Wicked: For Good faced some unexpected resistance this past winter – if you can say a film that grossed $540 million worldwide faced “resistance.” It was shut out in the Oscar nominations, one year after its predecessor had amassed 10 nods. And there was host Nikki Glaser’s pointed jibe at the Golden Globes where she called it Wicked: For Money. But the film’s score got some love on Tuesday (April 28) at the ASCAP Screen Celebrates event in Los Angeles. The score, composed by John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, won the 2026 ASCAP Composers’ Choice Award for film score of the year.
The Composers Choice Award recipients are selected by the ASCAP composer and songwriter community. Here’s the full list of winners of those awards:
Film Score of the Year: Wicked: For Good – John Powell & Stephen Schwartz
Television Score of the Year: Palm Royale – Jeff Toyne
Television Theme of the Year: Pluribus – Dave Porter; Stranger Things – Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (tie)
Documentary Film Score of the Year: The Age of Disclosure – Blair Mowat
Documentary Series Score of the Year: Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time – Amanda Jones
Video Game Score of the Year: Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune – Wilbert Roget II, Jon Everist and Cody Matthew Johnson
The ASCAP Screen Music Awards were also presented at the event. These awards celebrate composers whose work elevates the art of visual storytelling across film, television and interactive media.
Michael Giacchino received Top Domestic Box Office Film of the Year for Zootopia 2.
Jake Staley received Top Network Television Series for the drama High Potential, and John Sereda received Top Cable Television Series for the historical drama When Calls the Heart.
David Vanacore was the top winner in the Most Performed Themes & Underscore category. This marked Vanacore’s 11th consecutive year as the top winner in that category. In addition, as previously announced, Vanacore was presented with ASCAP’s Golden Note Award in recognition of his career achievements and impact on television music. A pioneering force in unscripted scoring, Vanacore has composed the music for CBS’s Survivor since its debut in 2000.
ASCAP’s Golden Note Award is presented to artists who have achieved extraordinary career milestones. Previous recipients include Lionel Richie, Jeff Lynne, Quincy Jones, Jermaine Dupri, Reba McEntire, Alicia Keys and composers Alf Clausen and Mark Snow.
The complete list of winners is available on the ASCAP website at https://www.ascap.com/screenawards26.
