We are currently in the middle of Award season, with the Golden Globes already behind us, and the IFMCA Awards and Oscars still to be announced. This period is the perfect time to announce the 5th edition of the eSWay Awards. These are Soundtrack World’s own awards to celebrate the best scores that have come out in 2025.
Before I announce the winners, I would like to reflect on 2025 first, as I do every year. If you are a faithful follower of my content, you may have noticed that this year, the number of traditional reviews has dropped in favor of smaller reviews in Spotlight articles. There are two reasons for this change. The first reason is that there weren’t many soundtracks I wanted to write a full review about. There are fewer movies in Dutch theaters since the pandemic, and not all of them feature music interesting enough to fill a full article. The other reason for fewer traditional reviews is time constraints. I have many projects going on, some related to film music and others not, and I only want to spend that precious time on a full review when I really want to talk about the music and have something exciting to say. That is why many of those full reviews were about game scores, because games are a wonderful playground for unique and innovative musical ideas.
While it looks like I have been less active by writing smaller reviews than in previous years, the opposite is true. One of the side projects I have done is to improve my system for listening to new scores and to write brief thoughts about them. As a result, I have listened to more than 220 new soundtracks from all over the world this year, which is 50 more than last year. I was also introduced to music by many new composers I was not familiar with, which you can read about in some of my Spotlight reviews.
While I am the person prominently in the foreground, I am quite fortunate to have a small support group that has been helping me out for many years. They help me behind the scenes by actively proofreading my work, supporting me while I am working during festivals, or standing by in case I need help. These fantastic people are:
- Chris Broekema
- Dennis van der Laan
- Erik Schreiber
- Gerard Aalbers
- Johannes Oudolf
- Jorg Oostendorp
- Maurice Boeijen
- Ola Ziółek
- Ronald Wijlens
- Saskia Schreiber
- Stefan Bosman
I owe them many thanks for helping Soundtrack World grow. I especially would like to thank Jorg Oostendorp for also writing some fantastic reports of concerts I was unable to attend. It is always exciting to see someone else’s point of view of a concert in a totally different writing style.
With these final thoughts of 2025 out of the way, it is time for the finale by announcing the best soundtracks that have come out that year.
Soundtrack of the Year
The Fantastic Four: First Steps – Michael Giacchino
When I think of excellent scores, I think of stunning melodies, superb theme writing and fantastic performances by musicians, creating an outstanding world of sound that perfectly supports the movie. What makes a soundtrack one of the best is doing all these things perfectly, but in a unique way that elevates the film to the next level. Without its stunning score, the movie would not be that good, as is the case with my Soundtrack of the Year: The Fantastic Four: First Steps (review) by Michael Giacchino. His joyful score, with witty choir moments, was perfect for giving the movie the ’60s vibe it needed. Music for big superhero movies has become uninteresting in general, and hearing this superb score from Giacchino gives me hope that more composers will follow suit and write something refreshing and unique for future superhero movies.
While this score has been in the top spot since it came out, more magnificent scores have emerged in 2025. While I was very surprised by Brian Tyler‘s work on the movie Nuremberg (spotlight), the majority of scores came from video games this year, with Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 (spotlight) by Lorien Testard being one of the best.
Composer of the Year
Michael Giacchino
The composer of Soundtrack of the Year does not automatically win the Composer of the Year award, but if you win with two different scores on this list, you are bound to be the best, as Michael Giacchino has done. When Giacchino releases new music, you know you are in for a treat,as happened in 2025.
Other composers with amazing work this year are Alexandre Desplat and John Powell, whose music will be featured later on this list.
Best Soundtrack for Dutch Media
Behind the Door – Roy Bemelmans
When I look at the list of Dutch music I have explored, I am sad because this year’s list is quite short. There were some good scores, but they didn’t really stand out to me. Then I received an email from Roy Bemelmans asking me to check out his music for the short Behind the Door, and I was amazed by the music he had written for it. The main theme is especially something he should be very proud of, as it is a stunning emotional piece with piano and cello. I am not the only one who likes this score, because Behind the Door has also been nominated for the IFMCA Award for Best Short.
Discovery of the Year
Lorien Testard
I rebranded the Breakthrough Composer of the Year to Discovery of the Year because this title better suits composers who have been working in the field for a long time but whom I have not heard of before. This year’s winner, however, is new, as French composer Lorien Testard was a guitar teacher in France a couple of years ago before writing the stunning score for the game Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 (spotlight), which took the world by storm.
The list of newly discovered composers in 2025 is quite long, and many of them have written some fantastic scores. Still, the ones I want to highlight in this category are Roy Bemelmans for his work on Behind the Door, and Romain Paillot, who wrote an extremely powerful, emotional and orchestral score for the short Le Secret De Martha.
Best Soundtrack for a Television Series
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – Mick Giacchino
Last year, I cheated a bit by including Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (spotlight) in the scores to make Mick Giacchino my Discovery of the Year last year, because television shows become eligible for the year a season ends. However, with the first season of Skeleton Crew officially ending in 2025, I can now officially award Giacchino with the Best Soundtrack for a Television Series Award. His music brilliantly captures the innocence of children, adventure and Star Wars, a perfect match for that show.
Honorable mentions for this award go to Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson for their excellent score for Cobra Kai – Season 6 (spotlight), and to Evan Call for the emotional score for My Happy Marriage – Season 2 (spotlight).
