| Best Motion Picture | Best Director |
| George Stevens – A Place in the Sun*John Huston – The African Queen*Vincente Minnelli – An American in Paris*William Wyler – Detective Story*Elia Kazan – A Streetcar Named Desire |
| Best Actor | Best Actress |
| Humphrey Bogart – The African Queen as Charlie Allnut*Marlon Brando – A Streetcar Named Desire as Stanley Kowalski*Montgomery Clift – A Place in the Sun as George Eastman*Arthur Kennedy – Bright Victory as Larry Nevins*Fredric March – Death of a Salesman as Willy Loman | Vivien Leigh – A Streetcar Named Desire as Blanche Dubois*Katharine Hepburn – The African Queen as Rose Sayer*Eleanor Parker – Detective Story as Mary McLeod*Shelley Winters – A Place in the Sun as Alice Tripp*Jane Wyman – The Blue Veil as LouLou Mason |
| Best Supporting Actor | Best Supporting Actress |
| Karl Malden – A Streetcar Named Desire as Harold "Mitch" Mitchell*Leo Genn – Quo Vadis as Petronius*Kevin McCarthy – Death of a Salesman as Biff Loman*Peter Ustinov – Quo Vadis as Nero*Gig Young – Come Fill the Cup as Boyd Copeland | Kim Hunter – A Streetcar Named Desire as Stella Kowalski*Joan Blondell – The Blue Veil as Annie Rawlins*Mildred Dunnock – Death of a Salesman as Linda Loman*Lee Grant – Detective Story as Shoplifter*Thelma Ritter – The Mating Season as Ellen McNulty |
| Best Story and Screenplay | Best Screenplay |
| An American in Paris – Alan Jay Lerner*Ace in the Hole – Billy Wilder, Lesser Samuels and Walter Newman*David and Bathsheba – Philip Dunne*Go for Broke! – Robert Pirosh*The Well – Clarence Greene and Russell Rouse | A Place in the Sun – Michael Wilson and Harry Brown from An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser*The African Queen – James Agee and John Huston from The African Queen by C. S. Forester*Detective Story – Philip Yordan and Robert Wyler from Detective Story by Sidney Kingsley*La Ronde – Jacques Natanson and Max Ophüls from Reigen by Arthur Schnitzler*A Streetcar Named Desire – Tennessee Williams from A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams |
| Best Story | Best Short Subject – Cartoons |
| Seven Days to Noon – Paul Dehn and James Bernard*Bullfighter and the Lady – Budd Boetticher and Ray Nazarro*The Frogmen – Oscar Millard*Here Comes the Groom – Robert Riskin and Liam O'Brien*Teresa – Alfred Hayes and Stewart Stern | The Two Mouseketeers*Lambert the Sheepish Lion*Rooty Toot Toot |
| Best Documentary Feature | Best Documentary Short Subject |
| Kon-Tiki*I Was a Communist for the FBI | Benjy*One Who Came Back*The Seeing Eye |
| Best Live Action Short Subject, One-Reel | Best Live Action Short Subject, Two-Reel |
| World of Kids*Ridin' the Rails*The Story of Time | Nature's Half Acre*Balzac*Danger Under the Sea |
| Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture |
| A Place in the Sun – Franz Waxman*David and Bathsheba – Alfred Newman*Death of a Salesman – Alex North*Quo Vadis – Miklós Rózsa*A Streetcar Named Desire – Alex North | An American in Paris – Johnny Green and Saul Chaplin*Alice in Wonderland – Oliver Wallace*The Great Caruso – Peter Herman Adler and Johnny Green*On the Riviera – Alfred Newman*Show Boat – Adolph Deutsch and Conrad Salinger |
| Best Song | Best Sound Recording |
| "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" from Here Comes the Groom – Music by Hoagy Carmichael; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer*"A Kiss to Build a Dream On" from The Strip – Music and Lyrics by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby and Oscar Hammerstein II*"Never" from Golden Girl – Music by Lionel Newman; Lyrics by Eliot Daniel*"Too Late Now" from Royal Wedding – Music by Burton Lane; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner*"Wonder Why" from Rich, Young and Pretty – Music by Nicholas Brodszky; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn | The Great Caruso – Douglas Shearer*Bright Victory – Leslie I. Carey*I Want You – Gordon E. Sawyer*A Streetcar Named Desire – Nathan Levinson*Two Tickets to Broadway – John O. Aalberg |
| Best Art Direction, Black-and-White | Best Art Direction, Color |
| A Streetcar Named Desire – Art Direction: Richard Day; Set Decoration: George James Hopkins*Fourteen Hours – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Leland Fuller; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Fred J. Rode*The House on Telegraph Hill – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and John DeCuir; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Paul S. Fox*La Ronde – Art Direction and Set Decoration: D'Eaubonne*Too Young to Kiss – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and Jack D. Moore | An American in Paris – Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons and E. Preston Ames; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis and F. Keogh Gleason*David and Bathsheba – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and George Davis; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Paul S. Fox*On the Riviera – Art Direction: Lyle R. Wheeler and Leland Fuller; Set Decoration: Thomas Little and Walter M. Scott; Musical Settings: Joseph C. Wright*Quo Vadis – Art Direction: William A. Horning, Cedric Gibbons and Edward Carfagno; Set Decoration: Hugh Hunt*Tales of Hoffmann – Art Direction and Set Decoration: Hein Heckroth |
| Best Cinematography, Black-and-White | Best Cinematography, Color |
| A Place in the Sun – William C. Mellor*Death of a Salesman – Franz Planer*The Frogmen – Norbert Brodine*Strangers on a Train – Robert Burks*A Streetcar Named Desire – Harry Stradling | An American in Paris – Alfred Gilks; Ballet Photography by John Alton*David and Bathsheba – Leon Shamroy*Quo Vadis – Robert Surtees and William V. Skall*Show Boat – Charles Rosher*When Worlds Collide – John F. Seitz and W. Howard Greene |
| Best Costume Design, Black-and-White | Best Costume Design, Color |
| A Place in the Sun – Edith Head*Kind Lady – Walter Plunkett and Gile Steele *The Model and the Marriage Broker – Charles LeMaire and Renié*The Mudlark – Edward Stevenson and Margaret Furse*A Streetcar Named Desire – Lucinda Ballard | An American in Paris – Orry-Kelly, Walter Plunkett and Irene Sharaff*David and Bathsheba – Charles LeMaire and Edward Stevenson*The Great Caruso – Helen Rose and Gile Steele *Quo Vadis – Herschel McCoy*Tales of Hoffmann – Hein Heckroth |
| Best Film Editing | - |
| A Place in the Sun – William Hornbeck*An American in Paris – Adrienne Fazan*Decision Before Dawn – Dorothy Spencer*Quo Vadis – Ralph E. Winters*The Well – Chester Schaeffer | - |
