Desplat, a thirteen-time nominee and three-time winner, recognized for his score for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
Notably, Göransson was not present at the ceremony. Director Ryan Coogler playfully explained his absence, joking that the composer was occupied with a “small indie film” – a reference to Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic, The Odyssey, slated for release this summer.
The nominees in the Best Original Music category included Jonny Greenwood (One Battle After Another), Max Richter (Hamnet), and Jerskin Fendrix (Bugonia). Remarkably, these same five composers are also nominated at the upcoming Academy Awards on March 1st, marking the first time in fourteen years that both the BAFTAs and the Oscars have shared an identical slate of nominees. In 2012, the awards diverged, with Thomas Newman winning the BAFTA for Skyfall and Mychael Danna taking the Oscar for Life of Pi.
Sinners enjoyed a successful night securing a total of thirteen nominations and ultimately winning two additional awards: Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress, awarded to Wunmi Mosaku. The Best Film and Best Director awards went to Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another.
The BAFTA ceremony also featured a dynamic performance by HUNTR/X, a K-Pop group known as KPop Demon Hunters, who debuted their hit song “Golden.” The BAFTAs differ from other major awards shows, such as the Academy Awards, in that they do not include a Best Original Song category. HUNTR/X is scheduled to perform “Golden” at the BRIT Awards next Saturday, February 28th, becoming the first K-pop group to ever grace that stage. They will also perform at the Academy Awards on March 15th, where “Golden” is nominated for Best Original Song.
The In Memoriam segment of the ceremony featured a moving performance by Jessie Ware, who sang Barbra Streisand’s classic “The Way We Were” from the 1973 film of the same name. The segment honored several industry icons who passed away recently, including Robert Redford, Catherine O’Hara, Rob Reiner, Brigitte Bardot, Val Kilmer, and Gene Hackman.
Göransson’s continued success highlights his versatility and ability to create emotionally resonant scores across a diverse range of genres. With the Academy Awards still to come, his momentum suggests a strong possibility of adding another Oscar to his growing collection of accolades. The upcoming awards ceremony will be closely watched to see if the BAFTA and Golden Globe winning score for Sinners will also resonate with Academy voters.
What comes next for Göransson remains to be seen, but his involvement in Nolan’s highly anticipated The Odyssey promises another exciting chapter in his already impressive career. Share your thoughts on Göransson’s win and the 2026 BAFTAs in the comments below!