Academy Award Nominations and Winners: |
| Best Director: Steven Spielberg |
| Best Suppporting Actress: Melinda Dillon |
★ | Best Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond |
| Best Art Direction: Joe Alves; Daniel A. Lomino and Phil Abramson |
| Best Film Editing: Michael Kahn |
| Best Original Score: John Williams |
| Best Sound: Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don MacDougall, Gene S. Cantamessa |
| Best Visual Effects: Roy Arbogast, Douglas Trumbull, Matthew Yuricich, Gregory Jein, and Richard Yuricich |
★ | Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects Editing: Frank E. Warner |
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Golden Globe Nominations: |
| Best Picture (Drama) |
| Best Director: Steven Spielberg |
| Best Screenplay: Steven Spielberg |
| Best Original Score: John Williams |
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Other Awards: |
| National Board of Review: Special Citation for Special Effects |
| British Academy Awards (BAFTAs): Best Art Direction |