Record−breaking 3,000 designs submitted for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 medal design competition
6 Mar 2023 – The medal design competition for the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Gangwon 2024 came to a close on 8 March (23:59 GMT+1), with an unprecedented number of designs received and countries participating. The winning design will be used on the medals 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.
During the six-week period of the competition, over 3,000 medal designs were submitted from 120 countries, showcasing the creativity and talent of the designers. This is 10 times more entries than for the medal design competition for the YOG Lausanne 2020. The top countries, in terms of submissions, were Mexico, India and the USA, followed by the Republic of Korea and Brazil.
A panel of judges – made up of an Olympian from the IOC’s Olympian Artists Programme, IOC Young Reporters, Gangwon 2024 youth representatives, an IOC Young Leader and the Lausanne 2020 medal design competition winner – is currently in the process of deciding on the top three designs. The selection will be based on criteria such as aesthetics and originality, the backstory of the design, and how well the design and description align with the YOG narrative. The final decision will be announced on 24 March 2023 to coincide with the 300-days-to-go celebrations.
The aim of the competition was to come up with a design for the obverse (front) of the medals that reflects the spirit of the Winter YOG. The reverse will be designed by the Gangwon 2024 YOG Organising Committee and will reflect elements of Korean culture.
Prizes for the first-placed design include a round-trip for two to the YOG 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.
I hope that there are some interesting ways that we are seeing the Olympics that we can think about. I can see it working out for the people who are seeing here and I hope that it can work out for you with all of the exciting sports that we can watch here. The Youth Olympics is where you can see some of the most promising games that you can think about in all the sports. Medals are important to look into given that there are some interesting competitions that we can see this and I hope that it will work out for all the submissions. I hope that it works.