It is that time of the year when movie and television buffs await in anticipation as to which of their favorite actors, actresses, and movies have made it to the top. From the dresses worn by celebs on the red carpets to acceptance speeches, and from occasional bouts to crazy after parties, Oscars & Golden Globes are the two most talked about award ceremonies the industry offers. While Ricky Gervais has been patented with Golden Globes, Jimmy Kimmel has been hosting Oscars for some time now. This shows how every aspect of these award shows becomes a talking point.
Oscar & Golden Globes remain the two most high-profile and significant award shows for the entertainment fraternity. Recently, the Oscars for 2023 has been awarded. Often, viewers use these award shows interchangeably without knowing which is which. This blog will answer questions like How Oscar is different from Golden Globes, how they differ in categories, celebration, trophy, judging panel, and more. Read till the end to know which is better.
Trophy:
Oscar, aka The Academy Awards, has been the most prominent trophy. Designed by MGM art director Cedric Gibbons, it is a figurine depicting a knight standing over a reel of film holding a crusader’s sword. George Stanley created the 3-dimensional sculptor, and the world-renowned statuette took its shape. The figurine stands 13 ½ inches tall and weighs around 8 ½ pounds. The film reel on the statue depicts five spokes signifying five primary & original branches of the film industry: Actors, Directors, Producers, Technicians, and Writers.
The Golden Globes, on the other hand, was designed by the then president of Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), Marina Cisternas depicting a golden globe (literally) wrapped in filmstrip perched on a pedestal. The globe is plated in gold, stands 10.75 inches tall, and weighs 5 ½ pounds.
History:
Both the Golden Globe and Oscar are highly recognized in the film industry. They have been here for a long time and only gained prominence as the years passed. The very first Academy Awards were held on 16th May 1929. Back then, it was nothing compared to the shenanigans we see today. It was held in a private dinner setup at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in L.A. that lasted only 15 minutes instead of the four-hour marathon it has become today. The Oscars recognized only 12 categories back then and were held once every two years. Since NBC or ABC took the broadcast rights, more categories were added, and the ceremony was broadcasted.
Golden Globes started on 20th January 1944, hosted at the 20th Century Fox studios, L.A., California. The first Golden Globes was hosted to honor the best in film-making, consisted of only six categories, and was never broadcasted. Only in 1957, when NBC got involved, the award ceremony started broadcasting.
Categories:
Oscar consists of 24 categories and is strictly restricted to films including best makeup, best soundtrack, best editing, best mixing, best visual effects, and more, apart from the staple best actor, best actress, best screenplay, best director, and best producer.
Golden Globe award consists of 25 awards, where 14 are from movies, and 11 are from television. Each category is divided into movies and television and encompasses international works.
Judging Panel:
The winners of the Oscars are decided by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, consisting of some 9000+ people. The Academy is an international organization with an invite-only membership policy.
The Golden Globe, however, is bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a non-profit organization of international journalists across 55 countries with over 100 members.
Ceremonial Celebration:
Oscar forms part of the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony) collection, a feat only a few have achieved. While ceremonial celebrations are the same for both, the incidents at Oscar are far more talked about than Golden Globe in general, including Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. This in no way means Golden Globe is without controversy. Their lack of black members in the panel raised questions about their diversity. HFPA today is becoming more and more diversified. The glam & glitz of both award ceremonies is unprecedented. The red carpets, the star attendances, the speeches, the charismatic hosts, and the occasional slip-ups & hiccups are all part of show business. And these two epitomize that in every way.
Conclusion
While both the awards have their gravity and aura, if you ask a celeb or a fan, everyone will rate the Oscars higher than Golden Globe. I don’t know if the trophy is shinier, but Oscar is regarded as the holy grail for the Hollywood community.
