Last Updated on 3 March 2025
1927-present: Wikipedia
Recognizes the contribution the visual effects make to the overall production as well as the artistry, skill and fidelity with which the visual illusions are achieved
| Year | Movie | Visual Editors |
| 2024 | Dune: Part Two | Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer |
| 2023 | Godzilla Minus One | Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi, and Tatsuji Nojima |
| 2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water | Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett |
| 2021 | Dune | Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, and Gerd Nefzer |
| 2020 | Tenet | Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley, and Scott Fisher |
| 2019 | 1917 | Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler, and Dominic Tuohy |
| 2018 | First Man | Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles, and J. D. Schwalm |
| 2017 | Blade Runner 2049 | John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert, and Richard R. Hoover |
| 2016 | The Jungle Book | Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, Dan Lemmon |
| 2015 | Ex Machina | Mark Williams Ardington, Sara Bennett, Paul Norris, and Andrew Whitehurst |
| 2014 | Interstellar | Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, and Scott R. Fisher |
| 2013 | Gravity | Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk, and Neil Corbould |
| 2012 | Life of Pi | Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan de Boer, and Donald R. Elliott |
| 2011 | Hugo | Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossmann, and Alex Henning |
| 2010 | Inception | Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, and Peter Bebb |
| 2009 | Avatar | Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, and Andrew R. Jones |
| 2008 | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, and Craig Barron |
| 2007 | The Golden Compass | Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris, and Trevor Wood |
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson, and Allen Hall |
| 2005 | King Kong | Joe Letteri, Brian Van’t Hul, Christian Rivers, and Richard Taylor |
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara, and John Frazier |
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke |
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, and Alex Funke |
| 2001 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Jim Rygiel, Randall William Cook, Richard Taylor, and Mark Stetson |
| 2000 | Gladiator | John Nelson, Neil Corbould, Tim Burke, and Rob Harvey |
| 1999 | The Matrix | John Gaeta, Janek Sirrs, Steve Courtley, and Jon Thum |
| 1998 | What Dreams May Come | Joel Hynek, Nicholas Brooks, Stuart Robertson, and Kevin Mack |
| 1997 | Titanic | Robert Legato, Mark Lasoff, Thomas L. Fisher, and Michael Kanfer |
| 1996 | Independence Day | Volker Engel, Douglas Smith, Clay Pinney, and Joseph Viskocil |
| 1995 | Babe | Scott E. Anderson, Charles Gibson, Neal Scanlan, and John Cox |
| 1994 | Forrest Gump | Ken Ralston, George Murphy, Stephen Rosenbaum, and Allen Hall |
| 1993 | Jurassic Park | Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Phil Tippett, and Michael Lantieri |
| 1992 | Death Becomes Her | Ken Ralston, Doug Chiang, Doug Smythe, and Tom Woodruff, Jr. |
| 1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Gene Warren, Jr., and Robert Skotak |
| 1990 | Total Recall | Eric Brevig, Rob Bottin, Tim McGovern, and Alex Funke |
| 1989 | The Abyss | John Bruno, Dennis Muren, Hoyt Yeatman, and Dennis Skotak |
| 1988 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | Ken Ralston, Richard Williams, Edward Jones, and George Gibbs |
| 1987 | Innerspace | Dennis Muren, William George, Harley Jessup, and Kenneth F. Smith |
| 1986 | Aliens | Robert Skotak, Stan Winston, John Richardson, and Suzanne Benson |
| 1985 | Cocoon | Ken Ralston, Ralph McQuarrie, Scott Farrar, and David Berry |
| 1984 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Dennis Muren, Michael J. McAlister, Lorne Peterson, and George Gibbs |
