Glasgow [Scotland], April 29 (ANI): The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games prize medal has been revealed today, featuring a world-first inclusive design inspired by Glasgow’s iconic landmarks and coat of arms. For the first time in Games’ history, the medal includes braille and tactile elements, ensuring inclusion is a tangible and felt experience, according to an official release from the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The reveal took place at a special event held at The Glasgow School of Art (GSA), attended by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, who is Vice-Patron of Commonwealth Sport.
There will be 215 gold medals awarded across 10 sports and six Para sports, when the Games return to Glasgow from 23 July to 2 August, in the biggest sporting competition in the UK this summer. 47 gold medals will be awarded in Para sports alone, making it the largest Para sport programme in Games’ history.
Designed in secret by award-winning artist, designer and maker, and GSA Artist in Residence Militsa Milenkova, the Glasgow 2026 medal takes the form of a Reuleaux triangle, a distinctive geometric shape that sets it apart from any prize medal seen before. Its design draws deep inspiration from the city’s coat of arms and rich landscape; the Finnieston Crane, the industrial heritage and cultural traditions that define Glasgow’s identity are all woven into its structural detailing.
Militsa was selected to design the medals following a collaboration between Glasgow 2026 and The Glasgow School of Art, with the School’s Silversmithing and Jewellery artists in residence being invited to submit concepts for the prize medal design to a panel made up of representatives from Commonwealth Sport, Glasgow 2026, The Glasgow School of Art, the medal fabricator and an independent jewellery and silversmithing expert.
Talking about the process and her design, Militsa, who is originally from Bulgaria, said: “I really wanted to be involved in designing the medals as to me this place is my chosen home. I wanted to try and portray this into something that will become a symbol for the Games and all the people who take part in it. I thought it would be a really nice way to put my connection with the city into the design.
“I designed the medal to be a standout edition of the Commonwealth Games medals. I wanted it to be something that the athletes would resonate with. When I was thinking about the design, I wanted to try and fit Glasgow into one shape and to do that I was naturally drawn to the symbol of the city – the coat of arms. That’s where I took the distinctive shape from,” she said.
“I then started to play around with my ideas, using the Finnieston Crane and the shapes from it and how that also reminds me of the tartan. I wanted to include that as well as it’s a symbol of national identity for Scotland. The triangular shapes that I have on the surface of the medal come from the top of the crane and the texture represents the tartan,” she added.
“There are three surface levels representing the podiums that athletes step on to – which is possibly the biggest moment of their lives. And I wanted to make inclusion tangible; I’m so proud that the design is tactile and accessible with details expressed in braille on the prize medal for the very first time,” Militsa Milenkova said.
The medal is one of several key visual and ceremonial elements of Glasgow 2026, which have been designed and created by local artists. The Official Tartan of the Games was designed by Siobhan Mackenzie, one of Scotland’s leading textile designers, whilst the Longines Countdown Clock, located in Central Station, was designed by another GSA graduate, Agnes Jones. The 74 King’s Batons, which are travelling across the Commonwealth before arriving in Glasgow ahead of the Opening Ceremony, were designed and created by Tim Norman at GalGael, the Glasgow social enterprise rooted in craft and community.
Together, these commissions reflect a commitment by Glasgow 2026 to place local creativity at the heart of the Games, ensuring that Glasgow 2026 is not simply hosted in the city, but shaped by it.
George Black CBE, Chair, Glasgow 2026, said: “The Prize Medal is the ultimate symbol of what our athletes are competing for this summer and we wanted it to be truly worthy of that moment. Militsa has created something extraordinary, rooted in Glasgow’s story, bold in its design and meaningful in its commitment to inclusion. Inclusion is at the heart of Glasgow 2026, with the largest Para sport programme in a Games history, fully integrated in the competition. For the first time, every athlete standing on that podium will hold a medal that speaks to who they are and what these Games stand for.
“The medal is part of a wider commitment to local artists and makers that runs through the fabric of these Games. From the Official Tartan to the King’s Baton and the Longines Countdown Clock, we have worked with Glasgow’s creative community to shape the look and feel of Glasgow 2026, because this is a Clyde-built Games in every sense,” he said.
Reacting to seeing the medal for the first time, Swimmer Duncan Scott OBE, Scotland’s most decorated athlete, said “I like the shape of it; don’t get many medals in that shape. It’s really cool and the braille is a nice touch. I get pretty excited looking at medals. They remind you of moments and the memories at certain championships.
“The medal is always the goal of the sport but the medal is so much more than that. People will flock in their thousands to come and watch the swimming but it’s more than just the moment of the swimming. It’s the days of the training, the weeks, months, years leading into that, so for it to be symbolised in something pretty cool like this is quite special,” he added.
Donald Rakure, President, Commonwealth Sport, said: “Today’s medal reveal really brings home what Glasgow 2026 is all about – a reimagined Games where we’re not afraid to do things differently. Militsa has created a medal that athletes across the Commonwealth will be striving to win and proud to wear.”
“Accessibility has been central to the design priorities throughout. The medal has been created around inclusivity, with every detail carefully considered, from the braille and the tactile elements to the three-tiered structure and distinctive shape. It will be instantly recognisable and even among a lifetime of achievements, athletes will know straight away that this is Glasgow 2026,” he said.
Professor Penny Macbeth, Director and Principal, The Glasgow School of Art, said: “As a designer and maker at the start of her career, today marks a truly significant milestone for Militsa. Seeing her medal design brought to life and now in production–soon to be held by athletes from across the Commonwealth – is something very special.”
“Glasgow 2026’s commitment and enthusiasm in partnering with The Glasgow School of Art on one of the most important elements of the Games has created a unique and potentially career-defining opportunity for Militsa. We are immensely proud of her and all that she has achieved,” she said. (ANI)
