Oscar: Writing stats

Please be aware that Oscar year refers to the year the Oscars were held and not the year the film was released.

Most nominated writer

Total, across all writing categories:
Woody Allen (16 nominations – 3 Oscars)
Billy Wilder (12 nominations – 3 Oscars)
John Huston (8 nominations – 1 Oscar)
Federico Fellini (8 nominations – 0 Oscars)

Best Original Screenplay (incl. Best Writing, Story & Screenplay):
Woody Allen (16 nominations – 3 Oscars)
Federico Fellini (6 nominations – 0 Oscars)
Ingmar Bergman (5 nominations – 0 Oscars)
Mike Leigh (5 nominations – 0 Oscars)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Eric Roth (6 nominations – 1 Oscar)
Ethan Coen (4 nominations – 1 Oscar)
Joel Coen (4 nominations – 1 Oscar)
Steven Zaillian (4 nominations – 1 Oscar)
Richard Brooks (4 nominations – 1 Oscar)
James Poe (4 nominations – 1 Oscar)
Stanley Kubrick (4 nominations – 0 Oscars)

Best Original Story:
Leo McCarey (4 nominations – 1 Oscar)
Several people follow with 2 nominations

Best Writing, Screenplay (incl. Best Writing Achievement):
Billy Wilder (6 nominations – 1 Oscar)
John Huston (4 nominations – 1 Oscar)
Charles Brackett (4 nominations – 1 Oscar)

Most winning writer

Total, across all writing categories:
Woody Allen (3 Oscars – 16 nominations)
Billy Wilder (3 Oscars – 12 nominations)
Charles Brackett (3 Oscars – 7 nominations)
Francis Ford Coppola (3 Oscars – 5 nominations)
Paddy Chayefsky (3 Oscars – 4 nominations)

Best Original Screenplay (incl. Best Writing, Story & Screenplay):
Woody Allen (3 Oscars – 16 nominations)
Billy Wilder (2 Oscars – 4 nominations)
Quentin Tarantino (2 Oscars – 4 nominations)
Paddy Chayefsky (2 Oscars – 3 nominations)
Charles Brackett (2 Oscars – 2 nominations)

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Francis Ford Coppola (2 Oscars – 3 nominations)
Robert Bolt (2 Oscars – 3 nominations)
Alexander Payne (2 Oscars – 3 nominations)
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (2 Oscars – 3 nominations)
Christopher Hampton (2 Oscars – 3 nominations)
Alvin Sargent (2 Oscars – 3 nominations)
Mario Puzo (2 Oscars – 2 nominations)

Best Original Story:
Ben Hecht (2 Oscars – 2 nominations)
Dalton Trumbo (2 Oscars – 2 nominations)

Best Writing, Screenplay (incl. Best Writing Achievement):
George Seaton (2 Oscars – 3 nominations)
Joseph L. Mankiewicz (2 Oscars – 2 nominations)

People with most consecutive writing nominations

Woody Allen – 4 years in a row
1985 – Broadway Danny Rose (Original Screenplay)
1986 – The Purple Rose of Cairo (Original Screenplay)
1987 – Hannah and Her Sisters (Original Screenplay) (winner)
1988 – Radio Days (Original Screenplay)

Paul Haggis – 3 years in a row
2005 – Million Dollar Baby (Adapted Screenplay)
2006 – Crash (Original Screenplay) (winner)
2007 – Letters from Iwo Jima (Original Screenplay)

Woody Allen – 3 years in a row
1978 – Annie Hall (Original Screenplay) (winner)
1979 – Interiors (Original Screenplay)
1980 – Manhattan (Original Screenplay)

Robert Towne – 3 years in a row
1974 – The Last Detail (Adapted Screenplay)
1975 – Chinatown (Original Screenplay) (winner)
1976 – Shampoo (Original Screenplay)

Years where none of the writing winners were from Best Picture nominees

This has never happened.

Sponsored content: