The trophy was donated by friends in memory of Geoffrey Mott-Smith in 1961 and made retroactive to 1958 to include all the winners. It goes to the player winning the most masterpoints at the spring NABC.

Mott-Smith (1902-1960) was co-chairman of the ACBL Laws Commission, editor of the ACBL Bridge Bulletin 1935-36, a contributor to The Bridge World, a writer and cryptographer.

Mott-Smith was one of the first to operate a bridge club and to direct bridge tournaments. He was the director of the annual intercollegiate tournaments and other "par" bridge events.

During World War II, Mott-Smith served as chief instructor for the OSS in the training of cryptographers and cryptanalysts.

He authored or co-authored more than 29 books on games and served as games consultant for the Association of American Playing Card Manufacturers.

Mott-Smith was regarded as a great player, brilliant theorist and one of the soundest and most lucid of the early writers on contract bridge.

Winners of the trophy:

1958 Ivar Stakgold
1959 Lew Mathe
1960 Norman Kay
1961 Robert Jordan
1962 Robert Jordan
1963 Sidney Silodor/Norman Kay
1964 Lew Mathe
1965 Phil Feldesman
1966 Phil Feldesman
1967 Lew Mathe
1968 Norman Kay

These are the Mott-Smith Trophy winners since 1968, along with their point totals. An asterick indicates the record was broken that year.

1969 Sue Sachs 168
1970 Barry Crane 155
1971 Barry Crane 135
1972 Paul Swanson/Jack Blair 159
1973 Bobby Wolff 233*
1974 Ron Andersen 250*
1975 Roger Bates 203
1976 Larry Cohen 225
1977 Mark Blumenthal 200
1978 Mike Passell 250*
1979 Jeff Meckstroth 215
1980 Jeff Meckstroth/Eric Rodwell 173
1981 Allan Stauber 166
1982 David Berkowitz/Harold Lilie 198
1983 Mike Passell 214
1984 Lew Stansby 172
1985 Jeff Meckstroth 196
1986 Lew Stansby 207
1987 Steve Robinson/Peter Boyd 200
1988 Roger Bates 193
1989 Eddie Wold 167
1990 John Sutherlin 300*
1991 Zia Mahmood 183
1992 Roger Bates 186
1993 Michael Seamon 196
1994 Chip Martel 250
1995 Michael Polowan 242
1996 Zia Mahmood 252
1997 Bart Bramley 292
1998 Eddie Wold 243
1999 Petra Hamman 265
2000 Jeff Meckstroth 313*
2001 Jill Meyers 234
2002 Paul Soloway 357*
2003 Geoff Hampson 317