O Oscar á mellor curtametraxe documental é un premio entregado pola Academia das Artes e das Ciencias Cinematográficas como parte dos premios Oscar.
Unha nota de prensa da Academia en 2005 indicaba que "os gañadores do premio á mellor curtametraxe documental Benjy (1951) e Neighbours (1952) están nun grupo de filmes que non só competiron, senón que gañaron Oscars en categorías inadecuadas. Benjy, dirixida por Fred Zinnemann e narrada por Henry Fonda é un conto ficticio sobre un rapaz discapacitado. O filme foi empregado para conseguir fondos para o Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital. (...) Neighbours, de Norman McLaren, que hoxe competiría na categoría de curtametraxes de animación, empregaba "pixelación" – animación usando actores – para crear unha alegoría da guerra".
Candidatos e gañadores 1940 1941 – Churchill's Island – National Film Board of Canada Adventure in the Bronx Bomber Christmas Under Fire A Letter from Home Life of a Thoroughbred Norway in Revolt A Place to Live Russian Soil Soldiers of the Sky Warclouds in the Pacific 1942 (15ª) – Nesta edición nomeáronse vinte e cinco filmes e entregáronse catro premios especiais, en recoñecemento ao esforzo dos aliados na Segunda Guerra Mundial: The Battle of Midway – United States Navy ("Premio especial para Battle of Midway polo valor histórico do seu éxito ao ofrecer unha gravación dunha das batallas decisivas do mundo – unha gravación única pola valentía dos que a fixeron baixo o fogo e polo magnífico retrato do valor das nosas forzas armadas na batalla".Kokoda Front Line! – Australian News & Information Bureau ("Premio especial para Kokoda Front Line! pola súa efectividade ao retratar de xeito simple mais con forza o escenario da guerra en Nova Guinea e pola súa presentación da valentía e fortaleza dos nosos compañeiros nas armas".Moscow Strikes Back – Artkino ("Premio especial para Moscow Strikes Back pola súa vivaz presentación do heroísmo do exército e do pobo rusos na defensa de Moscova, e polo seu éxito en facelo baixo condicións de extrema dificultade e perigo".Prelude to War – United States Army Special Services ("Premio especial para Prelude to War polo seu concepto agudo e auténtico e pola estimulante dramatización dos sucesos que levaron a nosa nación á guerra e dos ideais polos que loitamos". Africa, Prelude to Victory – The March of Time Combat Report – United States Army Signal Corps Conquer by the Clock – Frederic Ullman, Jr., produtor The Grain That Built a Hemisphere – Walt Disney, produtor – Walt Disney Productions Henry Browne, Farmer – United States Department of Agriculture High over the Borders – National Film Board of Canada High Stakes in the East – The Netherlands Information Bureau Inside Fighting China – National Film Board of Canada It's Everybody's War – United States Office of War Information Listen to Britain – British Ministry of Information Little Belgium – Belgian Ministry of Information Little Isles of Freedom – Victor Stoloff e Edgar Loew, produtores Mr. Blabbermouth!—United States Office of War Information Mr. Gardenia Jones—United States Office of War Information The New Spirit – Walt Disney, produtor – Walt Disney Productions The Price of Victory – William H. Pine, produtor A Ship Is Born – United States Merchant Marine Twenty-One Miles—British Ministry of Information We Refuse to Die – William C. Thomas, produtor The White Eagle – Concanen Films Winning Your Wings – United States Army Air Forces1943 (16ª) – December 7th – United States Navy Children of Mars Plan for Destruction Swedes in America To the People of the United States Tomorrow We Fly Youth in Crisis1944 (17ª) – With the Marines at Tarawa – United States Marine Corps Hymn of the Nations New Americans1945 (18ª) – Hitler Lives – Gordon Hollingshead, produtor Library of Congress To the Shores of Iwo Jima1946 (19ª) – Seeds of Destiny – United States Department of War Atomic Power Life at the Zoo Paramount News Issue#37 Traffic with the Devil1947 (20ª) – First Steps – United Nations Division of Films and Visual Information Passport to Nowhere School in the Mailbox1948 (21ª) – Toward Independence – United States Army Heart to Heart Operation Vittles1949 (22ª) – (empate): A Chance To Live – Richard de Rochemont, produtor So Much for So Little – Edward Selzer, produtor 1848 The Rising Tide
