Sir Paul McCartney is an English songwriter, musician and composer. He has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, 19 Grammy Awards, and a Emmy Award. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 and was awarded the French Legion of Honour in 2017. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and honored with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and Kennedy Center Honors in 2010, and Rolling Stone listed him as one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
As a member of The Beatles, his songwriting partnership with John Lennon produced "some of the most popular music in rock and roll history". In 1965, they won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and Best Performance by a Vocal Group for A Hard Day's Night. They won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "Michelle" in 1967 and the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for their eighth studio album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1968. They won the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for Let It Be in 1971.
As a member of Wings, he won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Band on the Run" in 1975 and the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Rockestra Theme" in 1980. As a solo artist, he won Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Kisses on the Bottom in 2013, and the Best Rock Song for "Cut Me Some Slack" in 2014.
For film, as part of the Beatles, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for Let It Be from the 1970 film of the same name. He was further Oscar-nominated for Live and Let Die from the 1973 film of the same name and Vanilla Sky from the 2001 film of the same name. He received three nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "No More Lonely Nights" from Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984), "Vanilla Sky" from the 2001 film of the same name, and "(I Want to) Come Home" from Everybody's Fine (2009).
On television, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series for Disney+ documentary miniseries The Beatles: Get Back (2021). He was previously Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Classical Music-Dance Program for Paul McCartney's Standing Stone (1989) and Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special for the concert special Paul McCartney in Red Square (2005).
In addition to his 19 Grammy wins, McCartney received the academy's MusiCares Person of the Year award in 2012. McCartney was honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award twice. The first in 1990 for his solo work and then with The Beatles in 2014. The Beatles were also honoured with a Grammy Trustees Award in 1972. McCartney has also received eight BRIT Awards, two American Music Awards, one Classical Brit Awards, one Critics' Choice Movie Award, one MTV Video Music Award, and one MTV Europe Music Award.
Major associations Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1971 Best Original or Adaptation Score Let It Be 1974 Best Original Song "Live and Let Die" 2002 Best Original Song "Vanilla Sky"
BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result British Academy Film Awards 1964 Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles A Hard Day's Night 1985 Best Original Song "No More Lonely Nights"
Critics' Choice Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2001 Best Song "Vanilla Sky" 2009 Best Song "(I Want to) Come Home"
Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Primetime Emmy Awards 1998 Outstanding Classical Music-Dance Program Paul McCartney's Standing Stone 2006 Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special McCartney in St. Petersburg 2022 Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series The Beatles: Get Back
Golden Globe Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1985 Best Original Song "No More Lonely Nights" 2002 Best Original Song "Vanilla Sky" 2010 Best Original Song "(I Want to) Come Home"
Grammy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1965 Record of the Year "I Want to Hold Your Hand" Song of the Year "A Hard Day's Night" Best New Artist The Beatles Best Performance by a Vocal Group A Hard Day's Night Best Rock & Roll Recording Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media 1966 Album of the Year Help! Best Performance by a Vocal Group Performance Best Contemporary (R&R) Performance Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Record of the Year "Yesterday" Song of the Year Best Vocal Performance, Male Best Contemporary (R&R) Vocal Performance – Male Best Contemporary (R&R) Single 1967 Album of the Year Revolver Song of the Year "Michelle" Best Vocal Performance, Male "Eleanor Rigby" Best Contemporary (R&R) Performance Best Contemporary (R&R) Recording 1968 Album of the Year Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Best Contemporary Album Best Performance by a Vocal Group Best Contemporary (R&R) Performance Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals "A Day in the Life" 1969 Album of the Year Magical Mystery Tour Record of the Year "Hey Jude" Song of the Year Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals 1970 Album of the Year Abbey Road Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Group Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Yellow Submarine 1971 Record of the Year "Let It Be" Song of the Year Best Contemporary Song Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals Let It Be Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media 1972 Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" 1974 Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals "Live and Let Die" Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Live and Let Die 1975 Album of the Year Band on the Run Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus "Band on the Run" 1977 Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) "Let 'Em In" 1980 Best Rock Instrumental Performance "Rockestra Theme" 1981 Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male "Coming Up " 1982 Best Spoken Word Album The McCartney Interview 1983 Album of the Year Tug of War Record of the Year "Ebony and Ivory" Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals "What's That You're Doing?" 