What Oscar category did the 2009 Star Trek film win?

The 2009 Star Trek film won the Oscar for Best Makeup.

At the 82nd Academy Awards, Star Trek was nominated in four categories: Best Makeup, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. It won Best Makeup, recognizing the work of Barney Burman, Mindy Hall, and Joel Harlow.

The makeup team helped establish the film’s updated visual identity, including the redesigned Romulans and the many alien species seen throughout the story. The production combined practical makeup, prosthetics, hair work, and digital effects to refresh familiar Star Trek species for J. J. Abrams’s alternate-timeline reboot.

The film’s other Oscar nominations are a frequent source of confusion because its sound design and visual effects were also prominently praised. However, Star Trek did not win Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, or Best Original Score. Its makeup victory was historically significant: it became the first Star Trek film to win an Academy Award.