Best Soundtrack for a Video Game
Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 – Lorien Testard
It has been an extremely strong year for video game music. Quite a few of the soundtracks for games could have won this award, but the winner is Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 (spotlight) by Lorien Testard. What made this soundtrack stand out from the others is its originality and innocence. This unique score beautifully captures the strange new world the game takes place in. I am glad many people have noticed his work. Testard has already won awards, and he is even selling out dedicated Claire Obscur concerts in Europe. If you have 8 hours to spare, give the whole score a good listen.
As I said, many other game soundtracks could have received this award. If you have not done so, please listen to Ghost of Yōtei (review) by Toma Otowa or Europa Universalis V (spotlight) by Håkan Glänte. These scores also deserve your attention. 2025 was a fantastic year for video games.
Best Music Composition of the Year
“Main Theme” from The Fantastic Four: First Steps by Michael Giacchino
After winning Soundtrack of the Year and Composer of the Year, The Fantastic Four: First Steps (review) by Michael Giacchino also wins Best Music Composition of the Year with the “Main Theme.” Giacchino always writes stand-alone suites before tackling the score itself, which is why his film music is so magnificent. It helps the scenes with musical storytelling, elevates them to the next level, and makes them even more enjoyable. As a bonus, his musical suites are excellent to be enjoyed on their own as well. When you listen to “Main Theme,” you can hear the ’60s era, joy and heroism all in one. It is the perfect soundscape for a wonderful film.
Other tracks worth checking out include the stunning “End Titles” from Nuremberg (spotlight) by Brian Tyler and the “Main Theme” from Behind the Door by Roy Bemelmans.
Best Soundtrack for a Drama/Thriller/Horror Film
Nuremberg – Brian Tyler
When I think about Brian Tyler, I think about his wonderful action-packed scores. When he writes music for film, most of them have a solid rhythmic foundation with a simple but strong melody line on top. The music for Nuremberg (spotlight) is anything but that. I knew Tyler could write some emotional music, but to hear this in the suites at the start of the score album, or in the “End Titles” at the end, its emotional quality still blew me away. I love it when a composer writes something different from what the general audience is expecting, and the music Tyler wrote for Nuremberg is a perfect example of that.
Other fantastic scores that I loved this year for drama, thriller or horror movies were Frankenstein (spotlight) by Alexandre Desplat and Jay Kelly by Nicholas Britell.
Best Soundtrack for a Comedy Film
Le Grand Déplacement – Guillaume Roussel
Comedies are not really my genre. Not just because of the films themselves, but also due to their music, so this is quite a difficult category for me each year. Luckily, I was able to find some gems this year with Le Grand Déplacement by Guillaume Roussel as the winner. The foundation of this short score lies in a great, simple main theme, which is integrated beautifully into the rest of the score.
Other great comedic scores are Le Routard by Ludovic Bource and Eternity by David Fleming.
Best Soundtrack for an Action/Adventure Film
The Fantastic Four: First Steps – Michael Giacchino
Not much needs to be said anymore about The Fantastic Four: First Steps (review) by Michael Giacchino, except to listen and enjoy this excellent score. Other fantastic scores I have heard in 2026 for adventure movies were Wicked: For Good (spotlight), for which John Powell wrote a perfect underscore to match the iconic songs by Stephen Schwartz, and Ein Mädchen Namens Willow (spotlight), for which Fabian Römer wrote a stunning score. This emotional and orchestral score was one of my biggest surprises this year.
Best Soundtrack for an Animated Feature
Zootopia/Zootropolis 2 – Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino keeps winning this year because Zootopia 2 (also known in Europe as Zootropolis 2) takes the win in this category. It is almost impossible not to smile when you listen to the fun, heist-like music Giacchino has written for the film. When you are feeling a bit down, just put this score on, and you will be in a happier place. That is the power Giacchino brings with his magnificent scores.
Other amazing soundtracks for animations in 2025 included Slocum et Moi by Pascal Le Pennec, with its wonderfully orchestral score that nods to the classical era, and In Your Dreams by John Debney, which is an excellent orchestral score as well.
Best Soundtrack for a Documentary
Aux Armes, Citoyennes – Lætitia Pansanel-Garric
Documentaries are always an exciting category for soundtracks, because documentaries can be very diverse, and so can their music. The winner for this year is the marvelous score for Aux Armes, Citoyennes by Lætitia Pansanel-Garric. The music for this documentary about several women during the French Revolution is brilliant, with some outstanding orchestral and emotional cues.
There were more soundtrack gems to be found for documentaries in 2025. I can also recommend the music for Monsen og Nasjonalparkene by Raymond Enoksen and Descalzos by Oscar Martin Leanizbarrutia, both excellent scores.
Special Award
How to Train Your Dragon (2025) – John Powell
Sometimes I would like to give an award to something special that happened in a year and relates to film music, but does not really fit into any of the standard categories. In 2022, I handed out this award to a special project for the first time. This year, I would like to award this special prize for the second time to How to Train Your Dragon (2025) (review) by John Powell. With this score being so similar to the perfect score for the original How to Train Your Dragon film, I could not give it an award in other categories, but as I have mentioned in my review, Powell did not just have to write the perfect score; he had to rewrite the perfect score, which he did brilliantly.
That concludes my awards for 2025, closing out my 2025. It is time for me to start listening to scores released in 2026. I have quite a few lined up for me to listen to already, so you may see some of them in my eSWay Awards of 2026.
