Sculptor unveils trophy design

Shropshire sculptor Jacob Chandler has designed the trophy presented at the inaugural Invictus Spirit Gala Dinner & Awards that was attended by Prince Harry - the founding patron of the Invictus Games.

Jacob was commissioned to create the award presented to supporters of the Invictus Games, and every element of the finished piece has been built with deliberate meaning.

At the top of the award sits a ring, designed to stand in for the iris of an eye. The form represents focus, identity and inner strength, and carries genuine structural significance.

"A ring has no corners and therefore no weak points, so under pressure it acts as a continuous arch, spreading force evenly around its edge," Chandler explains. "This spreading of load, references the fact that recovery requires a team to support and facilitate, and that the veterans themselves have to dig deep to reinvent themselves after trauma."

Chandler's ability to handle this subject matter with tact is rooted in his own experience of a connective tissue condition. As an ambassador for Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, he has spoken publicly about how chronic illness has shaped both his daily life and his artistic practice, and that perspective informed his approach to a commission built around resilience, recovery and reinvention after the body is tested.

Rather than designing from the outside looking in, Chandler brought an understanding of what it means to rebuild identity and strength around a body that has changed, the same territory the Invictus community navigates through sport.

The pieces were hand made in Birmingham for the inaugural Invictus Spirit Gala Dinner & Awards, presented by ATCO, which took its inspiration from the former Endeavour Awards. 

Jacob is a professional sculptor and visual artist based in Shropshire, working across cast bronze, stainless steel, Corten steel, earth-fired clay and print.

He has completed five public sculptures across the UK, has received Arts Council England funding, and has a maquette held in the permanent collection of Birmingham Museums.

His work is represented by Lambert Fine Art in Stratford-upon-Avon, Forward Gallery in Birmingham, and The Soden Collection in Shrewsbury. Chandler is an ambassador for Ehlers-Danlos Support UK and is nominated in the Amazing Artist category at the 2026 Dyslexia Awards.