IOC Launches Medal Design Contest for Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Gam

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has opened a global call for the design of the obverse of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games medals, with submissions accepted from 2 September to 7 October 2025 via Olympics.com. Participants can access design specifications and rules on the platform.

Entries will be judged on creativity, originality, relevance to the YOG narrative, feasibility, and written description. The jury includes IOC members, past medal design winners, Olympian artists, IOC Young Leaders and Reporters, and a Dakar 2026 ambassador, with the final choice validated by the IOC Executive Board. The reverse side will be created by the Organising Committee, incorporating Senegalese cultural elements and the YOG emblem.

Since the first contest at Singapore 2010, young designers from around the world have seen their work awarded on the YOG podium. For Gangwon 2024, more than 3,000 entries from 120 countries were submitted, with Brazilian architect Dante Akira Uwai selected for his design “A Sparkling Future.” He described the experience as proof of “the transformative power of art and sport.”

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will open on 31 October 2026, lasting two weeks across Dakar, Diamniadio, and Saly, bringing together the world’s best young athletes aged 17 and under.