The winners of the first Berlin International Film Festival in 1951 were determined by a West German panel, with five winners of the Golden Bear, divided by categories and genres.[3]
Between 1952 and 1955, the winners of the Golden Bear were determined by the audience members.[4]
The statuette shows a bear standing on its hind legs and is based on the 1932 design by German sculptor Renée Sintenis of Berlin's heraldic mascot that later became the symbol of the festival. It has been manufactured since either the first[5] or third[6] edition by art foundry Hermann Noack.[7]
The original award was redesigned in a larger version in 1960,[8] with the left arm of the bear raised as opposed to the right in the former model.[9]
As of 2010[update], the bear is 20 cm (7.9 in) high and is fixed onto a base where the winning name is engraved.[10] The figurine consists of a bronze core, which is then plated with a layer of gold. The total weight of the award is 4 kg (8.8 lb).[11]
^"Where was African joy at Cannes or African humour at Sundance? The big film festivals need to look beyond stereotypes". The Guardian. 4 June 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
^Carey, Matthew (30 May 2023). "No Documentary Triple Crown, But Cannes Gives Big Platform To Nonfiction Cinema". Deadline. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
^"Eventful Berlinale". deutschland.de. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
^François, Emmanuelle (2 March 2018). "The woman behind the Bär". Exberliner. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
^"Making of the bear: Berlin International Film Festival trophy". Daily Sabah. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
^"Große kleine Tiere". Cicero (in German). Retrieved 9 April 2019.
^English, James F. (2008). The Economy of Prestige: prizes, awards, and the circulation of cultural value. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. pp. 167–168. ISBN 978-0-674-03043-5.
^Günther, Ulrich (19 February 2010). "Berlinale Cineasten blicken auf den Bären". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 9 April 2019.
^"In pictures". Novinite. 8 February 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
^"Berlinale 1970: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 7 March 2010.