02 Feb 2023 - Creative minds and Olympic Games enthusiasts all over the world will once again have a chance to become part of Olympic history as the next edition of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Medal Design Competition is launched. The winning design will be cast in gold, silver and bronze, and will be awarded to the young athletes who finish on the podium at the fourth edition of the Winter YOG, to be held in Gangwon, Republic of Korea, from 19 January to 1 February 2024.
Creators from all over the world, regardless of their level of design experience, are invited to submit their creations by 8 March 2023 via the dedicated medal design competition website. The winning design will be selected at the end of the month.
A panel of judges made up of IOC Youth Reporters, Gangwon 2024 youth representatives, an IOC Young Leader and an Olympian on the Olympian Artist Programme will select the best three designs. Also part of the jury this time is 24-year-old Zakea Page of New Zealand, for whom life has come full circle. Page’s creation, entitled “Beauty in Diversity”, was the winning medal design for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020.
“Looking back on my experience at Lausanne 2020, I am so grateful to have been a small part of it,” says Page. “It is a great honour to be on the judging panel this time.”
Prizes for the first-placed design include a round-trip for two to the Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024, with access to the Opening Ceremony and sports events, as well as a set of medals in addition to other rewards. There will also be prizes for the second- and third-placed designs.
“To anyone entering this competition, I would first of all like to congratulate them for taking part,” says Page. “I think that's part of the Olympic spirit, to take part and try your best.”
“Try to incorporate the Olympic values into the medal design and think about how you could symbolise the upcoming Games,” he adds. The vision of Gangwon 2024 is to let young people celebrate peaceful coexistence and unity through sport, to create a better future together.
The competition is specifically to design the obverse (front) of the medals, while the reverse will be designed by the Gangwon 2024 YOG Organising Committee, and will reflect elements of Korean culture as well as the YOG emblem.
More information on the medal design competition is available at: www.medaldesigncompetition.com.
The Youth Olympic Games Medal Design Competition was launched for the first time ahead of Singapore 2010, to reach out beyond the athlete community and tap into the creativity and imagination of young people across the world.
