The organization has previously issued rankings of the top 100 movies, top 100 stars, and top 100 cinematic thrills, among other lists.

AFI has distributed a ballot with 250 nominated scores to 500 composers, musicians, critics, historians, and film-industry figures. Each will vote for up to 250 scores, including up to five write-ins.

Among the nominees are Duke Ellington's Anatomy of a Murder score, Mikl‹s R‹zsa's Ben-Hur score, Isaac Hayes' Shaft score, and John Williams' Star Wars score. Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, Alfred Newman, R‹zsa, Max Steiner, Franz Waxman, and Williams are each nominated 11 times. Other composers receiving multiple nominations include Bernard Herrmann and Erich Wolfgang Korngold.