Oscar Statue: Academy Award of Merit Statuette

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The making of the Oscar Statue | Photo 03

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Oscar Statue: The story behind the Oscar Statuette

The iconic moments of the Oscars (and Oscars 2010 will be no different) are those moments when the Oscar winner's receive their academy award, the Oscar Statute or Statuette. The official name of the Oscar Statuette is The Academy Award of Merit.

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History and Description of the Oscar Statuette

The Academy Award of Merit has been part of every Oscar ceremony since 1929. The statue was designed by MGM Art director, Edward Gibbons and created by sculptor George Stanley. The Oscar Statuette depicts a knight holding a sword, standing on a reel of film. There are five spokes in the reel. Each spoke represents the five original branches of the Motion Picture Academy: Directors, Producers, Actors, Writers, and Technicians.

Oscar Statue Dimensions 

The Oscar statue weighs 8 1/2 pounds. The height of the Oscar statuette is 13 1/2 inches and its width is 5 1/4 inches.

Making of the Oscar Statue

The Oscar is made at R.S. Owens in Chicago. About 50 of the Oscar statues are made each year. The statue is cast in metal, sanded and then dipped in Copper, Nickel, Silver and 24 karat Gold. The base of the Academy Award statue is made of brass and polished nickel.