Tonight’s the night. The stage is primed. The handlers are pulling their hair out. The stars are getting ready. Yes, It’s the the NME Awards 2020. Taking place at the O2 Brixton Academy, the infamous awards ceremony brings together the very best in alternative music. Last week saw our workshop turned into a Brat Award production line as our craftsman set to work creating the iconic awards for the event. 

Our chief designer says: “Originally when NME approached me to design a new award for the ceremony, I immediately thought of what rock music and the NME represent. For me growing up in ‘70s Britain, I remember the snotty attitude and political messages that some of my favourite bands stood for.

“The ‘90s was an exciting time for music and I could see how groups like Pulp, Oasis and Blur were recapturing this original spirit. What better way than to stick it to the establishment than with a proud middle finger?”

Cast from the hand of a mysterious chap named Doug, and standing at just under a foot high, the award is crowned with a golden bracelet where the winner’s names are engraved. The controversial award design has been firmly cemented within the annals of NME and music lore and is as recognisable as the artists themselves.

The iconic awards are custom cast into the the rebellious middle finger salute that captures the organic lines and shapes of the finger.. Once the awards have been cast, lustrous bronze paint is applied. Meanwhile, the bases of the awards are custom turned, sanded and painted before the inscription plate bearing the awards category is applied. The body of the trophy, in all its defant glory, is added to the base before a special gold chain hand-engraved with the winner’s details is applied to the wrist of the award.