Shropshire sculptor Jacob Chandler has designed the trophy presented at the inaugural Invictus Spirit Gala Dinner and Awards in London. The event was attended by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, founding patron of the Invictus Games.
Chandler was commissioned to create the award (pictured, which was presented to supporters of the Invictus Games. 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.
“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,” Jacob 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.”
Behind the iris ring, the back plate rises to a point, reading at once as a direction marker and a mountain, a reference to the climb every competitor makes in recovering through sport. The arrow shape draws the eye upward through the piece towards the summit where the Invictus motto “I AM” is proudly emblazoned. Invictus means unconquered in Latin, symbolising unyielding resilience, inner strength, and defiance against adversity. The bottom front face is etched with contour lines, suggesting rough terrain: a reminder that recovery rarely runs smooth, and that to reach your goal you may have to cross many valleys.
The base of the award repeats the ring form, but smaller. “I saw the ring as an analogy for the starting point of the journey, the point from which every competitor’s climb begins, echoed in miniature beneath the summit they are working towards.”
Jacob’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, he 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. They honour individuals and organisations who embody resilience, service and the unconquered spirit at the heart of the Invictus community. The ceremony formed part of the build-up to the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, which will take place 10–17 July.
Jacob, who is based in Telford, works 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. He produced a bladed athlete called One Giant Leap For Humankind, for the Commonwealth Games 2022.
