The first ceremony was held in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences, at the Teatro Lope de Vega in Madrid.

They have since been also held in other Spanish cities (Barcelona, Seville, Málaga, Valencia, Valladolid, and Granada).

The inaugural ceremony took place on March 17, 1987, at the Lope de Vega theatre in Madrid.

In 2003, a large number of film professionals took advantage of the Goya awards ceremony to express their opposition to the Aznar's government support of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

In 2005, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was the first prime minister in the history of Spain to attend the event.