The Peatland LIFEline project recently held a design competition to find a logo that captures the spirit of Icelandic wetlands – restoration and connection with nature. The competition was open to design students and was based on original ideas that grew out of 24 suggestions drawn by children and teenagers at the 2025 Science Festival. Each participant could submit two proposals with a short rationale.

A judging panel evaluated the submitted proposals according to a rubric based on relevance to the project, originality, simplicity and clarity, use of colour, and connection to a child's drawing. All design students were encouraged to participate.

“Describes the core of the project exceptionally well”

Gunnar Karl Thoroddsen, a student at the Iceland University of the Arts (LHÍ), was victorious after careful consideration by the judging panel. A prize-giving ceremony was held at the Fuglavernd (BirdLife Iceland) office, Wednesday 17 December, in a pleasant ceremony. Alongside Gunnar, Marey Ólafía Kristinsdóttir, aged 6, received recognition for the delightful drawing that inspired the winning logo.

The judging panel consisted of artist Eggert Pétursson, Nick Folkard, a representative of the British bird conservation organisation RSPB, and Fífa Jónsdóttir, chair of the judging panel and a specialist in science communication at Land and Forest. The panel received eight excellent proposals from five LHÍ students.

In the judging panel's comments, it was stated that they agreed the design had captured the spirit of the project and interpreted it in a simple and understandable way.

“The logo is a simplified image of a black-tailed godwit in water, which describes the core of the project exceptionally well. The judging panel was immediately captivated by Gunnar's proposal, as it was coherent and well-thought-out from the start. The graphic interpretation of the bird is simple but has a pleasing depth. According to the competition description, he used a child's drawing as a model, and it was the picture by Marey Ólafía Kristinsdóttir (aged 6) that provided him with inspiration. Their shared choice of imagery shows a strong connection to Icelandic nature and says everything that needs to be said about the project's goals. The use of colour and font went well with the visuals, and it will be easy to use the logo to promote the project here in Iceland and abroad for the next five years.”

Photos: Bára Huld Beck