Golden Globes Make Major Change to 2019 Trophies

The Golden Globe Awards stars pick up on Sunday will look a little different from past trophies. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hands out the awards, unveiled the new design on Friday.

According to the HFPA, the new trophies are longer and have more gold in a design that still has the overall look of the familiar trophies. Most importantly, the new trophies have the golden globe design sitting on a cylindrical base instead of a blocky square so winners “do not obstruct the golden globe when holding the award.”

The new trophies will stand 11.5 inches tall with a base width of 3.75 inches, compared to last year’s, which were 10.75 inches tall with a base width of 3.5 inches.

A NFC component was also included as a “proof of authenticity” in each trophy. The component will include information of the winner, category and year, so every trophy is unique.

Design firm R/GA made the changes without drastically altering the golden globe itself, which sits on the letters “HFPA” and includes film strips wrapped around the globe.

There will also be two different trophies. The all-gold version will be presented to the film and television winners, while one with the golden globe atop a marble base will be presented to the recipients of the Cecil B. deMille and Carol Burnett lifetime achievement awards. This year’s deMille award goes to Jeff Bridges, while the first-ever Burnett award for TV achievement will go to the honor’s namesake.

Each trophy weighs 7.8 pounds and are made of zinc, brass and bronze with a 24-karat brushed gold finish.

While the Oscars have stuck with their trophy design over the years, the HFPA has a history of changing the design of the Golden Globe trophy since the first ceremony in 1944. According to the Los Angeles Times, the most recent redesign happened in 2009.

The 76th Golden Globe Awards starts at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, with Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg and Killing Eve star Sandra Oh hosting.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Samberg said their goal for the night is to bring some laughter after a difficult 2018.

“I think people are ready and could use a little smile,” the Saturday Night Live alum told THR. “Everyone is depressed, and maybe that’s as good a reason as any that everyone could use a little time to laugh and celebrate. Not to ignore anything, but we spend so much time every day wallowing in a lot of things that are happening in our world that are really depressing, and with good reason — that stuff needs to be paid attention to — but there’s also power to being positive and celebratory in the tougher times as well.”

Photo credit: NBC