| year | Award winners | for the movie | Nominations | 
| 1941 | Black and white: George Barnes
 | Rebecca | Tony Gaudio for The Secret of Malampur Ernest Haller for Hell, Where's Your Victory?
 James Wong Howe for Abe Lincoln in Illinois
 Charles Lang for Arise, My Love
 Rudolph Maté for The Foreign
 Correspondent Harold Rosson for The Daredevil
 Joseph Ruttenberg for Her First Husband
 Gregg Toland for The Long Road to Cardiff
 Joseph A. Valentine for Spring Parade
 | 
| Color: Georges Périnal
 | The thief of Baghdad | Oliver T. Marsh and Allen M. Davey for Bitter Sweet Arthur C. Miller and Ray Rennahan for The Blue Bird
 Victor Milner and W. Howard Greene for Die Scharlachroten Reiter
 Leon Shamroy and Ray Rennahan for Galopp ins Glück
 Sidney Wagner and William V. Skall for Northwest Passage
 | 
| 1942 | Black and white: Arthur C. Miller
 | Breaking weather | Edward Cronjager for Adopted Glück Karl Freund for The Chocolate Soldier
 Charles Lang for Gun Smuggler by Kenya
 Rudolph Maté for Lord Nelson's Last Love
 Sol Polito for Sergeant York
 Joseph Ruttenberg for Doctor and Demon
 Gregg Toland for Citizen Kane
 Leo Tover for The Golden Gate
 Joseph Walker for Vacation from heaven
 | 
| Color: Ernest Palmer
 Ray Rennahan
 | King of the toreros | Wilfred M. Cline , Karl Struss and William E. Snyder for Aloma, the daughter of the South Seas Karl Freund and W. Howard Greene for Blossoms in the Dust
 Bert Glennon for Dive Bomber
 Harry Hallenberger and Ray Rennahan for Louisiana Purchase
 William V. Skall and Leonard Smith for The Last Bandit
 | 
| 1943 | Black and white: Joseph Ruttenberg
 | Mrs. Miniver | Charles G. Clarke for Night in the Harbor Stanley Cortez for The Splendor of the Amberson House
 Edward Cronjager for The Pied Piper
 James Wong Howe for Kings Row
 Rudolph Maté for The Great Throw
 John J. Mescall for Darling,
 Arthur C. Miller for This Above to dictate All
 Leon Shamroy for 10 lieutenants from West Point
 Ted Tetzlaff for witnessing the prosecution
 | 
| Color: Leon Shamroy
 | The pirate | Edward Cronjager and William V. Skall for To the Shores of Tripoli
 W. Howard Greene for The Jungle Book
 Milton R. Krasner , William V. Skall and W. Howard Greene
 for Arabian Nights
 Victor Milner and William V. Skall
 for Pirates in the Caribbean
 Sol Polito for heroes of the air
 | 
| 1944 | Black and white: Arthur C. Miller
 | The song of Bernadette | Arthur Edeson for Casablanca Tony Gaudio for Corvette K 225
 James Wong Howe , Elmer Dyer and Charles A. Marshall for Air Force
 James Wong Howe for The North Star
 Charles Lang for Brave Women
 Rudolph Maté for Sahara
 Joseph Ruttenberg for Madame Curie
 John F. Seitz for Five Graves to Cairo
 Harry Stradling Sr. for And Life Goes On
 | 
| Color: Hal Mohr
 W. Howard Greene
 | Phantom of the opera | Charles G. Clarke and Allen M. Davey for Hello Frisco, Hello Edward Cronjager for A Heavenly Sinner
 George J. Folsey for Thousands Cheer
 Ray Rennahan for Whom the Hour Strikes
 Leonard Smith for Homesick
 | 
| 1945 | Black and white: Joseph LaShelle
 | Laura | Stanley Cortez and Lee Garmes for As you said goodbye George J. Folsey for The White Cliffs of Dover
 Charles Lang for The Eerie Guest
 Lionel Lindon for The Path to Happiness
 Glen MacWilliams for The Lifeboat
 Joseph Ruttenberg for The House of Lady Alquist
 John F. Seitz for Woman Without a Conscience
 Robert Surtees and Harold Rosson for Thirty Seconds via Tokyo
 Sidney Wagner for Dragon Seed
 | 
| Color: Leon Shamroy
 | Wilson | Edward Cronjager for At Home in Indiana George J. Folsey for Meet Me in St. Louis
 Rudolph Maté and Allen M. Davey for The Goddess
 Ray Rennahan for Lady in the Dark
 Charles Rosher for Kismet
 | 
| 1946 | Black and White: Harry Stradling Sr.
 | The portrait of Dorian Gray | George Barnes for I fight for you Ernest Haller for As long as a heart beats
 Arthur C. Miller for Keys to Heaven
 John F. Seitz for The Lost Weekend
 | 
| Color: Leon Shamroy
 | mortal sin | George Barnes for The Anglerfish of Cartagena Tony Gaudio and Allen M. Davey for Polonaise
 Robert H. Planck and Charles P. Boyle for Hollywood Vacation
 Leonard Smith for Little Girl, Big Heart
 | 
| 1947 | Black and white: Arthur C. Miller
 | Anna and the King of Siam | George J. Folsey for The Legacy | 
| Color: Charles Rosher
 Leonard Smith
 Arthur E. Arling
 | The wilderness is calling | Joseph Walker for The Jazz Singer | 
| 1948 | Black and white: Guy Green
 | Mysterious inheritance | George J. Folsey for Typhoon Charles Lang for A Free-Feet Ghost
 | 
| Color: Jack Cardiff
 | The black daffodil | Harry Jackson for It Started at Schneider's Opera House ( Mother Wore Tights ) J. Peverell Marley and William V. Skall for Our Life With Father
 | 
| 1949 | Black and white: William H. Daniels
 | City without a mask | Joseph H. August for Jenny (Portrait of Jennie) Charles Lang for A Foreign Affair
 Ted D. McCord for Silent Lips
 Nicholas Musuraca for Mother's Secret
 | 
| Color: Joseph A. Valentine
 William V. Skall
 Winton C. High
 | Joan of Arc | Charles G. Clarke for Green Grass of Wyoming Robert H. Planck for The Three Musketeers
 William E. Snyder for Love Nights in Seville
 | 
| 1950 | Black and white: Paul Vogel
 | Cauldron battle | Joseph LaShelle for ... and heaven laughs at it Franz Planer for Between Women and Ropes
 Leon Shamroy for Prince of Foxes
 Leo Tover for The Heiress
 | 
| Color: Winton C. High
 | The devil captain | Charles G. Clarke for Sand Robert H. Planck and Charles Edgar Schoenbaum for Little Brave Jo
 William E. Snyder for Jolson Sings Again
 Harry Stradling Sr. for The Dancers from Broadway
 |