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The 'Academy Award for Visual Effects' is an Oscar given to one film each year that shows highest achievement in visual effects.
The category was called Best Special Effects when it was created in 1939. In 1963, the category was split into two: Best Special Visual Effects and Best Sound Effects. In 1972, the Academy stopped giving out awards for Visual Effects and instead gave Special Achievement Awards. However, this only happened for a handful of years; the category soon became an annual competitive award. The category was changed again in 1996 when it became simply Best Visual Effects.
For a film to be nominated for this award, the effects artist must have created something not available for filming. For example, an entirely digital Empire State Building could not make a movie eligible, since one can easily film the building; on the other hand, a recreation of ancient Rome could, since it is impossible to film. However, movies are judged on the quality of all of their effects shots, not just one scene.
According to the official Academy Award rules, the criteria are:
"'(a)' consideration of the contribution the visual effects make to the overall production and
'(b)' the artistry, skill and fidelity with which the visual illusions are achieved."
Below is a list of films that have received an Oscar for Visual Effects (in 'bold' typeface) and the other nominees of the same year.

Contents

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

1930s

★ 1939 '''The Rains Came'''

★
★ ''Gone with the Wind''

★
★ ''Only Angels Have Wings''

★
★ ''The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex''

★
★ ''Topper Takes a Trip''

★
★ ''Union Pacific''

★
★ ''The Wizard of Oz''

1940s

★ 1940 '''The Thief of Bagdad'''

★
★ ''The Blue Bird''

★
★ ''Boom Town''

★
★ ''The Boys from Syracuse''

★
★ ''Dr. Cyclops''

★
★ ''Foreign Correspondent''

★
★ ''The Invisible Man Returns''

★
★ ''The Long Voyage Home''

★
★ ''One Million B.C.''

★
★ ''Rebecca''

★
★ ''The Sea Hawk''

★
★ ''Swiss Family Robinson''

★
★ ''Typhoon''

★
★ ''Women in War''

★ 1941 '''I Wanted Wings'''

★
★ ''Aloma of the South Seas''

★
★ ''Flight Command''

★
★ ''The Invisible Woman''

★
★ ''The Sea Wolf''

★
★ ''That Hamilton Woman''

★
★ ''Topper Returns''

★
★ ''Yank in the R.A.F.''

★ 1942 '''Reap the Wild Wind'''

★
★ ''The Black Swan''

★
★ ''Desperate Journey''

★
★ ''Flying Tigers''

★
★ ''Invisible Agent''

★
★ ''Jungle Book''

★
★ ''Mrs. Miniver''

★
★ ''The Navy Comes Through''

★
★ ''One of Our Aircraft is Missing''

★
★ ''Pride of the Yankees''

★ 1943 '''Crash Dive'''

★
★ ''Air Force''

★
★ ''Bombardier''

★
★ ''The North Star''

★
★ ''So Proudly We Hail!''

★
★ ''Stand by for Action''

★ 1944 '''Thirty Seconds over Tokyo'''

★
★ ''The Adventures of Mark Twain''

★
★ ''Days of Glory''

★
★ ''Secret Command''

★
★ ''Since You Went Away''

★
★ ''The Story of Dr. Wassell''

★
★ ''Wilson''

★ 1945 '''Wonder Man'''

★
★ ''Captain Eddie''

★
★ ''Spellbound''

★
★ ''They Were Expendable''

★
★ ''Thousand and One Nights''

★ 1946 '''Blithe Spirit'''

★
★ ''A Stolen Life''

★ 1947 '''Green Dolphin Street'''

★
★ ''Unconquered''

★ 1948 '''Portrait of Jennie'''

★
★ ''Deep Waters''

★ 1949 '''Mighty Joe Young'''

★
★ ''Tulsa''

1950s

★ 1950 '''Destination Moon'''

★
★ ''Samson and Delilah''

★ 1951 '''When Worlds Collide'''

★ 1952 '''Plymouth Adventure'''

★ 1953 '''The War of the Worlds'''

★ 1954 '''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'''

★
★ ''Hell and High Water''

★
★ ''Them!

