Who designed the Grammy Awards trophy introduced at the first ceremony?

Bob Graves designed the Grammy Awards trophy introduced at the first ceremony.

Graves created the gramophone-shaped trophy after the Recording Academy selected the Grammy name and needed a distinctive physical symbol for the new awards. His design depicts a gramophone, connecting the prize to recorded sound and the history of music playback.

The trophies are made by hand rather than mass-produced as identical commercial objects. Over time, the manufacturing process and materials have changed, but the recognizable gramophone form has remained central to the award’s identity.

The trophy’s nickname is often incorrectly treated as the award’s original official name. The Recording Academy first used the name Gramophone Awards, while “Grammy” became the familiar short form associated with the trophy and ceremony.