BCU Students to design IG27 medals

Birmingham City University (BCU) and Invictus Games Birmingham 2027 partnered with BCU’s renowned School of Jewellery to launch a special design competition that saw its students design the official medals awarded to Wounded, Injured, and Sick service personnel and veterans at the Games in July 2027.

In a project blending creativity with powerful storytelling, students were challenged to design medals crafted primarily from 500kg of reclaimed ammunition shells—a profound symbol of transformation, resilience, and renewal.

To mark the launch, the School of Jewellery hosted a special event featuring former Invictus Games medal winners, who shared their personal experiences and reflections on what the medals represented. Their insight helped students understand the emotion, symbolism, and meaning they could weave into their designs.

Past Invictus Games medals were made available for display, filming, and photography, alongside medals from the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Freedom of the City of Birmingham.

A judging panel selected the winning designs in March/April 2026, which included:

This initiative built on the School of Jewellery’s growing portfolio of prestigious medal projects. Its students had previously designed medals for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Freedom of the City of Birmingham, and the City of Birmingham.

The Freedom of the City medals were awarded for the first time earlier that year, with Black Sabbath receiving the inaugural honours.

The competition also reinforced Birmingham’s status as a World Craft City, earned through the combined efforts of BCU, Birmingham City Council, and the Jewellery Quarter Development Trust.