Students and staff from the ANU School of Art and Design's glassworks studios designed and produced the trophies.

Head of glassworks at the ANU Professor Richard Whiteley said the striking blue colour represented the Australian sky.

"The multi-faceted form represents our multi-national population and we chose sky-blue to encapsulate the open-skies nature of the award," he said.

Students were involved in all aspects of the production.

"In the design phase it was important to take the student's voices and their ideas," Professor Whiteley said.

"We wanted to reflect the many different facets of Australian society.

"It also gave us an opportunity to have a project that the students could really sink their teeth into, and learn professional skills at a very high level."

Music to be played during the televised national Australian of the Year ceremony on Australia Day, has also been produced by students and staff at the ANU.

Composed by the head of the ANU's School of Music, Professor Ken Lampl, the piece will be performed by ANU students.

Professor Lampl said the piece was inspired by the "grandeur" he associates with the Australian of the Year Award.

"It was a really daunting task because the status of the awards in the Australian culture is so big… and the music is really sort of the unconscious, the driving emotional force behind the event," he said.