| 1983 | Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi | Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston, and Phil Tippett |
| 1982 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Carlo Rambaldi, Dennis Muren, and Kenneth F. Smith |
| 1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson, and Joe Johnston |
| 1980 | Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back | Brian Johnson, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, and Bruce Nicholson |
| 1979 | Alien | H. R. Giger, Carlo Rambaldi, Brian Johnson, Nick Allder, and Dennis Ayling |
| 1978 | Superman | Les Bowie, Colin Chilvers, Denys Coop, Roy Field, Derek Meddings, and Zoran Perisic |
| 1977 | Star Wars | John Stears, John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Grant McCune, and Robert Blalack |
| 1976 (TIE) | King Kong | Carlo Rambaldi, Glen Robinson, and Frank Van der Veer |
| 1976 (TIE) | Logan’s Run | L. B. Abbott, Glen Robinson, and Matthew Yuricich |
| 1975 | The Hindenburg | Albert Whitlock and Glen Robinson |
| 1974 | Earthquake | Frank Brendel and Glen Robinson |
| 1973 | NO AWARD GIVEN | |
| 1972 | The Poseidon Adventure | L. B. Abbott and A. D. Flowers |
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Alan Maley, Eustace Lycett and Danny Lee |
| 1970 | Tora! Tora! Tora! | A.D. Flowers and L.B. Abbott |
| 1969 | Marooned | Robbie Robertson |
| 1968 | 2001: A Space Odyssey | Stanley Kubrick |
| 1967 | Doctor Dolittle | L.B. Abbott |
| 1966 | Fantastic Voyage | Art Cruickshank |
| 1965 | Thunderball | John Stears |
| 1964 | Mary Poppins | Peter Ellenshaw, Eustace Lycett and Hamilton Luske |
| 1963 | Cleopatra | Emil Kosa, Jr. |
| Special Effects – combined Visual Effects and Sound Effects | ||
| 1962 | The Longest Day | Visual Effects by Robert MacDonald, Audio: Jacques Maumont |
| 1961 | The Guns of Navarone | Visual Effects by Bill Warrington, Audio: Vivian C. Greenham |
| 1960 | The Time Machine | Visual Effects by Gene Warren and Tim Baar |
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Visual Effects by A. Arnold Gillespie and Robert MacDonald, Audio: Milo B. Lory |
| 1958 | tom thumb | Visual Effects by Tom Howard |
| 1957 | The Enemy Below | Sound Effects by Walter Rossi |
| 1956 | The Ten Commandments | John P. Fulton |
| 1955 | The Bridges at Toko-Ri | No nominees named |
| 1954 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | No nominees named |
| 1953 | The War of the Worlds | No nominees named |
| 1952 | Plymouth Adventure | No nominees named |
| 1951 | When Worlds Collide | No nominees named |
| 1950 | Destination Moon | No nominees named |
| 1949 | Mighty Joe Young | No nominees named |
| 1948 | Portrait of Jennie | Paul Eagler, J. McMillan Johnson, Russell Shearman and Clarence Slifer (photographic), Charles L. Freeman and James G. Stewart (sound) |
| 1947 | Green Dolphin Street | A. Arnold Gillespie and Warren Newcombe (photo) Douglas Shearer and Michael Steinore (sound) |
| 1946 | Blithe Spirit | Thomas Howard |
| 1945 | Wonder Man | John P. Fulton (photographic), Arthur Johns (sound) |
| 1944 | Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo | A. Arnold Gillespie (photographic), Donald Jahraus (photographic), Warren Newcombe (photographic), Douglas Shearer (sound) |
| 1943 | Crash Dive | Fred Sersen (photographic), Roger Heman Sr. (sound) |
| 1942 | Reap the Wild Wind | Farciot Edouart (photographic), Gordon Jennings (photographic), William L. Pereira (photographic), Louis Mesenkop (sound) |
| 1941 | I Wanted Wings | Farciot Edouart (photographic), Gordon Jennings (photographic), Louis Mesenkop (sound) |
| 1940 | The Thief of Bagdad | Lawrence W. Butler (photographic), Jack Whitney (sound) |
| 1939 | The Rains Came | E. H. Hansen (sound), Fred Sersen (photographic) |
| Special Award – For outstanding achievement in creating special photographic and sound effects | ||
| 1938 | Spawn of the North | Gordon Jennings, assisted by Jan Domela, Dev Jennings, Irmin Roberts and Art Smith; transparencies by Farciot Edouart, assisted by Loyal Griggs |
| Engineering Effects | ||
| 1927/28 | Wings | Roy Pomeroy |
