Jacob Chandler unveils Invictus Spirit Trophy
Shropshire sculptor Jacob Chandler unveils design for the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards trophy.
Telford, Shropshire, Sculptor Jacob Chandler has designed the trophy presented at the inaugural Invictus Spirit Gala Dinner & Awards, held this week in London and attended by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, founding patron of the Invictus Games.
Chandler 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.”
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, as popularized by William Ernest Henley’s poem. 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,” says Chandler, “the point from which every competitor’s climb begins, echoed in miniature beneath the summit they are working towards.
A subject treated from lived experience
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.
About the Invictus Spirit Awards
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. Categories include the Invictus; Resilience, Community, Henry Worsley, Champion and Legacy Award, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, served on the judging panel for the inaugural awards.
The ceremony forms part of the build-up to the Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, which will take place 10–17 July 2027.
About Jacob Chandler
Jacob Chandler 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.
