Every Oscars Best Adapted Screenplay winner

26 ceremonies, 2000–2025. 26 different winners.

One band per year, because no winner here has ever gone back-to-back. Colored by distributor; scroll sideways for the full run.

John Irving'00

Stephen Gaghan'01

Akiva Goldsman'02

Ronald Harwood'03

Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson'04

Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor'05

Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana'06

William Monahan'07

Joel Coen & Ethan Coen'08

Simon Beaufoy'09

Geoffrey Fletcher'10

Aaron Sorkin'11

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash'12

Chris Terrio'13

John Ridley'14

Graham Moore'15

Charles Randolph & Adam McKay'16

Barry Jenkins & Tarell Alvin McCraney'17

James Ivory'18

Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee'19

Taika Waititi'20

Christopher Hampton & Florian Zeller'21

Siân Heder'22

Sarah Polley'23

Cord Jefferson'24

Peter Straughan'25

Wins by distributor

Searchlight5Universal5Sony3Warner Bros.3Miramax2A241Other7

Who kept losing

Counting nominations in this category only, 2000–2025.

Most nominated, never won

Anthony McCarten2 noms
David Hare2 noms
David Magee2 noms
Nick Hornby2 noms
Paul Thomas Anderson2 noms

Most losses

Joel Coen & Ethan Coen3L · 1W
Anthony McCarten2L · 0W
David Hare2L · 0W
David Magee2L · 0W
Nick Hornby2L · 0W
Paul Thomas Anderson2L · 0W

The full list

Year	Winner	Distributor
2025	Peter Straughan (Conclave) beat 4 others James Mangold & Jay Cocks (A Complete Unknown) Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius & Nicolas Livecchi (Emilia Pérez) RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes (Nickel Boys) Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin & John "Divine G" Whitfield (Sing Sing)	Focus Features
2024	Cord Jefferson (American Fiction) beat 4 others Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach (Barbie) Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer) Tony McNamara (Poor Things) Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest)	Amazon MGM Studios
2023	Sarah Polley (Women Talking) beat 4 others Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell (All Quiet on the Western Front) Rian Johnson (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) Kazuo Ishiguro (Living) Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Peter Craig & Justin Marks (Top Gun: Maverick)	United Artists Releasing
2022	Siân Heder (CODA) beat 4 others Ryusuke Hamaguchi & Takamasa Oe (Drive My Car) Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve & Eric Roth (Dune) Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter) Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)	Apple TV+
2021	Christopher Hampton & Florian Zeller (The Father) beat 4 others Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman, Lee Kern & Nina Pedrad (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami...) Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger)	Sony Pictures Classics
2020	Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) beat 4 others Steven Zaillian (The Irishman) Todd Phillips & Scott Silver (Joker) Greta Gerwig (Little Women) Anthony McCarten (The Two Popes)	Fox Searchlight Pictures
2019	Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman) beat 4 others Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) Nicole Holofcener & Jeff Whitty (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk) Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters (A Star Is Born)	Focus Features
2018	James Ivory (Call Me by Your Name) beat 4 others Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (The Disaster Artist) Scott Frank, James Mangold & Michael Green (Logan) Aaron Sorkin (Molly's Game) Virgil Williams & Dee Rees (Mudbound)	Sony Pictures Classics
2017	Barry Jenkins & Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight) beat 4 others Eric Heisserer (Arrival) August Wilson (Fences) Allison Schroeder & Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures) Luke Davies (Lion)	A24
2016	Charles Randolph & Adam McKay (The Big Short) beat 4 others Nick Hornby (Brooklyn) Phyllis Nagy (Carol) Drew Goddard (The Martian) Emma Donoghue (Room)	Paramount Pictures
2015	Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) beat 4 others Jason Hall (American Sniper) Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice) Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything) Damien Chazelle (Whiplash)	The Weinstein Company
2014	John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) beat 4 others Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke (Before Midnight) Billy Ray (Captain Phillips) Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope (Philomena) Terence Winter (The Wolf of Wall Street)	Fox Searchlight Pictures
2013	Chris Terrio (Argo) beat 4 others Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild) David Magee (Life of Pi) Tony Kushner (Lincoln) David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)	Warner Bros.
2012	Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash (The Descendants) beat 4 others John Logan (Hugo) George Clooney, Grant Heslov & Beau Willimon (The Ides of March) Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin & Stan Chervin (Moneyball) Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)	Fox Searchlight Pictures
2011	Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) beat 4 others Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours) Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (True Grit) Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini (Winter's Bone)	Columbia Pictures
2010	Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious) beat 4 others Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell (District 9) Nick Hornby (An Education) Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche (In the Loop) Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air)	Lionsgate
2009	Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) beat 4 others Eric Roth & Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) John Patrick Shanley (Doubt) Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) David Hare (The Reader)	Fox Searchlight Pictures
2008	Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men) beat 4 others Christopher Hampton (Atonement) Sarah Polley (Away from Her) Ronald Harwood (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)	Miramax
2007	William Monahan (The Departed) beat 4 others Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer & Todd Phillips (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan) Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby (Children of Men) Todd Field & Tom Perrotta (Little Children) Patrick Marber (Notes on a Scandal)	Warner Bros.
2006	Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana (Brokeback Mountain) beat 4 others Dan Futterman (Capote) Jeffrey Caine (The Constant Gardener) Josh Olson (A History of Violence) Tony Kushner & Eric Roth (Munich)	Focus Features
2005	Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor (Sideways) beat 4 others Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater & Kim Krizan (Before Sunset) David Magee (Finding Neverland) Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby) José Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries)	Fox Searchlight Pictures
2004	Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) beat 4 others Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini (American Splendor) Bráulio Mantovani (City of God) Brian Helgeland (Mystic River) Gary Ross (Seabiscuit)	New Line Cinema
2003	Ronald Harwood (The Pianist) beat 4 others Peter Hedges, Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz (About a Boy) Charlie Kaufman & Donald Kaufman (Adaptation) Bill Condon (Chicago) David Hare (The Hours)	Focus Features
2002	Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) beat 4 others Daniel Clowes & Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World) Rob Festinger & Todd Field (In the Bedroom) Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) Ted Elliott, Roger S. H. Schulman, Joe Stillman & Terry Rossio (Shrek)	Universal Pictures
2001	Stephen Gaghan (Traffic) beat 4 others Robert Nelson Jacobs (Chocolat) Wang Hui-ling, James Schamus & Kuo Jung Tsai (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) Steve Kloves (Wonder Boys)	USA Films
2000	John Irving (The Cider House Rules) beat 4 others Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor (Election) Frank Darabont (The Green Mile) Michael Mann & Eric Roth (The Insider) Anthony Minghella (The Talented Mr. Ripley)	Miramax

More Oscars categories

Picture Director Actor Actress Supp. Actor Supp. Actress Orig. Screenplay Browse the full show

Call next year’s winner before your friends do

You’ve seen the whole history. Now put a pick on the record and run a live pool when the Oscars come back around.

Start a free party