Golden Globes 2024: is the Golden Globe award made purely of gold and how heavy is the statuette?

This time next week, the first set of winners of the 2024 awards season will have been announced and proudly showing off their newly earned Golden Globe Award, as the 81st award ceremony takes place on Sunday evening at the Beverly Hills Hilton in California. It marks the start of a red carpet-clad road to the Academy Awards ceremony in March 2024, with detours to the Critics Choice Awards and the BAFTAs along the way.

The Golden Globe Awards were first presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) in 1944 where the original design featured a simple, elegant statuette mounted on a wooden base. The figurine was made of a metal alloy with a gold-plated finish, adding a touch of glamour to the budding award.

Over the years, the Golden Globe statuette has seen several design modifications. While maintaining its iconic globe-and-film-reel motif, alterations have been made to enhance aesthetic appeal and align with contemporary tastes. 

The statuette's size, detailing, and overall presentation have evolved, keeping pace with the dynamic nature of the entertainment industry - but is it made of solid gold and even if it isn’t, how heavy and large is the award set to adorn a host of mantlepieces and award cupboards to start the year off with?

Is the Golden Globe award made of gold?

While the Golden Globe Award is not entirely made of gold, its composition has been subject to variations. The statuette typically consists of a metal alloy core, and its surface is coated with a layer of gold. The specific composition details have been adjusted over time, reflecting changes in metallurgy and production processes.

One intriguing aspect of the Golden Globe's evolution is its weight. In the early years, the statuette was relatively modest in size and weight compared to contemporary standards. However, as the award gained prominence and became a symbol of unparalleled achievement in the entertainment world, there was a gradual increase in both size and weight - and currently weighs 7.8 pounds.

How big is the Golden Globe award?

In the 1940s and 1950s, the original Golden Globe Award was more modest in size and weight, embodying the understated elegance of that era. With the award's status elevated to a pinnacle of industry recognition, the statuette has undergone enhancements. In recent years, the Golden Globe has gained more substantial weight, symbolizing the gravity of the achievements it acknowledges, and so currently stands at 11.5 inches tall with a 3.5-inch square base

When do the 2024 Golden Globe Awards take place?

The Golden Globe awards show will take place on Sunday January 7 in Los Angeles. The ceremony, which will run for around three hours - though, with it being live it could go on for longer - from 5pm local time.

Where can I watch the 2024 Golden Globe Awards ceremony in the United Kingdom?

Last year, UK viewers could watch the Golden Globe Awards on Sky and NOW, but this year the show will be available in the UK exclusively through streaming service Paramount+. Paramount+ currently offers a seven-day free trial to new subscribers and is billed at £6.99 per month after that.