IOC Calls for Submissions for Medal Designs for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games
Dakar – Creatives and fans of the Olympics now have a thrilling chance to etch their mark in Olympic history.
A worldwide initiative is underway to craft one of the most iconic symbols of the Games: the front side of the medal for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
The selected design will be featured on the medals awarded to athletes who ascend the podium in Senegal.
Design submissions are open from 2 September to 7 October 2025 through a specialized platform on Olympics.com.
Dante Akira Uwai, the genius behind the obverse of the Gangwon 2024 medal, spoke about the impact of his involvement in 2024: “A lot has changed since Gangwon.
Numerous opportunities have emerged for me through the medal design competition, especially regarding my career.
Yet, I believe the most profound change occurred within me. It was the realization of the transformative power of both art and sport.”
Along with submitting designs from 2 September to 7 October 2025 via the dedicated platform on Olympics.com (https://apo-opa.co/4mTEo6H), participants can access a toolkit containing design specifications, guidelines, and rules.
Entries will be judged based on five factors: creativity, originality, relevance to the YOG narrative, feasibility, and the accompanying written description.
A jury featuring International Olympic Committee (IOC) Dakar 2026 Coordination Commission Chair Humphrey Kayange OLY; Gangwon 2024 medal design winner Dante Akira Uwai; IOC Young Leaders Peniamina Percival OLY and Pragnya Mohan; IOC Young Reporters Yun Su Park and Yann Durand; and Dakar 2026 ambassador Elzo Jamdong will review submissions, rank designs, and make their recommendations to the IOC Executive Board for approval.
The reverse side of the medal will be designed by the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee and will incorporate Senegalese cultural elements along with the YOG emblem.
“The transformative power of both art and sport”
The initiative to design the front of the medal was first launched for the Singapore 2010 YOG, when Japan’s Setsuko Fukuzawa created the “Yes Youth Can” emblem.
Since then, emerging designers from Slovakia, Romania, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Brazil have showcased their work on the YOG podium.
For Gangwon 2024, over 3,000 entries from 120 countries were submitted, with Brazilian artist and architect Dante Akira Uwai chosen for his design, “A Sparkling Future”.
“As I crafted my medal, I often imagined the athlete receiving it,” Uwai remarked.
“What emotions do I wish to inspire?
“What should they perceive? And as they grow older, filled with memories, what recollections should this medal evoke when they see it displayed on their wall?”
Reflecting on Gangwon 2024, he shared: “The most significant memory for me was watching the medal being awarded to an athlete for the very first time.
“I had envisioned that moment for an entire year, and when it finally happened, it was incredibly emotional.”
The Dakar 2026 YOG is scheduled to take place over two weeks, starting from 31 October, bringing together the world’s best young athletes up to 17 years old.
The Games will be held across three host locations: Dakar, Diamniadio, and Saly.