The Ingmar Bergman award was primarily intended to honour achievements in Swedish film which had not otherwise been considered when the Guldbagge Awards were handed out. As a filmmaker with extensive experience, Bergman was aware of how filmmaking requires delicate cooperation between many different people. He knew how important each specialty is to the finished result, and that a film is never better than the weakest link in that complex teamwork. Bergman never forgot the often overlooked categories of film workers. The goal of the award was to pay attention to all the professions which rarely received attention.
The jury comprised Bergman himself and the CEO of the Swedish Film Institute. It was first awarded at the 14th Guldbagge Awards, and was handed out to the film editor Wic Kjellin, by the departing CEO of the Swedish Film Institute, Harry Schein. From this ceremony through the 42nd Guldbagge Awards, the award was presented annually, except for the years 1984, 1989 and 1990. The Award soon covered the entire filmmaking process, as the prize has gone to everything from script students at the Swedish Institute of Dramatic Art, to the legendary projectionist, Henry Nyberg, in 1986.