1950 1950 (23ª) – Why Korea? – Edmund Reek, produtor The Fight: Science Against Cancer The Stairs 1951 (24ª) – Benjy – Dirixido por Fred Zinnemann coa cooperación de Paramount Pictures Corporation para Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital One Who Came Back The Seeing Eye 1952 (25ª) – Neighbours – Norman McLaren, produtor – National Film Board of Canada Devil Take Us Epeira Diadema Man Alive! 1953 (26ª) – The Alaskan Eskimo – Walt Disney, produtor – Walt Disney Productions The Living City Operation Blue Jay They Planted a Stone The Word 1954 (27ª) – Thursday's Children – World Wide Pictures and Morse Films Jet Carrier Rembrandt: A Self-Portrait 1955 (28ª) – Men against the Arctic – Walt Disney, produtor – Walt Disney Productions The Battle of Gettysburg The Face of Lincoln 1956 (29ª) – The True Story of the Civil War – Louis Clyde Stoumen, produtor Man in Space A City Decides The Dark Wave The House Without a Name 1957 (30ª) – Non se entregou premio nesta categoría 1958 (31ª) – Ama Girls – Ben Sharpsteen, produtor Employees Only Journey Into Spring The Living Stone Oeuverture 1959 (32ª) – Glass – Bert Haanstra, produtor Donald in Mathmagic Land From Generation to Generation
1960 1960 (33ª) – Giuseppina – James Hill, produtor Beyond Silence En by ved navn København George Grosz' Interregnum Universe 1961 (34ª) – Project Hope – Frank P. Bibas, produtor Breaking the Language Barrier Cradle of Genius Kahl L'uomo in grigio 1962 (35ª) – Dylan Thomas – Jack Howells, produtor The John Glenn Story The Road to the Wall 1963 (36ª) – Chagall – Simon Schiffrin, produtor The Five Cities of June The Spirit of America Thirty Million Letters To Live Again 1964 (37ª) – Nine from Little Rock – Charles Guggenheim, produtor 140 Days Under the World Breaking the Habit Children Without Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak 1965 (38ª) – To Be Alive! – Francis Thompson, produtor Mural on Our Street Nyitany Point of View Yeats Country 1966 (39ª) – A Year Toward Tomorrow – Edmond A. Levy, produtor Adolescence Cowboy The Odds Against Részletek J.S. Bach Máté passiójából 1967 (40ª) – The Redwoods – Mark Harris e Trevor Greenwood, produtores Monument to the Dream A Place to Stand See You at the Pillar While I Run This Race 1968 (41ª) – Why Man Creates – Saul Bass, produtor The House That Ananda Built The Revolving Door A Space to Grow A Way Out of the Wilderness 1969 (42ª) – Czechoslovakia 1968 – Denis Sanders e Robert M. Fresco, produtores An Impression of John Steinbeck: Writer Jenny Is a Good Thing Leo Beuerman The Magic Machines
1970 1970 (43ª) – Interviews with My Lai Veterans – Joseph Strick, produtor The Gifts A Long Way from Nowhere Oisin Time Is Running Out 1971 (44ª) – Sentinels of Silence – Manuel Arango e Robert Amram, produtores Adventures in Perception Art Is... The Numbers Start with the River Somebody Waiting 1972 (45ª) – This Tiny World – Charles Huguenot van der Linden e Martina Huguenot van der Linden, produtores Hundertwassers Regentag K-Z Selling Out The Tide of Traffic 1973 (46ª) – Princeton: A Search for Answers – Julian Krainin e DeWitt L. Sage, Jr., produtores Background Christo's Valley Curtain Four Stones for Kanemitsu Paisti ag obair 1974 (47ª) – Don't – Robin Lehman, produtor City Out of Wilderness Exploratorium John Muir's High Sierra Naked Yoga 1975 (48ª) – The End of the Game – Claire Wilbur e Robin Lehman, produtores Arthur and Lillie Millions of Years Ahead of Man Probes in Space Whistling Smith 1976 (49ª) – Number Our Days – Lynne Littman e Barbara Myerhoff, produtores American Shoeshine Blackwood The End of the Road Universe 1977 (50ª) – Gravity Is My Enemy – John C. Joseph e Jan Stussy, produtores Agueda Martinez: Our People, Our Country First Edition Of Time, Tombs and Treasures The Shetland Experience 1978 (51ª) – The Flight of the Gossamer Condor – Jacqueline Phillips Shedd e Ben Shedd, produtores The Divided Trail: A Native American Odyssey An Encounter with Faces Goodnight Miss Ann Squires of San Quentin 1979 (52ª) – Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist – Saul J. Turell, produtor Dae Koryo Celadon Nails Remember Me
