This is the list of awards and nominations received by the Coen brothers (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen).
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen have received numerous accolades including four Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Directors Guild of America Award, three Critics' Choice Awards, and four Independent Spirit Awards as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Together they have each been nominated for a total of fourteen Academy Awards (twice under their alias “Roderick Jaynes”) and have won four, including two for screenwriting (Best Original Screenplay for Fargo and Best Adapted Screenplay for No Country for Old Men), one for Best Director (No Country for Old Men), and one for Best Picture (No Country for Old Men). Twelve of their nominations were joint, but each received an individual nomination for Fargo (Joel for Best Director and Ethan for Best Picture) – thus the brothers have fifteen combined nominations.
They are two of only fourteen filmmakers with three Oscars for the same film. The others are James L. Brooks for Terms of Endearment (1983), James Cameron for Titanic (1997), Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather Part II (1974), Alejandro G. Iñárritu for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Billy Wilder for The Apartment (1960), Alfonso Cuarón for Roma (2018), Bong Joon-ho for Parasite (2019) (Cuarón and Bong's films both won Best International Feature Film), Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), Sean Baker for Anora (2024), and Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another (2025).
Major associations
Academy Awards
Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.1997Best Picture (Ethan)Fargo Best Director (Joel) Best Original Screenplay Best Film Editing (as Roderick Jaynes) 2001Best Adapted Screenplay O Brother, Where Art Thou?2008Best PictureNo Country for Old MenBest DirectorBest Adapted ScreenplayBest Film Editing (as Roderick Jaynes) 2010Best PictureA Serious ManBest Original Screenplay2011 Best PictureTrue Grit Best Director Best Adapted Screenplay 2016 Best Original Screenplay Bridge of Spies 2019 Best Adapted Screenplay The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1997Best Film (Ethan) Fargo Best Direction (Joel) Best Original Screenplay Best Editing (as Roderick Jaynes) 2001 Best Original Screenplay O Brother, Where Art Thou?2008Best Film No Country for Old Men Best Direction Best Adapted Screenplay Best Editing (as Roderick Jaynes) 2009 Best Original Screenplay Burn After Reading 2010 Best Original Screenplay A Serious Man 2011 Best FilmTrue Grit Best Adapted Screenplay 2014Best Original Screenplay Inside Llewyn Davis 2016 Bridge of Spies
Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.2016Outstanding Limited Series Fargo (season 2) 2017 Fargo (season 3) 2024 Fargo (season 5)
Golden Globe Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.1997Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Ethan)Fargo Best Director (Joel) Best Screenplay 2001Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Ethan) O Brother, Where Art Thou?2002 Best Motion Picture – DramaThe Man Who Wasn't There Best Screenplay2008 Best Motion Picture – DramaNo Country for Old Men Best Director Best Screenplay 2009 Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Burn After Reading2014 Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Inside Llewyn Davis Best Original Song "Please Mr. Kennedy", Inside Llewyn Davis
Guild awards Directors Guild of America Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1996Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion PicturesFargo (Joel)2007No Country for Old Men
Producers Guild of America Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2007 Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures No Country for Old Men 2010 True Grit 2014 Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television Fargo 2016 2018
Writers Guild of America Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1996Best Original ScreenplayFargo2001The Man Who Wasn't There2007 Best Adapted ScreenplayNo Country for Old Men2008Best Original ScreenplayBurn After Reading2010 Best Adapted ScreenplayTrue Grit2011Best Original ScreenplayA Serious Man2015Bridge of Spies
Miscellaneous accolades Critics Choice Movie Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.1996Best Picture (Ethan)FargoBest Director (Joel)Best Screenplay2001 Best Picture (Ethan)The Man Who Wasn't There Best Screenplay2007Best Picture No Country for Old Men Best Director Best Screenplay2008 Best Comedy Burn After Reading 2009 Best PictureA Serious Man Best Screenplay2010 Best PictureTrue Grit Best Director Best Screenplay 2013 Best Picture Inside Llewyn Davis Best Screenplay2016 Best Comedy Hail, Caesar!
Independent Spirit Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.1985Best Director (Joel)Blood SimpleBest Screenplay1996Best Director (Joel)FargoBest Screenplay2009Best DirectorA Serious ManRobert Altman Award 2013Best FeatureInside Llewyn Davis
Saturn Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1996 Best Director (Joel)Fargo Best Action or Adventure Film 2001 Best Action or Adventure Film The Man Who Wasn't There2007 Best Action or Adventure FilmNo Country for Old Men Best Writing2010 Best Action or Adventure Film True Grit2013 Best Independent FilmInside Llewyn Davis Best Writing
Festival awards
Cannes Film Festival Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.1991 Palme d'OrBarton Fink Best Director (Joel Coen) 1994 Palme d'Or The Hudsucker Proxy 1996 Palme d'OrFargo Best Director (Joel Coen) 2000 Palme d'Or O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2001 Palme d'OrThe Man Who Wasn't There Best Director (Joel Coen) 2004 Palme d'Or The Ladykillers 2007 Palme d'Or No Country for Old Men 2013 Palme d'OrInside Llewyn Davis Grand Prix
Venice Film Festival Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.2018 Golden LionThe Ballad of Buster Scruggs Golden Osella for Best Screenplay
Critics associations National Board of Review Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1996 Best Director Fargo 2007 Best FilmNo Country for Old Men Best Adapted Screenplay 2009 Best Original Screenplay A Serious Man 2013 Best Original Screenplay Inside Llewyn Davis
National Society of Film Critics Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1988 Best Screenplay Raising Arizona 2007 Best Director No Country for Old Men 2009 Best Screenplay A Serious Man 2013 Best FilmInside Llewyn Davis Best Director Best Screenplay
New York Film Critics Circle Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 2007 Best DirectorNo Country for Old Men Best Screenplay
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1996 Best DirectorFargo Best Screenplay
London Film Critics Circle Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1996 Director of the YearFargo Screenwriter of the Year 2000Screenwriter of the Year O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2001 The Man Who Wasn't There 2007 Director of the YearNo Country for Old Men Screenwriter of the Year 2010 Director of the YearTrue Grit Screenwriter of the Year 2013 Screenwriter of the Year Inside Llewyn Davis
Chicago Film Critics Association Year Category Nominated work Result Ref. 1991 Best Screenplay Miller's Crossing 1992 Best DirectorBarton Fink Best Screenplay 1997 Best DirectorFargo Best Screenplay 2007 Best DirectorNo Country for Old Men Best Adapted Screenplay 2009 Best DirectorA Serious Man Best Original Screenplay 2010 Best Adapted Screenplay True Grit 2013 Best DirectorInside Llewyn Davis Best Original Screenplay 2015 Best Original Screenplay Bridge of Spies
References