The Nikola Tesla Award is an honorary Satellite Award bestowed by the International Press Academy to recognize the "pioneers of filmmaking technology industry".[1] It was first presented on January 12, 2003, at the 7th Annual Golden Satellite Awards ceremony to George Lucas. Neil Corbould is the latest recipient as of 2023.
The trophy awarded to the honorees is a bust of inventor Nikola Tesla cast in bronze, on a marble base, inscribed for the recipient. It was designed by Sarajevan sculptor Dragan Radenović.[2]
| Year | Recipient | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | George Lucas | For a lifetime of visionary filmmaking achievement and his privately held company, Lucasfilm, continues to expand frontiers in the cinematic arts[1] |
| 2003 | James Cameron | For his stand-out effects and 3D lens innovations[1] |
| 2004 | Jerry Lewis | For introducing video-assist and video playback techniques, which have become industry standards[1] |
| 2005 | Stan Winston | For his special effects contributions to cinema[1] |
| 2006 | Richard Donner | For creating special effects on the 1978 film Superman that pre-dated contemporary computer-generated images[1] |
| 2007 | Dennis Muren | For his visual effects in films, especially with computer digital rendering and compositing[1] |
| 2008 | Rick Baker | For his innovative make-up, prosthetics, and creature effects in films[1] |
| 2009 | Roger Deakins | For his creative cinematography in films[1] |
| 2010 | Robert A. Harris | For his work as film preservationist and historian[1] |
| 2011 | Douglas Trumbull | For his film inventions and entrepreneurial work[3] |
| 2012 | Walter Murch | For award-winning sound design and editing in films[4] |
| 2013 | Garrett Brown | For visionary achievement in filmmaking technology[5] |
| 2014 | Industrial Light & Magic | For setting the standard for visual effects and creating some of the most stunning images in the history of film.[1] |
| 2015 | Robert Rutherford and Jonathan Miller (Hive Lighting) | For their energy efficient, full-spectrum, flicker-free plasma lighting systems.[1] |
| 2016 | John Toll | For setting a new bar in the future of digital filmmaking.[6] |
| 2017 | Robert Legato | For his deft atmospheric command of visual effects.[7] |
| 2018 | Kevin Baillie | For visionary achievement in filmmaking technology[1] |
| 2019 | Joe Letteri | For visionary achievement in filmmaking technology[8] |
| 2020 | Dick Pope | For visionary achievement in filmmaking technology[9] |
| 2021 | Joan Collins Carey | For visionary achievement in filmmaking technology |
| 2022 | Ryan Tudhope | For visionary achievement in filmmaking technology |
| 2023 | Neil Corbould | For visionary achievement in filmmaking technology |
