Island artists, designers, and craftspeople are being invited to submit design proposals for the Isle of Man’s official baton for next year’s Commonwealth Games.

The baton will feature at the Games in Glasgow next summer, as well as during the visit of the King’s Baton Relay to the island.

The latter is a longstanding tradition of the Games, symbolising unity and community throughout the Commonwealth.

The relay spans all six regions - Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, and Oceania - and each baton carries a message from His Majesty King Charles III addressed to the Commonwealth and its athletes.

For the first time in Commonwealth Games history, each of the 74 participating nations and territories has been invited to receive and customise their own baton.

These individually designed batons will later be brought together at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Games on July 23.

The Isle of Man baton design must reflect Manx culture and heritage, though how that theme is expressed will be left to the discretion of each artist.

A local judging panel will select the preferred design in March 2026, and the winning designer will then apply their work directly to the baton in preparation for the island's leg of the relay.

Basil Bielich, president of the Commonwealth Games Association of the Isle of Man, said: ‘We are excited to be able to offer this opportunity to local creatives to design the Isle of Man’s baton.

‘The baton itself is simple and sustainable with no complex electronics or chambers. It stands at around 470mm high with each face around 70mm wide.

‘With that in mind, the design potential is broad, so we are hoping for some inspirational design ideas to be submitted.’

For further details about the baton specifications, timescales, and how to submit a design, you can email Victoria Prentice at [email protected]