The Heist by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis has officially been named the Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, prevailing against the likes of The Blessed Unrest by Sara Barielles, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar, Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, and Red by Taylor Swift.

The Album of the Year award is presented to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position," according to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States.

The very first Grammy Awards ceremony was conducted on May 4, 1959, and it was used to honor the musical accolades by performances from well known artists with the most popular of the achievements presented in a largely viewed TV ceremony.

The respective festivities began at the Hollywood Walk of Fame project during the 1950s. The committee at the Walk of Fame put together a list of notable recording industry individuals who may quality for one of its stars.

Having been given out since 1959, the Album of the Year is considered to be the most prestigious award category at the Grammy Awards ceremony. While it was initially given solely to the artist, it's now presented to the featured artist(s), producer, engineer and/or mixer and mastering engineer as well.

Tags: Grammy Awards 2014 CBS Music Daft Punk