1984 Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals "The Girl Is Mine" 1986 Best Music Video, Short Form "Do They Know It's Christmas?" 1987 Best Music Video, Short Form "Rupert and the Frog Song" 1996 Best Historical Album Live at the BBC 1997 Best Long Form Music Video The Beatles Anthology Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals "Free as a Bird" Best Short Form Music Video 1998 Album of the Year Flaming Pie 2001 Best Alternative Music Album Liverpool Sound Collage 2003 Best Song Written for Visual Media "Vanilla Sky" 2005 Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals "Something" 2006 Album of the Year Chaos and Creation in the Backyard Best Pop Vocal Album Best Male Pop Vocal Performance "Fine Line" 2007 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance "Jenny Wren" 2008 Best Pop Vocal Album Memory Almost Full Best Male Pop Vocal Performance "Dance Tonight" Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance "Only Mama Knows" 2009 Best Male Pop Vocal Performance "That Was Me" Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance "I Saw Her Standing There" 2011 Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance "Helter Skelter" 2012 Best Historical Album Band on the Run 2013 Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Kisses on the Bottom 2014 Best Rock Song "Cut Me Some Slack" Best Music Film Live Kisses Best Historical Album Ram 2016 Best Rap Performance "All Day" Best Rap Song 2017 Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package Tug of War 2021 Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package Flaming Pie 2022 Best Rock Song "Find My Way" Best Rock Album McCartney III 2025 Record of the Year "Now and Then" Best Rock Performance Grammy Trustees Award 1972 Trustees Award The Beatles Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 1990 Lifetime Achievement Award Paul McCartney 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award The Beatles Grammy Hall of Fame 1993 Hall of Fame Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1995 Hall of Fame Abbey Road 1997 Hall of Fame "Yesterday" 1998 Hall of Fame "I Want to Hold Your Hand" 1999 Hall of Fame Revolver Hall of Fame "Strawberry Fields Forever" 2000 Hall of Fame Rubber Soul Hall of Fame A Hard Day's Night Hall of Fame The Beatles (White Album) 2001 Hall of Fame "Hey Jude" Hall of Fame Meet the Beatles! 2002 Hall of Fame "Eleanor Rigby" 2004 Hall of Fame "Let It Be" 2008 Hall of Fame "Help!" 2011 Hall of Fame "Penny Lane" 2013 Hall of Fame Band on the Run
Miscellaneous awards Organizations Year Category Work Result American Music Awards 1975 Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group Wings 1983 Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist Paul McCartney 1983 Favorite Pop/Rock Song "Ebony and Ivory" 1986 Merit Paul McCartney 1997 Favorite Pop/Rock Album The Beatles Anthology 2015 Collaboration of the Year "FourFiveSeconds" Brit Awards 1977 British Group The Beatles Outstanding Contribution to Music British Album of the Year Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band British Single of the Year "She Loves You" 1983 British Male Solo Artist Paul McCartney Sony Trophy Award for Technical Excellence Outstanding Contribution to Music The Beatles 1984 British Male Solo Artist Paul McCartney 1985 British Male Solo Artist Paul McCartney Soundtrack/Cast Recording Give My Regards to Broad Street 1990 British Single of the Year "Ferry Cross the Mersey" British Video of the Year "My Brave Face" 2008 Outstanding Contribution to Music Paul McCartney BMI Latin Awards 1997 Award-winning song "Dame Tu Mano Ven (I Want to Hold Your Hand)" Classic Brit Awards 2007 Album of the Year Ecce Cor Meum MusiCares Person of the Year 2012 Person of the Year Paul McCartney MTV Video Music Awards 1984 Video Vanguard Award The Beatles MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 Ultimate Legend Award Paul McCartney MVPA Awards 2008Best International Video "Dance Tonight" "Ever Present Past" NME Awards1963 World Vocal Group The Beatles British Vocal Group The Beatles Best British Disc Of The Year – "She Loves You" The Beatles 1964Outstanding Vocal Group The BeatlesBritish Vocal Group The Beatles1965British Vocal Group The BeatlesWorld Vocal Group The Beatles1966British Vocal Group The BeatlesBest British Disc This Year – ‘Eleanor Rigby’ The Beatles1968World Vocal Group The BeatlesBritish Vocal Group The BeatlesBest British Disc This Year – ‘Hey Jude’ The Beatles1970Top British Group The Beatles1970's Best British LP – ’Let It Be’ The Beatles1971Top British Group The BeatlesBest British LP – ‘Let It Be’ The Beatles1974Best bass guitarist Paul McCartney1976Best bass guitarist Paul McCartney1980For Outstanding Services to Music Paul McCartney2000Best Band Ever The Beatles2005Best Event Paul McCartney2014The Songwriter's Songwriter Paul McCartneyQ Awards 1990 Merit Award } 1996 Best Reissue/Compilation Album The Beatles Anthology, The Beatles 1997 Songwriter Award 2007 Icon Award 2010 Classic Album Band on the Run, Wings National Video Game Reviewers Awards 2014 Song, Original or Adapted Paul McCartney – "Hope for the Future"
Honorary awards
Organizations Year Notes Result Library of Congress 2010 Gershwin Prize John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 2010 Kennedy Center Honors Queen Elizabeth II 1965 Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) Queen Elizabeth II 1997 Knight Bachelor Songwriters Hall of Fame 1987 Induction Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 1999 Induction The Republic of Peru 2011 Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun National Library of Peru 2011 Medal of Honor French President François Hollande 2012 Legion of Honour Hollywood Walk of Fame 2012 Star at 1750 N. Vine Street. Queen Elizabeth II 2017 Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) Rolling Stone 2023 Inclusion at #67 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time
State and Commonwealth honors