| Jahr | Preisträger | Filmtitel | Deutscher Titel |
| 1955 | S. J. Perelman* | Around the World in 80 Days | In 80 Tagen um die Welt |
| 1957 | Preis nicht vergeben |
| 1958 | Harold Jacob Smith* Nedrick Young* | The Defiant Ones | Flucht in Ketten |
| 1959 | Wendell Mayes | Anatomy of a Murder | Anatomie eines Mordes |
| 1960 | I. A. L. Diamond* Billy Wilder* | The Apartment | Das Appartement |
| 1961[1] | Abby Mann* | Judgment at Nuremberg | Urteil von Nürnberg |
| 1962 | Preis nicht vergeben |
| 1963[2] | Harriet Frank Jr. Irving Ravetch | Hud | Der Wildeste unter Tausend |
| 1964 | Harold Pinter | The Servant | Der Diener |
| 1965 | Preis nicht vergeben |
| 1966 | Robert Bolt* | A Man for All Seasons | Ein Mann zu jeder Jahreszeit |
| 1967 | Robert Benton David Newman | Bonnie and Clyde | Bonnie und Clyde |
| 1968 | Lorenzo Semple junior | Pretty Poison | Der Engel mit der Mörderhand |
| 1969 | Larry Tucker Paul Mazursky | Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice | Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice |
| 1970 | Éric Rohmer | Ma nuit chez Maud | Meine Nacht bei Maud |
| 1971 | Peter Bogdanovich Larry McMurtry | The Last Picture Show | Die letzte Vorstellung |
| Penelope Gilliatt | Sunday Bloody Sunday | Sunday, Bloody Sunday |
| 1972 | Ingmar Bergman | Viskningar och rop | Schreie und Flüstern |
| 1973 | George Lucas Gloria Katz Willard Huyck | American Graffiti | American Graffiti |
| 1974 | Ingmar Bergman | Scener ur ett äktenskap | Szenen einer Ehe |
| 1975 | François Truffaut Jean Gruault Suzanne Schiffman | L’Histoire d’Adèle H. | Die Geschichte der Adèle H. |
| 1976 | Paddy Chayefsky* | Network | Network |
| 1977 | Woody Allen* Marshall Brickman* | Annie Hall | Der Stadtneurotiker |
| 1978 | Paul Mazursky | An Unmarried Woman | Eine entheiratete Frau |
| 1979 | Steve Tesich* | Breaking Away | Vier irre Typen – Wir schaffen alle, uns schafft keiner |
| 1980 | Bo Goldman* | Melvin and Howard | Melvin und Howard |
| 1981 | John Guare | Atlantic City | Atlantic City, USA |
| 1982 | Larry Gelbart Murray Schisgal | Tootsie | Tootsie |
| 1983 | Bill Forsyth | Local Hero | Local Hero |
| 1984 | Robert Benton* | Places in the Heart | Ein Platz im Herzen |
| 1985 | Woody Allen | The Purple Rose of Cairo | The Purple Rose of Cairo |
| 1986 | Hanif Kureishi | My Beautiful Laundrette | Mein wunderbarer Waschsalon |
| 1987 | James L. Brooks | Broadcast News | Nachrichtenfieber – Broadcast News |
| 1988 | Ron Shelton | Bull Durham | Annies Männer |
| 1989 | Gus Van Sant Daniel Yost | Drugstore Cowboy | Drugstore Cowboy |
| 1990 | Ruth Prawer Jhabvala | Mr. & Mrs. Bridge | Mr. & Mrs. Bridge |
| 1991 | David Cronenberg | Naked Lunch | Naked Lunch |
| 1992 | Neil Jordan* | The Crying Game | The Crying Game |
| 1993 | Jane Campion* | The Piano | Das Piano |
| 1994 | Quentin Tarantino* Roger Avary* | Pulp Fiction | Pulp Fiction |
| 1995 | Emma Thompson* | Sense and Sensibility | Sinn und Sinnlichkeit |
| 1996 | Albert Brooks Monica Johnson | Mother | Mother |
| 1997 | Curtis Hanson* Brian Helgeland* | L.A. Confidential | L.A. Confidential |
| 1998 | Marc Norman* Tom Stoppard* | Shakespeare in Love | Shakespeare in Love |
| 1999 | Alexander Payne Jim Taylor | Election | Election |
| 2000 | Kenneth Lonergan | You Can Count on Me | You Can Count on Me |
| 2001 | Julian Fellowes* | Gosford Park | Gosford Park |
| 2002 | Charlie Kaufman Donald Kaufman[3] | Adaptation. | Adaption – Der Orchideen-Dieb |
| 2003 | Craig Lucas | The Secret Lives of Dentists | nicht bekannt |
| 2004 | Alexander Payne* Jim Taylor* | Sideways | Sideways |
| 2005 | Noah Baumbach | The Squid and the Whale | Der Tintenfisch und der Wal |
| 2006 | Peter Morgan | The Queen | Die Queen |
| 2007 | Ethan Coen* Joel Coen* | No Country for Old Men | No Country for Old Men |
| 2008 | Jenny Lumet | Rachel Getting Married | Rachels Hochzeit |
| 2009 | Jesse Armstrong Simon Blackwell Armando Iannucci Tony Roche | In the Loop | Kabinett außer Kontrolle |
| 2010 | Lisa Cholodenko Stuart Blumberg | The Kids Are All Right | The Kids Are All Right |
| 2011 | Aaron Sorkin Steven Zaillian | Moneyball | Die Kunst zu gewinnen – Moneyball |
| 2012 | Tony Kushner | Lincoln | Lincoln |
| 2013 | Eric Singer David O. Russell | American Hustle | American Hustle |
| 2014 | Wes Anderson | The Grand Budapest Hotel | Grand Budapest Hotel |
| 2015 | Phyllis Nagy | Carol | Carol |
| 2016 | Kenneth Lonergan* | Manchester by the Sea | Manchester by the Sea |
| 2017 | Paul Thomas Anderson | Phantom Thread | Der seidene Faden |
| 2018 | Paul Schrader | First Reformed | nicht bekannt |
| 2019 | Quentin Tarantino | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood |
| 2020 | Eliza Hittman | Never Rarely Sometimes Always | Niemals Selten Manchmal Immer |
| 2021 | Paul Thomas Anderson | Licorice Pizza | Licorice Pizza |
| 2022 | Martin McDonagh | The Banshees of Inisherin | The Banshees of Inisherin |