Be Part of the Movement: Design the International Volunteer Year 2026 Logo

Welcome to the third edition of Volunteers in Action!

On International Volunteer Day, United Nations Volunteers walked the talk on volunteering. The Regional Office in West and Central Africa demonstrated that sharing is caring by taking care of children at an orphanage, while the Regional Office in Europe and Central Asia cooked meals for people living on the streets. The Regional Office in Latin America and the Caribbean supported the hurricane-affected communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Raphael.

Around the world, UN Volunteers supported projects and initiatives to promote the spirit of selfless giving. In East and Southern Africa, UN Volunteers enhanced skills in project management, communication, and leadership. Volunteers in the Arab States championed climate action at COP16. In Asia and the Pacific, they stood with flood-affected communities in Thailand. UNV Executive Coordinator celebrated IVD 2024 in Bhutan and shared plans for the 2026 International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development.

As we look ahead to this important milestone, we’re thrilled to invite everyone over the age of 18 to take part in a logo competition for the International Year of Volunteers 2026. Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, this is a unique opportunity to honour volunteers and their contributions to sustainable development with a design that will represent this global celebration.

A logo for the International Volunteer Year 2026 (IVY 2026) should reflect what Member States of the United Nations highlight through the General Assembly Resolution A/RES/78/127 — which recognizes volunteerism as a powerful and cross-cutting means to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and encourages support for volunteer action.

We are thrilled to kick off a global competition to design the official logo for IVY 2026 with one simple mission: to design a symbol that tells the story of volunteers. A logo that captures their passion and dedication. A logo that will remind us all why volunteers matter not just in the moments of celebration, but in moments of need. Toily Kurbanov, Executive Coordinator, UNV.

How to get started

Learn more about volunteers, volunteerism and IVY 2026 by looking at the UNGA resolution A/RES/78/127, reading UNV stories from 170 countries, and accessing UNV’s Knowledge Portal on Volunteerism. 

How to win

Come up with a logo keeping in mind the following guidelines:

• Be creative and design a logo relevant to the message of IVY 2026. 

• Make sure your logo is easy to reproduce and adaptable to different mediums. 

• The design should be clear, readable at a distance, and impactful at variable sizes. 

A winning logo will be selected by a UNV jury based on the above criteria.

What’s in it for you

The winner will receive a surprise award. Through the public announcement of the winning logo, the winner will further gain international recognition through various UNV platforms and beyond. 

How to submit your logo design

• Submit your design in letter size format (21.5 cm × 28 cm). 

• Designs must be 300 dpi and have a maximum size of 10 MB.

• Accepted file types: pdf, jpeg, jpg, png, tif, tiff, ai, eps.

• Send your logo design to ivy.logo@unv.org with an email that includes: (i) a statement of no more than 100 words explaining how the submitted design interprets IVY 2026; (ii) a written confirmation that the design is original.

• By submitting a logo to the competition, you are deemed to have read, understood and be in agreement with all terms and conditions. 

All submissions must be received by 12 January 2025, 1:00 PM Central European Time (CET).

In case of questions, please write an email to ivy.logo@unv.org