After a global competition, dozens of entries from five continents, and input from the Vatican itself, a new logo for World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 has been announced.
The designer of the logo, Beatriz Roque Antunes, hopes the image will be an invitation to young Catholics everywhere. “Don’t stand still, make it happen,” Antunes said, “build the world and don’t let it in someone else’s hands. We all need everybody to take the world in their hands.”
It’s a message that carries on the theme for WYD 2023: “Mary arose and went with haste,” a quote from Luke 1:39.
The Competition
To create the logo for World Youth Day 2023, the organizing diocese (the Patriarchate of Lisbon) launched a global competition. The response was exceptional, with dozens of artists from five continents submitting entries.
With so many entries submitted, a team from the Catholic University of Portugal was assembled for the initial screening. They sifted through the submissions until they arrived at what they deemed the 21 best. From there, a group of marketing and communication professionals whittled the options down to three finalists.
Of course, it was the Vatican that had the final say. The Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life evaluated the final three to select a winner. That winner was Beatriz Roque Antunes.
The young art director and designer from Lisbon was beyond excited to have her logo chosen. “It’s not every day that one has the opportunity to offer their gifts to the faith and the Church,” she said.
The Design
After analyzing logos from past editions of the WYD logo, Beatriz decided to continue the theme of a cross. Then, she added a dynamic path that elegantly weaves its way through. To her, it was “the most visual way of transmitting the idea of passage.” The Holy Spirit is also represented within this path as the one who “illuminates and gives us direction.”
The figure of Mary came in later, as a tie-in to the event’s theme, “Mary arose and went with haste.” But she’s also there because she “is always just next to this path, who helps us to walk towards Christ,” the logo’s creator said. Mary is seen in the logo as being younger, as she is in the biblical story mentioned in the theme. It is the moment where she goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth just after the Annunciation.
As Beatriz puts it, “Mary’s decision to visit her cousin Elizabeth is very inspiring because Mary doesn’t settle down. That’s the invitation to young people: it’s that they don’t settle into their comfort zone. That they rise, that they act, that they make things happen, that they build and that they don’t leave the fate of the world in other people’s hands.”
Finally, the rosary was added as an homage to Our Lady of Fátima, who is honored in the city of Fátima, Portugal, where millions of pilgrims visit each year. And of course, the entire logo is set in Portugal’s colors — green, red, and yellow — to represent their flag, the host site, and the Portuguese people’s devotion to the Catholic church.
You can watch the full interview with Beatriz here.
The Event
The most important aspect of the logo? It’s another reason to get excited about WYD 2023. Verso Ministries will be there and is already in planning mode. If you’re just curious about it or ready to get planning, whether you’re a group leader or individual pilgrim, we’d love to chat!
Contact us today to get started.
