No woman has ever won the Oscar for Best Cinematography, but that just changed: as of the 2026 ceremony, exactly one woman has won.

Quick Scoop

  • For almost a century, the Academy Award for Best Cinematography was an all‑male winners’ club, with zero women winning the Oscar in this category.
  • Until very recently, only three women had ever even been nominated:
    • Rachel Morrison – “Mudbound” (2018)
* Ari Wegner – “The Power of the Dog” (2022)

* Mandy Walker – “Elvis” (2023)
  • In 2026, Autumn Durald Arkapaw won Best Cinematography for “Sinners,” becoming the first woman ever to win the Oscar in this category and the first woman of color nominated in it.

So, answering the question “how many women have won Best Cinematography?”:

  • Historically (up to 2025): zero women had won.
  • After the 2026 Oscars: one woman (Autumn Durald Arkapaw).

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.