★ 1955 '''The Bridges at Toko-Ri'''

★
★ ''The Dam Busters

★
★ ''The Rains of Ranchipur

★ 1956 '''The Ten Commandments'''

★
★ ''Forbidden Planet

★ 1957 '''The Enemy Below'''

★
★ ''The Spirit of St. Louis''

★ 1958 '''Tom thumb'''

★
★ ''Torpedo Run''

★ 1959 '''Ben-Hur'''

★
★ ''Journey to the Center of the Earth''

1960s

★ 1960 '''The Time Machine'''

★
★ ''The Last Voyage''

★ 1961 '''The Guns of Navarone'''

★
★ ''The Absent Minded Professor''

★ 1962 '''The Longest Day'''

★
★ ''Mutiny on the Bounty''

★ 1963 '''Cleopatra'''

★
★ ''The Birds

★ 1964 '''Mary Poppins'''

★
★ ''7 Faces of Dr. Lao''

★ 1965 '''Thunderball'''

★
★ ''The Greatest Story Ever Told

★ 1966 '''Fantastic Voyage'''

★
★ ''Hawaii

★ 1967 '''Doctor Dolittle'''

★
★ ''Tobruk''

★ 1968 ''''

★
★ ''Ice Station Zebra''

★ 1969 '''Marooned'''

★
★ ''Krakatoa, East of Java''

1970s

★ 1970 '''Tora! Tora! Tora!'''

★
★ ''Patton''

★ 1971 '''Bedknobs and Broomsticks'''

★
★ ''When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth''

★ 1972 ''The Poseidon Adventure'' (Special Achievement Award)

★ 1973 No award given

★ 1974 ''Earthquake'' (Special Achievement Award)

★ 1975 ''The Hindenburg'' (Special Achievement Award)

★ 1976 ''King Kong'' and ''Logan's Run'' (Special Achievement Awards)

★ 1977 ''''

★
★ ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind''

★ 1978 ''Superman: The Movie'' (Special Achievement Award)

★ 1979 '''Alien'''

★
★ ''1941''

★
★ ''The Black Hole''

★
★ ''Moonraker''

★
★ ''

1980s

★ 1980 '' (Special Achievement Award)

★ 1981 '''Raiders of the Lost Ark'''

★
★ ''Dragonslayer''

★ 1982 '''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'''

★
★ ''Blade Runner''

★
★ ''Poltergeist''

★ 1983 '' (Special Achievement Award)

★ 1984 '''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'''

★
★ ''

★
★ ''Ghostbusters''

★ 1985 '''Cocoon'''

★
★ ''Return to Oz''

★
★ ''Young Sherlock Holmes''

★ 1986 '''Aliens'''

★
★ ''Little Shop of Horrors''

★
★ ''Poltergeist II: The Other Side''

★ 1987 '''Innerspace'''

★
★ ''Predator''

★ 1988 '''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'''

★
★ ''Die Hard''

★
★ ''Willow''

★ 1989 '''The Abyss'''

★
★ ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen''

★
★ ''Back to the Future Part II''

1990s

★ 1990 ''Total Recall'' (Special Achievement Award)

★
★ ''Ghost (film)''

★
★ ''Back to the Future Part III''

★
★ ''Dick Tracy (film)''

★ 1991 ''''

★
★ ''Hook''

★
★ ''Backdraft''

★ 1992 '''Death Becomes Her'''

★
★ ''Alien³''

★
★ ''Batman Returns''

★ 1993 '''Jurassic Park'''

★
★ ''Cliffhanger''

★
★ ''The Nightmare Before Christmas''

★ 1994 '''Forrest Gump'''

★
★ ''The Mask''

★
★ ''True Lies''

★ 1995 '''Babe'''

★
★ ''Apollo 13''

★ 1996 '''Independence Day'''

★
★ ''Dragonheart

★
★ ''Twister''

★ 1997 '''Titanic'''

★
★ ''

★
★ ''Starship Troopers''

★ 1998 '''What Dreams May Come'''

★
★ ''Armageddon''

★
★ ''Mighty Joe Young''

★ 1999 '''The Matrix'''

★
★ ''

★
★ ''Stuart Little''

2000s

★ '2000 (73rd) ''Gladiator'''

★
★ ''Hollow Man''

★
★ ''The Perfect Storm''

★ '2001 (74th) '''

★
★ ''Artificial Intelligence: AI''

★
★ ''Pearl Harbor''

★ '2002 (75th) '''

★
★ ''Spider-Man''

★
★ ''

★ '2003 (76th) '''

★
★ ''

★
★ ''

★ '2004 (77th) ''Spider-Man 2'''

★
★ ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban''

★
★ ''I, Robot''

★ '2005 (78th) ''King Kong'''

★
★ ''

★
★ ''War of the Worlds''

★ '2006 (79th) '''

★
★ ''Poseidon''

★
★ ''Superman Returns''