Lion of Saint Mark
The prize was introduced in 1949 as the Golden Lion of Saint Mark (the winged lion which had appeared on the flag of the Republic of Venice). In 1954, the prize was permanently named Golden Lion. Previously, the equivalent prize was the "Gran Premio Internazionale di Venezia" (Grand International Prize of Venice), awarded in 1947 and 1948. Before that, from 1934 until 1942, the highest awards were the "Coppa Mussolini" (Mussolini Cup) for Best Italian Film and Best Foreign Film.