All the King's Men – Robert Rossen for Columbia Pictures
Battleground – Dore Schary for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer* The Heiress – William Wyler for Paramount Pictures* A Letter to Three Wives – Sol C. Siegel for 20th Century Fox* Twelve O'Clock High – Darryl F. Zanuck for 20th Century Fox | Joseph L. Mankiewicz – A Letter to Three Wives* Robert Rossen – All the King's Men* William A. Wellman – Battleground* Carol Reed – The Fallen Idol* William Wyler – The Heiress |
| Broderick Crawford – All the King's Men as Willie Stark* Kirk Douglas – Champion as Midge Kelly* Gregory Peck – Twelve O'Clock High as Brigadier General Frank Savage* Richard Todd – The Hasty Heart as Cpl. Lachlan "Lachie" MacLachlan* John Wayne – Sands of Iwo Jima as Sgt. John M. Stryker | Olivia de Havilland – The Heiress as Catherine Sloper* Jeanne Crain – Pinky as Patricia "Pinky" Johnson* Susan Hayward – My Foolish Heart as Eloise Winters* Deborah Kerr – Edward, My Son as Evelyn Boult* Loretta Young – Come to the Stable as Sister Margaret |
| Dean Jagger – Twelve O'Clock High as Major Harvey Stovall* John Ireland – All the King's Men as Jack Burden* Arthur Kennedy – Champion as Connie* Ralph Richardson – The Heiress as Dr. Austin Sloper* James Whitmore – Battleground as Sgt. Kinnie | Mercedes McCambridge – All the King's Men as Sadie Burke* Ethel Barrymore – Pinky as Miss Em* Celeste Holm – Come to the Stable as Sister Scholastica* Elsa Lanchester – Come to the Stable as Amelia Potts* Ethel Waters – Pinky as Dicey Johnson |
| A Letter to Three Wives – Joseph L. Mankiewicz from Letter to Five Wives by John Klempner* All the King's Men – Robert Rossen from All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren* Bicycle Thieves – Cesare Zavattini from The Bicycle Thief by Luigi Bartolini* Champion – Carl Foreman from "Champion" by Ring Lardner* The Fallen Idol – Graham Greene from "The Basement Room" by Graham Greene | Battleground – Robert Pirosh* Jolson Sings Again – Sidney Buchman* Paisan – Alfred Hayes, Federico Fellini, Sergio Amidei, Marcello Pagliero, and Roberto Rossellini* Passport to Pimlico – T. E. B. Clarke* The Quiet One – Helen Levitt, Janice Loeb, and Sidney Meyers |
| The Stratton Story – Douglas Morrow* Come to the Stable – Clare Boothe Luce* It Happens Every Spring – Shirley W. Smith and Valentine Davies* Sands of Iwo Jima – Harry Brown* White Heat – Virginia Kellogg | Daybreak in Udi – Crown Film Unit* Kenji Comes Home – Paul F. Heard |
| A Chance to Live – Richard de RochemontSo Much for So Little – Edward Selzer* 1848 – French Cinema General Cooperative* The Rising Tide – St. Francis-Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia | Aquatic House Party – Jack Eaton* Roller Derby Girl – Justin Herman* So You Think You're Not Guilty – Gordon Hollingshead* Spills and Chills – Walton C. Ament* Water Trix – Pete Smith |
| Van Gogh – Gaston Diehl and Robert Hessens* The Boy and the Eagle – William Lasky* Chase of Death – Irving Allen* The Grass Is Always Greener – Gordon Hollingshead* Snow Carnival – Gordon Hollingshead | For Scent-imental Reasons – Edward Selzer* Hatch Up Your Troubles – Fred Quimby* The Magic Fluke – Stephen Bosustow* Toy Tinkers – Walt Disney* Canary Row – Edward Selzer |
| The Heiress – Aaron Copland* Beyond the Forest – Max Steiner* Champion – Dimitri Tiomkin | On the Town – Roger Edens and Lennie Hayton* Jolson Sings Again – Morris Stoloff and George Duning* Look for the Silver Lining – Ray Heindorf |
| "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from Neptune's Daughter – Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser* "It's a Great Feeling" from It's a Great Feeling – Music by Jule Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn* "Lavender Blue" from So Dear to My Heart – Music by Eliot Daniel; Lyrics by Larry Morey* "My Foolish Heart" from My Foolish Heart – Music by Victor Young; Lyrics by Ned Washington* "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" from Come to the Stable – Music by Alfred Newman; Lyrics by Mack Gordon | Twelve O'Clock High – Thomas T. Moulton* Once More, My Darling – Leslie I. Carey* Sands of Iwo Jima – Daniel J. Bloomberg |
| The Heiress – Art Direction: John Meehan and Harry Horner; Set Decoration: Emile Kuri* Come to the Stable – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Joseph C. Wright; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Paul S. Fox* Madame Bovary – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Jack Martin Smith; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Richard Pefferle | Little Women – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Jack D. Moore* Adventures of Don Juan – Art Direction: Edward Carrere; Set Decoration: Lyle Reifsnider* Saraband for Dead Lovers – Art Direction and Set Direction: Jim Morahan, William Kellner and Michael Relph |
| Battleground – Paul C. Vogel* Champion – Franz Planer* Come to the Stable – Joseph LaShelle* The Heiress – Leo Tover* Prince of Foxes – Leon Shamroy | She Wore a Yellow Ribbon – Winton C. Hoch* The Barkleys of Broadway – Harry Stradling* Jolson Sings Again – William Snyder* Little Women – Robert Planck and Charles Schoenbaum* Sand – Charles G. Clarke |
| The Heiress – Edith Head and Gile Steele* Prince of Foxes – Vittorio Nino Novarese | Adventures of Don Juan – Leah Rhodes, Travilla and Marjorie Best* Mother Is a Freshman – Kay Nelson |
| Champion – Harry W. Gerstad* All the King's Men – Robert Parrish and Al Clark* Battleground – John Dunning* Sands of Iwo Jima – Richard L. Van Enger* The Window – Frederic Knudtson | Mighty Joe Young – ARKO Productions* Tulsa – Walter Wanger Pictures |