Apple’s movie, F1, has been named the winner of the 2026 AMPS Award for Excellence in Sound for a Feature Film, as voted by members of the Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS).
Now in its 13th year, the AMPS Feature Film Sound Award is a respected, peer-voted honour, recognising excellence across the full scope of film sound. Over the past 12 years, AMPS winners have gone on to secure 11 BAFTAs and 8 Academy Awards.
F1 is one of only two titles this year, alongside Sinners, to receive Best Sound nominations from every major sound and awards body.
The award is presented to the film’s sound team: Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John AMPS and Dash Mason-Malik AMPS.
Gwendolyn Yates Whittle on behalf of the F1 sound team commented: “I shrieked in my car (I pulled over first) and went on an instant texting frenzy to let my fellow F1 crew know the fantastic news. So grateful to Joe Kosinski, our filmmakers and the artists at Skywalker Sound for unparalleled support through every pitstop and over every finish line. To be recognised by our peers at such a high level for our work on F1 is a humbling privilege. We are well chuffed to say the least!”
AMPS Chair George Foulgham said: “F1 is the worthy winner of this year’s AMPS Film Sound Award. The meticulous and exhaustive production sound recording, coupled with the detailed engineering of the incredible sound design, mixed with the driving force of Hans Zimmer’s score, creates a cinematic experience that takes the audience on a sonic ride they won’t forget”.
AMPS Vice Chair Kate Davis added: “I was blown away by the F1 soundtrack. The sound work delivers an extraordinary balance of excitement, emotion and realism, capturing the intensity of the sport while never losing sight of the human story. It’s an immersive experience that held me from start to finish.”
The AMPS Award for Excellence in Sound for a Feature Film honours outstanding contributions and collaborative efforts of the Production Sound Mixer, Supervising Dialogue/ADR Editor, Supervising Sound Editor or Sound Designer, and Re-recording Mixer, with the option to recognise a Key 1st Assistant Sound.
The AMPS Awards celebrate excellence in sound across five categories: Feature Films, Television Dramas, Factual Films, Production Audio Products and Post-Production Audio Products.
The awards are supported by Dolby Laboratories, Pinewood Group, Sennheiser, Deity Microphones, Bubblebee Industries and Raycom.
Jon Creamer
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