Star-studded award ceremonies were not always such glittering occasions. Presenting beautiful engraved crystal awards and trophies at spectacular red carpet events is a practice that has gradually evolved over the years from more humble origins.
The first Oscars’ ceremony took a mere 15 minutes in 1929. The winners, which had been announced three months previously, were presented with their statuettes in a short ceremony, attended by 300 of Hollywood’s biggest names of the time. There was no time for acceptance speeches.
In 1944, the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association, made up of eight journalists, awarded the first Golden Globes at a luncheon held at Twentieth Century Fox. The Golden Globe trophy wasn’t designed until the following year, so the winners in 1944 had to make do with commemorative scrolls.
On May 4, 1958, a brand new music award, the Grammy, was launched. Established by the two-year-old, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the first awards, held in the Beverley Hills Hotel, snubbed the rock and roll music of chart-topping Elvis Presley, preferring crooners such as Perry Como and Henry Mancini. The Grammys were not televised until the early 70s.
In the world of theatre, the Tony Awards first made their appearance in 1947. Named after actress-director Antoinette Perry, the first awards were presented at midnight in New York City, at the Waldorf-Astoria in front of a select audience of theatre lovers.
For your own red carpet ceremony, H Cooper Glass Engravers can help your event be a glittering success with our range of fabulous crystal and glass awards.
