Who designed the national flag of Barbados?

Grantley Prescod designed the national flag of Barbados. His design won a government-sponsored open competition held before independence in 1966, beating 1,028 other entries.

Prescod was an art teacher. The flag uses ultramarine bands for the surrounding sea and sky, a golden band for the island’s sand, and a black trident head at the centre. The trident came from Barbados’s colonial badge, but its broken shaft symbolizes the break with colonial rule.

The flag was officially adopted at midnight on 30 November 1966, when Barbados became independent. Prescod also made approximately seven of the first physical flags himself, using fabric bought from a department store at the request of Prime Minister Errol Barrow. A common mix-up is confusing the designer with the people who later produced or raised the first flags.