The World Soundtrack Academy (WSA, or World Soundtrack Awards), launched in 2001 by the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent

Flanders International Film Festival Ghent

The Flanders International Film Festival Ghent was created in 1974. It takes place every year in October. The film festival is famous for its focus on film music, with the World Soundtrack Awards as the highlight.-Grand Prix for Best Film:...

, is aimed at organizing and overseeing the educational, cultural and professional aspects of the art of film music, including the preservation of the history of the soundtrack and its worldwide promotion. The event takes place yearly in Ghent

Ghent

Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 with the ceremony usually at the Bijloke Concert Hall.

Main Awards

The three main categories are:

• Soundtrack Composer of the Year
  World Soundtrack Award for Soundtrack Composer of the Year
  The WS Award for Soundtrack Composer of the Year is one of the three main prizes given by the World Soundtrack Academy to honour the best movie soundtracks and the people who work on them.-Winners and nominees:...
  
  
• Best Original Score of the Year
  World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Soundtrack of the Year
  The WS Award for Best Original Soundtrack of the Year is one of the three main prizes given by the World Soundtrack Academy to honour the best movie soundtracks.-Winners and nominees:...
  
  
• Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film
  World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film
  The World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film is one of the three main prizes given by the World Soundtrack Academy to honour the best movie soundtracks...
  
  

Other awards

• Discovery of the Year
  World Soundtrack Award for Discovery of the Year
  Discovery of the Year is an award handed out yearly at the World Soundtrack Awards to commemorate an excellent piece of musical work in the field of TV and movie soundtracks that seemed to come out of nowhere, hence the title of the award. It has been handed out since the World Soundtrack Awards'...
  
  
• Public Choice Award
  World Soundtrack Award - Public Choice
  The Public Choice Award is an award chosen by the general public at the World Soundtrack Awards. Each year, the general public votes for the best original score of the year. Like a lot of awards like this, the general public's opinion is sometimes shared with the academy and sometimes far from it...
  
   (2001–2002, 2004-)
• Lifetime Achievement Award
  World Soundtrack Award - Lifetime Achievement
  The Lifetime Achievement Award is an award given each year at the World Soundtrack Awards. Like other awards at other award academies, this award recognizes lifetime dedication and excellence in a specific field, in this case TV and film score...
  
  
• Best Young Belgian Composer
  World Soundtrack Award - Best Young Belgian Composer
  The award for Best Young Belgian Composer is an award given each year at the World Soundtrack Awards. It is given out to commemorate achievement in young Belgian composers...
  
  
• Major Contribution to the Art of Film Music and Sound
  World Soundtrack Award for Major Contribution to the Art of Film Music and Sound
  The award for Major Contribution to the Art of Film Music and Sound is a very special award that has been handed out only once since the Awards' 2001 debut. It is still considered an official category by the World Soundtrack Academy, so more awards could be handed out in the future...
  
   (handed out occasionally)
• Most Creative Use of Existing Material on a Soundtrack
  World Soundtrack Award for Most Creative Use of Existing Material on a Soundtrack
  The award for Most Creative Use of Existing Material on a Soundtrack was an award for the World Soundtrack Awards. It was only used once, in 2001. It's unknown why the award was quickly retired. The one year it was given out, there were no other nominees, just a winner.-Winners:*2001: Moulin Rouge!...
  
   (2001)
• Best Original Score of the Year Not Released on an Album
  World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Score of the Year Not Released on an Album
  Best Original Score of the Year Not Released on an Album is the second of two categories at the World Soundtrack Awards that were retired after just one use. It was only used once, in 2001. It's unknown why the award was quickly retired...
  
  (2001)