The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film, introduced as a competitive category in 1943 at the 15th Academy Awards is presented annually for the best achievement in filmmaking of a feature length documentary of the previous year.
In 1942 at the 14th Academy Awards the first awards for this category were bestowed as Special Awards. No award was given at the 19th Academy Awards. For it's inaugural year as a competitive category no distinction was made between features and shorts, resulting in four special awards being bestowed among the 25 nominees.
Sorted Chronologically by Awards Year. Winners in BOLD. Acceptance speech linked in Notes (where available).
UPDATED: May 2026
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AWARD RECORDS:
Most Awards: Arthur Cohn (3)
Most Nominations: Arthur Cohn (4)
Most Nominations Without a Win: Signe Byrge Sørensen & Wim Wenders (3)
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CATEGORY NAME HISTORY:
1943: Documentary
1944–2022: Documentary (Feature)
2023–Present: Documentary Feature Film
