The first Palme d'Or was awarded in 1955 to Delbert Mann for his film Marty. This event marked a pivotal shift in the history of the Cannes Film Festival after the festival had been cancelled in 1939 due to the outbreak of the Second World War. The decision to create this new permanent symbol was driven by the festival's board of directors to honor the city of Cannes itself.
The original design by Parisian jeweller Lucienne Lazon was inspired by a sketch from the legendary director Jean Cocteau. The award is now made from 18-carat yellow gold and rests on a dainty crystal cushion shaped like an emerald-cut diamond. Since 1997, the statuette has been manufactured by the Swiss jewellery firm Chopard.
The jury headed by Steven Spielberg awarded the film's actresses Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux as well as the director Abdellatif Kechiche in 2013 because Cannes policy forbids the winning film from receiving any additional awards. This unprecedented decision allowed the jury to recognize the actresses separately when the policy would have prevented them from acknowledging the actresses individually. It remains the only instance where multiple Palme d'Or trophies were presented.
In 2014, Nuri Bilge Ceylan dedicated the Palme d'Or for his film Winter Sleep to the young people involved in Turkey's ongoing political unrest and the workers killed in the Soma mine disaster. The Soma mine disaster occurred on the day before the commencement of the awards event. This dedication transformed the ceremony into a moment of political protest highlighting the role of the Palme d'Or in bringing attention to global issues.
As of 2023, Jane Campion, Julia Ducournau, and Justine Triet are the only female directors to have won the Palme d'Or. Jane Campion became the first woman to win the Palme d'Or in 1993 for The Piano. Julia Ducournau became the first woman to win it solo in 2021 for Titane.