State Kremlin Palace
The award ceremony, its trophy depicting a pair of applauding hands, is held annually in the "Russia" concert hall or in the State Kremlin Palace. Originally the audience was supposed to determine the winners: any person could buy a special card, fill it in and send it to the organizers. However, this method was used to identify the winners only at the first ceremony in 1992. In all subsequent "Ovation" events winners were determined by a special jury, the Higher Academic Commission, consisting of show business figures, journalists, and various artists.