"The Vicious Kind" was nominated for two 2010 Independent Spirit Awards, Scott for Best Male Lead, and Krieger for Best Screenplay.In 2009, "The Vicious Kind" won several awards at film festivals around the world including Adam Scott for Best Actor at the Strasbourg International Film Festival, Scott for Best Performance at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, Lee Toland Krieger for Emerging Filmmaker at the Denver Film Festival, and Best Feature at the New Orleans Film Festival.