The Hollywood Music in Media Awards revealed its 2026 nominations on Nov. 2, with “Michael” and “The Odyssey” each landing three nods as the ceremony heads into its 17th year. The show will take place Nov. 18 at the Avalon Hollywood, honoring composers, songwriters, music supervisors and artists for work across film, television and video games.
“Behemoth!,” “Brother Verses Brother” and “Linda Perry: Let It Die Here” also earned three nods apiece in the 2026 Hollywood Music in Media Awards nominations, leaving five titles tied for the most recognized projects of the year, according to TheWrap.
Top Nominees and Standout Songs
Composer Daniel Pemberton picked up four nominations, tied for the most of any individual nominee, for his scores for “Project Hail Mary,” “The Drama” and the series “Slow Horses,” plus the song “Let Me Sell You a Dream,” which he wrote with David Byrne for the documentary “Musk.”
Mina Samy matched him with four nominations of his own: scores for the film “Ezma” and the short documentary “Stopped,” plus nods for both the score and the main title theme of the Arabic-language TV series “The Death Ward.”
Ludwig Göransson earned three nominations, all for “The Odyssey.” The film is up for his score, the song “When I’m Home” (co-written with James Blake, Travis Scott and Christopher Nolan) and the song’s music video, directed by Scott.
Taylor Swift’s emotional “I Knew It, I Knew You,” which plays over the end credits of “Toy Story 5,” was nominated in the Song – Animated Film category. Swift wrote the track with Jack Antonoff, drawing inspiration from Jessie’s journey in the film.
The writers behind “La Nieve,” the powerful ballad from “La Bola Negra,” also landed a nod in the Song – Independent Film category. Five films picked up two nominations each: “Wuthering Heights,” “La Bola Negra,” “The Debut,” “Toy Story 5” and “Wildwood.”
The songwriting field also features David Byrne, Travis Scott, Phoebe Bridgers, Jesse Eisenberg, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran and Diane Warren. On the score side, nominees include Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Randy Newman, Danny Elfman, Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard, Kris Bowers, Laura Karpman and Volker Bertelmann, along with the Behemoth! Collective, the nine composers behind the music for “Behemoth!”
Track Record With the Oscars
The Hollywood Music in Media Awards have built a reputation as an early signal for the Academy Awards’ music races. Last year, the HMMA’s song categories included three of the five songs that went on to Oscar nominations, along with 11 of the 15 songs on the Academy’s shortlist, according to TheWrap.
The pattern held for scores as well. Last year’s seven HMMA score categories featured four eventual Oscar nominees and 11 of the 20 shortlisted scores, TheWrap reported.
Last year’s HMMA winners included “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” and the score for “Sinners,” both of which went on to win Oscars in March, according to Variety. That track record gives this year’s nominees added weight heading into the broader awards season.
What’s Next
Winners across the song, score and media categories will be announced Nov. 18, offering one of the first formal checkpoints of the season for films hoping to compete at the Oscars.
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