1980 1980 (53ª) – Karl Hess: Toward Liberty – Roland Hallé e Peter W. Ladue, produtor Don't Mess with Bill The Eruption of Mount St. Helens! It's the Same World Luther Metke at 94 1981 (54ª) – Close Harmony – Nigel Noble, produtor Americas in Transition Journey for Survival See What I Say Urge to Build 1982 (55ª) – If You Love This Planet – Edward Le Lorrain e Terre Nash, produtores – National Film Board of Canada Gods of Metal The Klan: A Legacy of Hate in America To Live or Let Die Traveling Hopefully 1983 (56ª) – Flamenco at 5:15 – Cynthia Scott e Adam Symansky, produtores – National Film Board of Canada Ihr zent frei In the Nuclear Shadow: What Can the Children Tell Us? Sewing Woman Spaces: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph 1984 (57ª) – The Stone Carvers – Marjorie Hunt e Paul Wagner, produtores The Children of Soong Ching Ling Code Gray: Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing The Garden of Eden Vospominaniye o Pavlovske 1985 (58ª) – Witness to War: Dr. Charlie Clements – David Goodman, produtor The Courage to Care Keats and His Nightingale: A Blind Date Making Overtures: The Story of a Community Orchestra The Wizard of the Strings 1986 (59ª) – Women – for America, for the World – Vivienne Verdon-Roe, produtor Sam Red Grooms: Sunflower in a Hothouse The Master of Disaster Debonair Dancers 1987 (60ª) – Young at Heart – Sue Marx e Pamela Conn, produtores Frances Steloff: Memoirs of a Bookseller In the Wee Wee Hours... Language Says It All Silver Into Gold 1988 (61ª) – You Don't Have to Die – William Guttentag e Malcolm Clarke, produtores Gang Cops Family Gathering The Children's Storefront Portrait of Imogen 1989 (62ª) – The Johnstown Flood – Charles Guggenheim, produtor Fine Food, Fine Pastries, Open 6 to 9 Yad Vashem: Preserving the Past to Ensure the Future
1990 1990 (63ª) – Days of Waiting: The Life & Art of Estelle Ishigo – Steven Okazaki, produtor Rose Kennedy: A Life to Remember Chimps: So Like Us Burning Down Tomorrow Journey Into Life: The World of the Unborn 1991 (64ª) – Deadly Deception: General Electric, Nuclear Weapons and Our Environment – Debra Chasnoff, produtor A Little Vicious The Mark of the Maker Birdnesters of Thailand Memorial: Letters from American Soldiers 1992 (65ª) – Educating Peter – Thomas C. Goodwin e Gerardine Wurzburg When Abortion Was Illegal: Untold Stories – Dorothy Fadiman At the Edge of Conquest: The Journey of Chief Wai-Wai – Geoffrey O'Connor Beyond Imagining: Margaret Anderson and the 'Little Review' – Wendy L. Weinberg The Colours of My Father: A Portrait of Sam Borenstein – Richard Elson e Sally Bochner 1993 (66ª) – Defending Our Lives – Margaret Lazarus, Renner Wunderlich Chicks in White Satin Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann 1994 (67ª) – A Time for Justice – Charles Guggenheim 89 mm od Europy Blues Highway School of the Americas Assassins Straight from the Heart 1995 (68ª) – One Survivor Remembers – Kary Antholis Jim Dine: A Self-Portrait on the Walls The Shadow of Hate The Living Sea Never Give Up: The 20th Century Odyssey of Herbert Zipper 1996 (69ª) – Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien – Jessica Yu directora, produtora, guionista e montadora Cosmic Voyage Special Effects: Anything Can Happen The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage An Essay on Matisse 1997 (70ª) – A Story of Healing – Donna Dewey, Carol Pasternak Alaska: Spirit of the Wild Amazon Family Video Diaries: Daughter of the Bride Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies