| 81st National Board of Review Awards (2009) |
| Top 10 Films (Films listed alphabetically except top, which is ranked as Best Film of the Year): |
| Up in the Air | |
| (500) Days of Summer | |
| An Education | |
| The Hurt Locker | |
| Inglourious Basterds | |
| Invictus | |
| The Messenger | |
| A Serious Man | |
| Star Trek | |
| Up | |
| Where the Wild Things Are |
| Best Film: |
| Up in the Air |
| Best Director: |
| Clint Eastwood - Invictus |
| Best Ensemble Cast: |
| It's Complicated |
| Best Actor (tie): |
| Morgan Freeman - Invictus | |
| George Clooney - Up in the Air |
| Best Actress: |
| Carey Mulligan - An Education |
| Best Supporting Actor: |
| Woody Harrelson - The Messenger |
| Best Supporting Actress: |
| Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air |
| Best Screenplay - Original: |
| Joel and Ethan Coen - A Serious Man |
| Best Screenplay - Adapted: |
| Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner - Up in the Air |
| Best Foreign Language Film: |
| A Prophet, France |
| Best Documentary Feature: |
| The Cove |
| Best Animated Feature: |
| Up |
| Best Directorial Debut (tie): |
| Duncan Jones - Moon | |
| Oren Moverman - The Messenger | |
| Marc Webb - (500) Days of Summer |
| Breakthrough Male Performances: |
| Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker |
| Breakthrough Female Performances: |
| Gabourey Sidibe - Precious |
| Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: |
| Wes Anderson - Fantastic Mr. Fox |
| William K. Everson Award for Film History: |
| Jean Picker Firstenberg |
| Freedom of Expression Award: |
| Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country | |
| Invictus | |
| The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers |
| Top Foreign Films: |
| A Prophet, France | |
| The Maid | |
| Revanche | |
| The Song of Sparrows | |
| Three Monkeys | |
| The White Ribbon |
| Top Documentaries: |
| The Cove | |
| Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country | |
| Crude | |
| Food, Inc. | |
| Good Hair | |
| The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers |
| Top Independent Films: |
| Amreeka | |
| District 9 | |
| Goodbye Solo | |
| Humpday | |
| In the Loop | |
| Julia | |
| Me and Orson Welles | |
| Moon | |
| Sugar | |
| Two Lovers |