The national Russian award is given out in 20 categories each January for motion pictures and TV series produced in Russia during the previous year. The awarding statuette is a silver eagle, originally made from copper with a jade pedestal, and was designed by sculptor Viktor Mitroshin. The design was later altered by the Spanish company Carrera y Carrera. The award was conceived by Nikita Mikhalkov as a counterweight to the Nika Award established in 1987 and run by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences in Moscow.